FOXBOROUGH - After practicing on Wednesday, the first time since he suffered a high-ankle sprain in the season opener on September 9th, A.J. Brown took to the podium with a big smile and a word of caution about his availability for Sunday’s game against the Jets.
“I feel pretty good. It’s one step at a time for me. Each and every day, trying to increase my load and just see how I respond,” he said, adding, “It felt good to be back, up on the grass, practicing. Working on the side is really boring so…”
Brown was listed as a limited participant, and there wasn’t much to gain from watching him practice for the short period the media is allowed to watch. The ankle was taped, and his straight-line movements looked fine.
But the intensity of practice increased today - more “bumps,” as Brown noted, - which means how the ankle feels tomorrow and again on Friday will likely determine whether he returns against New York or remains shelved with an eye on the game in Chicago next Thursday.
"It's still up in the air," Brown said. "Obviously, it's going to be Coach Vrabel's decision to see where I'm at and make the better decision for the long haul, not just temporarily."
Drake Maye is certainly looking forward to getting Brown back, whenever that is. It seemed clear the Patriots would run their passing offense through their big offseason trade acquisition, targeting him five times (3 catches and a DPI drawn) in just two-plus quarters against the Seahawks. It took Maye and the rest of the crew some time to recalibrate, but the operation the wide receiver will join has been much more efficient over the last two weeks.
“I think you know what he can add,” Maye said of Brown. “He’s been a player in this league. It’s not like we haven’t seen him as a player in this league, and there aren’t many like him that roam around in this league. So, I’ll try to do my part to give him some chances and keep on spreading the ball around for guys that are open. We’ve had a lot of guys step up. So, I’m looking forward to keeping that rolling and adding another piece whenever he feels like he’s ready to get out there.”
How, or will the offense change, with their clear-cut #1 pass-catcher back in the lineup?
“Once we know if he's back back, then we'll obviously have those conversations,” Josh McDaniels said Thursday before practice, noting there’s no way to make up for the time on task missed because of the injury. The Pats offensive coordinator also can’t say with any certainty how Aaron Glenn’s defense will contend with Brown if he’s out there because, well, he hasn’t been out there much.
“It's hard to say for us yet because we only got to play for