AJ Brown’s return to the field appears to be moving in the right direction as New England heads into its Week 6 meeting with the Jets.
The Patriots wide receiver missed the last four games after suffering a high ankle sprain in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, a injury that sent him to injured reserve. On Thursday, Brown took part in his first practice since going down, and his comments suggested he’s trending back toward availability - though not without some caution.
“I felt pretty good,” Brown said while noting he was taking a “one step at a time” approach, which included seeing how the ankle responded Thursday in a practice with full shoulder pads that promised to be more physical.
He also made clear that the final call may not be his alone.
“Obviously it's going to be a Coach Vrabel decision, to see where I'm at and make the better decision for the long haul, not just for temporarily,” he said.
Brown’s rehab had another source of motivation, too: his 4-year-old son, Deuce.
“Besides the [athletic] training staff, who did a really good job, what motivated me to get back was chasing my son again,” Brown said. “Because as soon as I got home, he wanted me to run around and play.
I was like, ‘I can't chase you right now.' That kind of motivated me.
“Then it got to the point where I started doing a little more and we started playing tag and that's when I knew I was getting back into it - making him miss.”
New England enters Week 6 at 3-2 and sits second in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills, with the Jets and Miami Dolphins trailing in the division. The Patriots get the Jets at home on Oct. 18, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET.
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