A.J. Brown’s first season with the New England Patriots continues to be about as uncomfortable as it gets.
Brown, who was downgraded from a limited participant during Wednesday’s practice to a nonparticipant on both Thursday and Friday, will officially be questionable for this week's road game against the Miami Dolphins, head coach Mike Vrabel said on Friday.
“His status is questionable like some other players," Vrabel said. "We’ll see how he comes in [on Saturday] and we’ll make a decision.
“We want our best players to play and I would consider him one of those," he added. "Again, we’re really here focused on trying to get a win here on the road within the division, and we’ll make a decision on the guys who are questionable tomorrow.”
As for reports that Brown could potentially miss multiple weeks again, Vrabel was having none of it during what was a short and classically snippy presser.
"We’ll have 11 out there on offense. I hope that we do," he quipped. "That’s our goal. I appreciate all your guys’ questions. Everybody comes in and prepares as a starter. We’ve had to use guys from the practice squad. If needed, we’ll have one of those guys ready. I know that they all are. … That’s nothing new for us.”
Brown, who has been managing a high-ankle sprain since the season opener in Seattle, made his return from injured reserve in Week 6 against the Jets. It was the first game Brown was eligible to return for, and the decision to rush him back continues to age poorly for Vrabel and the team’s top decision-makers.
The Patriots defeated the Jets, 26-19, despite Brown turning 10 targets from Drake Maye into three receptions — and at least three drops — for 27 yards. He played 76% of the snaps in that game, too, before coming back five days later on Thursday Night Football to play 92% of the snaps in a 30-24 loss to the Bears, catching three of six targets for 48 yards.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Friday that Brown’s injury struggles this week pertain to a preexisting knee issue that followed him to Foxboro from his time in Philadelphia.
With that said, New England’s decision to bring Brown back on an ankle that was clearly not 100% against the Jets is worthy of criticism.
A.J. Brown isn't the only Patriots playmaker whose Week 8 status is up in the air
Entering Halloween weekend, the Patriots will be down to bare-bones options at WR
The Patriots have four wide receivers on the practice squad, and with DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism their only healthy wideouts on the active roster, a call-up (or two) could be in order on Halloween.
One name to watch is rookie Kyle Dixon, New England’s 6-foot-2 rookie out of Culver-Stockton. He has the size, at 220 pounds, to play on the boundary, which is where the Patriots are in desperate need of help without Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Mack Hollins.
Patriots wide receiver coach Todd Downing said Dixon has done nothing but improve behind the scenes.
“We discussed him in the offseason,” Downing said. “He was a little bit limited through OTAs and wasn’t able to really sink his teeth into his role. But as training camp came, and preseason games came, you saw the physical skill set. We’ve seen nothing but improvement from there.”
Cameron Dorner, Chandler Brayboy, and Ryan Miller, a fourth-year pro and the most recent addition to the practice squad, are other options to be called up on Sunday.
TreVeyon Henderson officially questionable after leaving Thursday’s practice with an illness
The Patriots were also without Henderson on Friday, which puts his status for the Dolphins game firmly up in the air. The timing of Henderson’s illness was curious, as the running back has seen his role decrease in recent weeks, and the NFL’s trade deadline looms on Nov. 10.
Vrabel didn’t expound on Henderson’s situation, but he didn’t rule him out, either. Ben Brown, DaQuan Jones, and Morgan Moses were all limited practice participants this week who are hopeful to suit up Sunday.
According to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Patriots running backs coach Tony Dews laughed off a reporter’s question on Thursday about whether Henderson had been sent home due to trade negotiations.
Henderson missed practice with an illness. Furthermore, he did not get traded, #Patriots RBs coach Tony Dews said. Dews all but laughed at the notion. https://t.co/22Fi9siOOK
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) October 29, 2026
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