The Patriots designated receiver A.J. Brown to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, per Doug Kyed, as reported by NFL Trade Rumors. That opens a 21-day window in which Brown can practice before the club has to activate him. A Reddit post cites coach Mike Vrabel's press conference as confirming the move and says Brown will practice Wednesday. We have only that secondhand account of Vrabel's remarks, not a transcript. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports also say Christian Gonzalez will practice Wednesday.
Brown has been out since a high-ankle sprain in September, and the club placed him on injured reserve. NFL Trade Rumors notes it was reported he would miss six weeks. The designation does not set a return date. USA TODAY's Jacob Camenker wrote that Brown could return sooner than expected. None of the summaries we have say whether that means this Sunday or later in the window.
Brown's season is one game old. Our box scores show him catching three of four targets for 26 yards in the Week 1 game at Seattle on Sep 9, with a long of 14 and two first downs. He has not played since. That leaves the Patriots with a receiver who has barely appeared in their 3-2 season.
The team has gone 3-2 without him for most of it and sits second in the AFC East on a two-game winning streak. Pro Football Talk says the offense has "come alive over the last two weeks." The results back that up. New England won 29-26 at Buffalo on Oct 4, then beat Las Vegas 45-17 at home on Oct 11. That followed a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville on Sep 27.
Gonzalez's status matters on the other side of the ball. He has played three games this year, with eight tackles and five passes defensed. Those games were at Seattle, against Pittsburgh and at Jacksonville, and his last appearance was on Sep 27. That means he has not played in either of the last two wins. The reporting we have doesn't say why he was out, and it doesn't say whether Wednesday's practice means he will play Sunday.
New England hosts the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct 18. Brown's 21-day window is open, but Wednesday's reports don't say whether he will be activated for that game.
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