A.J. Brown’s Week 13 availability is suddenly in question after the Patriots wide receiver missed practice Thursday with a knee issue that had been added to the injury report a day earlier.
NFL Network reported that Brown sat out because the knee problem “flared up,” leaving his status for Sunday uncertain. That’s a notable development for New England, especially with the receiver already working his way back from a season-opening high ankle sprain.
Brown was also on Wednesday’s injury report with an ankle issue. Since coming off injured reserve in Week 6, he hasn’t yet looked fully back to form, posting six catches on 16 targets for 75 yards over the last two weeks.
The knee situation is not entirely new territory for the 29-year-old. Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf previously told Yahoo Sports that Brown has a degenerative knee condition.
Wolf said the team reviewed the wear and tear on Brown’s knee before making the deal and that the medical staff approved it. New England acquired Brown in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Brown spoke Wednesday before practice and acknowledged that he still isn’t at his usual level of explosiveness, but he didn’t lean on that as an excuse.
“I’m trying to put my best foot forward. I know obviously I’m working through something, but it’s no excuses.
I made none in the first week I was out there,” Brown said. “The things I can control, I try to control.
That’s the only thing. I don’t look at anything as positive or negative, if that’s what you’re looking for.
It’s information.”
If Brown can’t go Sunday, the Patriots are thin at receiver on the active roster, with DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III the only wideouts there. Kyle Dixon, Cameron Dorner, Chandler Brayboy, and Ryan Miller are on the practice squad.
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The interesting part is not just that New England is exploring multiple lanes, but that the team appears willing to consider upgrades across both sides of the ball. No official trade has been reported, so this is still a search rather than a deal, but it does suggest the Patriots see a chance to plug holes if the right player becomes available. For a team trying to keep building around its young core, the deadline could end up being less about splash and more about finding the right fit. [Read more 🡒]