Throughout the offseason, Patriots fans hoped Mike Vrabel would use his connection with A.J. Brown to land the receiver for a reasonable price. They were frontrunners from the moment the Eagles made it clear they wanted to trade Brown before the 2026 season, so it was only a matter of time before he landed in New England.
When that happened in June, the excitement about what Brown could bring to the offense, especially for Drake Maye, was palpable, and there was a lot of optimism about how much better the group would look after the 2025 season ended.
But Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1's Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks, forcing him to miss the next four games before finally returning against the Jets in Week 6.
His performance was far from ideal, and although he looked better against the Bears last week, he still wasn't the clear WR1 fans had hoped for.
To make matters worse, he appears to have suffered a new knee injury this week that limited him at practice on Wednesday. Now he missed Thursday's practice, putting his availability for Sunday's game against the Dolphins in question, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
#Patriots WR AJ Brown, not spotted at practice today, is not practicing because of a knee issue that has flared up, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 29, 2026
Brown also was listed on yesterday's injury report with an ankle. Knee was added, as well, and his status for Sunday is up in the air. pic.twitter.com/WvVJl6S6J6
His previous knee injuries were a concern leading up to the eventual trade, and many wished they hadn't given up a future first-round pick for Brown; from the looks of it, they were proven right.
It's still too early to give up on what A.J. Brown can be for the Patriots' offense
From a game in which he set a new career-high in drops to an improved performance in a short week, there are plenty of reasons not to give up on the kind of player Brown can ultimately be for this Patriots team.
The initial ankle injury typically takes 6-8 weeks to heal, so Brown's return after just four weeks was impressive, and perhaps too soon. That might have contributed to the knee issue he's dealing with now, and it could be a hard lesson the Patriots are learning.
Although the receiving corps has been less productive than they'd like, fast-tracking Brown's return doesn't help anyone. If that's what is causing his current setback, then the Patriots need to own up to it and maybe sit him out of next week's game.
That doesn't mean he can't become the receiver he's always been throughout his career at some point this season, so fans shouldn't abandon that hope just yet.
He'll have to shake off the rust, since he was only on the field with the team for a limited time in Week 1, and coming back from an ankle injury isn't easy for any player. Now that he's dealing with a knee issue, the situation is worse, so he won't be playing at his usual standard.
However, once that's dealt with, there's no reason to believe he won't look like the guy we saw throughout training camp, a clear WR1 with a real connection with Maye who put cornerbacks on skates.
It's just going to take a bit longer than anyone hoped for, at this point.
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