The Patriots are moving in the right direction as a team, but the outlook around A.J. Brown is getting a lot harder to ignore.
New England sits at 4-3 after winning three straight before its Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears, and while the club is still behind the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, it’s in solid shape overall. Brown, though, is becoming a different story heading into Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins.
Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that Brown was not in the locker room on Thursday and also wasn’t on the field for practice. That came one day after Brown showed up on the injury report with a new knee injury, which raises obvious questions about where he stands for Sunday.
“No sign of WR A.J. Brown at practice,” Reiss reported after his previous report indicated Brown wasn't in the team's locker room.
The knee issue is the latest concern after Brown had already missed significant time earlier this season with an ankle injury and spent time on injured reserve. He returned in Week 6 against the New York Jets, but the rust was impossible to miss. Brown had multiple drops on 10 targets and finished with three catches for 27 yards.
The Patriots still won that game, which created some optimism that Brown was simply shaking off the layoff. Then came another quiet showing in primetime against the Bears, where he caught three of four targets for 26 yards.
Through three games this season, Brown hasn’t caught more than three passes in a game or gone over 50 receiving yards. That slow start is already a concern on its own, and the new practice development only adds to it.
Brown was limited on Wednesday, and if he’s out again Thursday and listed as a DNP, that would be a clear step in the wrong direction. It doesn’t rule him out for Sunday, but it’s exactly the kind of midweek update that has Patriots fans paying close attention.
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