The New England Patriots are on the verge of getting the kind of boost that changes the look of an offense overnight.
A.J. Brown, the star wide receiver acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in one of the biggest moves of the NFL offseason, is expected to be activated from IR ahead of Week 6, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. That would put him in line to return Sunday against the New York Jets.
Brown’s arrival in New England was supposed to give the Patriots a true No. 1 target after a 14-win season that ended with a loss in the Super Bowl. Instead, his first season with the team hit a snag almost immediately. He was injured in Week 1 against Seattle, and the issue was serious enough to send him to IR, where he has remained ever since.
Now the wait appears to be ending.
That timing matters because the Patriots offense has started to find its footing even without him. After a slow three-week opening stretch, New England has rattled off two wins, beating the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders while averaging 470.5 yards and 37.5 points per game over that span.
And that was before Brown came back into the mix.
His return should force defenses to account for him from the jump, which can only make life easier for the rest of the offense. If Brown is truly back to full strength, he still profiles as one of the league’s elite receivers and a clear top target for quarterback Drake Maye.
For New England, the hope is simple: if Maye and Brown click the way many expected, the Patriots could keep rolling.
In Other News...
Jon Gruden Just Validated What Jets Fans Hoped About This Defense
Jon Grudens breakdown of the Jets Week 5 defense against Cleveland offered a little outside validation for what the team has been trying to build. He pointed to the way New York mixed and matched its pass-rush looks, leaning into pressure and coverage wrinkles that gave the Browns trouble, and the tape backed up the sense that this group can be more than just physical up front. David Bailey was the headliner, finishing with three sacks and earning Defensive Player of the Week, a solid sign that the Jets may have found a real disruptive edge on that side of the ball.
The challenge now is whether they can keep that same rhythm intact with the next opponent looming. Injuries are already testing the depth of the pass rush, and the Patriots are the kind of divisional matchup that can expose any weakness if the front seven isnt at full strength. For a Jets defense that finally drew a national nod for its creativity and impact, the bigger question is whether the pressure package can keep humming once the rotation gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Have Found Garrett Wilson The Help He Needed
The Jets have spent this season looking more competitive under Aaron Glenn, with Geno Smith taking care of the ball and Garrett Wilson carrying much of the offensive load. For a team that has needed more help around its top target, the emergence of Isaiah Williams has been one of the quieter developments worth watching.
Williams, an undrafted free agent, has started to carve out a real place in the offense with 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He is not officially the No. 2 option yet, but his usage has been trending in the right direction, and if that keeps up, the Jets may have found another receiver who can take some pressure off Wilson and give the passing game a little more balance. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Finally Have Two Weapons Back For A Tough Patriots Test
The Jets will finally get a little more help at receiver when they face the Patriots, with Aaron Glenn confirming that Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. are both available. Coopers return is especially notable because it gives New York another option after a stretch in which he has been sidelined, while Sadiq has been a steadier presence, showing up in every game even if he has not always made it through cleanly.
For an offense trying to find more consistency, having both players back in the mix matters against a New England defense that rarely makes things easy. Glenns update gives the Jets a chance to spread the field a bit more and see how those two fit into the game plan, with the next question being how much they can handle once the ball starts moving. [Read more 🡒]