FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - A.J. Brown’s first few days with the Patriots have been quiet on the stat sheet, but that hasn’t shaken his confidence - or, apparently, Mike Vrabel’s expectations.
Brown was targeted right away on the first snap of 11-on-11 work at New England’s opening training camp practice Saturday, when Drake Maye fired in his direction despite Christian Gonzalez blanketing him in coverage. Brown got a hand to the ball, but he couldn’t come down with it.
That kind of moment felt familiar to Brown, who said Vrabel wasted no time challenging him in the film room.
“First team meeting [Vrabel] ripped me for almost bringing in a catch; he expected me to make that play,” Brown said of his coach, whom he originally played under with the Titans from 2019 to ’21. The moment reminded him of their days together in Tennessee.
“Early on, as a rookie, I didn’t really like that too much. But now I know it comes from a great place and he expects me to make that play, and so do I.”
The Patriots paid a heavy price to land Brown this offseason, sending a 2028 first-round pick and a ’27 fifth-round pick to the Eagles for the 29-year-old receiver. Brown arrives with plenty of hardware - three Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl LIX ring and six career seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards - and he’s expected to be Maye’s top target.
So far, though, the production has been limited. Through two training camp practices and a walkthrough on Monday, Brown has only one catch in competitive drills.
Brown, though, doesn’t sound rattled.
“The offense is … I’m in a good spot,” Brown said Monday of his comfort level in coordinator Josh McDaniels’s offense, seemingly unbothered by his lack of production so far. “I wanna say I’m like 90%.
It’s really just about going out there and executing and getting on the same page with Drake each and every day.” He was then asked what goes into building that on-field chemistry with a new quarterback.
“Nonstop communication. Hearing what he thinks, and him listening to me, and just trying to get on the same page,” Brown explained.
“There may be an angle here, I may need to go higher, something small like that. The details are very small in this league and you need to execute them.”
That’s the part the Patriots are betting on: timing, trust and the little things that turn a new pairing into a real connection. Brown’s early workload hasn’t been eye-popping, but New England’s camp isn’t exactly set up for panic. Training camp is for building rhythm, not for collecting headlines, and the Patriots also added free agent Romeo Doubs this offseason to a receiver group that already includes Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas.
Brown likes what he sees around him, too.
“Guys [are] working hard,” Brown said of his new teammates. “We may not have the biggest names, but guys are just full of grit and come to work each and every day.
We all hold each other accountable, and it’s fun. It’s a great group.”
McDaniels’s offense has long been built around reading the defense and attacking whatever opens up, and Brown’s arrival fits that mold. Players like Randy Moss, Brandon Marshall and Davante Adams have posted career-best seasons in the system, but the larger idea stays the same: find the matchup, make the throw, keep moving.
Maye has said as much himself - it’s his job to get the ball to whoever is open.
The Patriots are back on the field Tuesday for what should be a quicker session before an off day Wednesday, and the pace figures to pick up later in the week. That’s when the Maye-Brown connection will get a better test.
For now, there’s no reason to make too much of a slow start in non-padded practices. Brown isn’t worried, and the Patriots don’t need to be either.
In Other News...
Patriots Camp Just Sent A Troubling Message About The Receiver Battle
Training camp has only just opened, but the Patriots are already making the kind of roster moves that tend to tell you where the real battles are. New England claimed rookie wide receiver Kobe Prentice off waivers from the Panthers, a move that came with a corresponding release of first-year offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez, and the team also added tight end Jeremiah Franklin and Gabe Jacas as it continued sorting through the early camp mix.
For a receiver group trying to establish itself under Mike Vrabels staff, the timing matters. The Patriots have been busy with fan events, practice sessions and a round of press conferences from Vrabel and team executives, yet the more revealing news has come in the personnel churn around the bottom of the roster. Adding Prentice gives the group another young name to watch, and the fact that New England felt the need to keep adjusting the board this early suggests the competition at receiver is already getting tighter than anyone would prefer. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Camp Just Dropped An Early Roster Clue Fans Will Obsess Over
Mondays training camp walkthrough gave a quieter look at the Patriots roster picture after two faster-paced practices, but even in a lighter session, a few pecking orders stood out. Lan Larison kept working as the third running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, which is the kind of early camp detail that usually matters more than the drill itself.
At receiver, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III continue to rotate in the fight for what appears to be the next depth opening behind the established top options. The tight end group is also worth watching, with Tanner Arkin getting meaningful reps as the Patriots sort through the fallout from Julian Hills season-ending injury and try to settle on who can handle the next layer of the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Romeo Doubs Is Already Facing Pressure In Patriots Camp
Romeo Doubs arrived in New England with a chance to carve out a real role, but the early returns in camp have been uneven. Through offseason workouts and the first two training camp practices, the receiver has looked like he is still getting comfortable in Josh McDaniels offense, with route adjustments and the timing of reads still a work in progress as he tries to settle in alongside Drake Maye.
The bigger issue for Doubs is that the competition around him is not standing still. DeMario Douglas has been handling the slot work, Kayshon Boutte has looked ahead of him on the boundary, and the Patriots have not even reached padded practices yet, which means the pace is only going to pick up from here. With preseason games approaching, Doubs has time to close the gap, but he also has to show he can turn a slow start into something more convincing before the depth chart hardens. [Read more 🡒]