Drake Maye and the New England Patriots' offense have been on fire since halftime of their huge road win over the Bills in Week 4, and that momentum just got a rocket boost entering another big divisional game.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported early Saturday morning that the Patriots are planning to activate wide receiver A.J. Brown off injured reserve, putting him in line to play in Sunday’s home game against the New York Jets.
The timing is excellent, as the Patriots have two games in five days coming up, including next week’s trip to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football.
“Brown returned to practice this week after a stint on IR with a high-ankle sprain and now an anticipated return to the field,” Rapoport wrote.
As for how much Brown will play after missing four games with a high ankle sprain? That's the lingering question entering the weekend.
Patriots have no reason to rush A.J. Brown back into a full-time role
Brown returned to practice for the first time since early September on Wednesday, but was never able to upgrade to full participation. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday that Brown would enter the weekend questionable so the team could see how the ankle responds.
When asked how Brown, who wore a heavy wrap on his ankle during practice, looked throughout the week, Vrabel hardly knocked over the podium with excitement.
“I mean I think he looks OK, like everybody, some good plays, some bad plays. Try to see where his conditioning level is and see how he may feel after practice today.”
A.J. Brown back at Pats practice 🫡 pic.twitter.com/yLjcFgUTqS
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 14, 2026
Reading through to tea leaves, Vrabel is almost screaming the words “pitch count” without actually saying them.
Brown will be returning on the early side of the injury timeline for a Grade 2 high ankle sprain, as he was originally expected to miss four to six weeks. If he was going to be available for Week 6 or Week 7, the Bears game always felt like the most realistic target. That would give Brown a mini bye week to recover ahead of a Week 8 road game at Miami.
Drake Maye found a winning formula while A.J. Brown was sidelined
Maye has found a rhythm in recent weeks behind an everybody-eats mentality. In last week’s rout of the Raiders, nine different Patriots caught a pass, and six had at least three receptions. Maye’s completion percentage (67.6) and yards per attempt (9.1) over the last two weeks are beginning to creep back up to his elite 2025 levels.
The Patriots shouldn’t need to force targets to Brown against the 2-3 Jets. The plan will most likely be to get their top receiver some live game reps, see how the ankle responds on a short week ahead of Thursday night, and then start ramping Brown up for his usual full-time role against the Dolphins in 15 days.
No one should be starting Brown in fantasy football this week, but his return to the huddle means everything for a Patriots offense that was already beginning to hit its stride.
The team just navigated the toughest stretch of its schedule, came out 3-2, and is about to get its top receiver back.
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