A.J. Brown sends Patriots fans into a panic after suffering an injury at practice

Training camp is well underway in New England, and most of the focus has (obviously) been on the connection between Drake Maye and his new WR1, A.J. Brown. Since the team traded for the receiver earlier this summer, the headlines have been nonstop about how quickly he has acclimated and the clear chemistry he already has with his new quarterback.

That has kicked up a notch over the past two weeks, as the new duo has put together some impressive highlight moments in practice, and that is expected to continue developing further as the preseason begins next week.

In the last few days, it's become clear that Brown is going to take the Patriots' offense to a new level that the league isn't ready for, especially after they reached the Super Bowl during what was widely expected to be another wash of a season.

Maye was particularly remarkable in Year 2, given who he had to work with and the inconsistencies of the offensive line, so there is a strong belief that Brown is going to elevate him even higher, which comes just one season after he fell one vote shy of winning the league MVP.

So watching that relationship continue to grow remains a focus for reporters and fans, and seeing that Brown suffered an injury during Monday's practice throws a bit of a wrench into that plan.

A.J. Brown's thumb injury will remain a top storyline throughout Patriots training camp

At one point during practice, reporters noticed that Brown seemed to injure his hand, which was later revealed to be a dislocated thumb, per the receiver himself.

And although he returned and kept practicing, emphasizing that he wouldn't remain sidelined even after they popped his thumb back in, it is certainly something we'll have to monitor, and hopefully it won't impact how he practices.

Obviously, that's the kind of attitude any team would want from one of their superstar players, and it's admirable that Brown is already exhibiting that kind of behavior with his new team.

But a thumb injury to a receiver can become a major problem, and it will be something that will inevitably remain a talking point until it's proven it won't be a problem for Brown. So, for the time being, it has people worried about how it could negatively affect him in practice.

Building on his relationship with Maye is crucial at this point, and we've already seen how well it has progressed over the past week. So an injured thumb could easily derail that, even if Brown continues to practice.

It is a good sign that he was able to keep going, offering some optimism for the rest of the offseason. However, it could become an issue down the road, so surely we'll have to keep a close eye on it.

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