The Patriots are expected to activate wide receiver A.J. Brown from injured reserve on Saturday. He is expected to play Sunday against the Jets. ESPN, citing a source speaking to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, said Brown is "likely" to be activated after missing the past four games with a right high ankle sprain. Yahoo Sports said he has been out since suffering the injury in New England's season opener.
The outlets differ in how firm they are. Rapoport's version, as ESPN relays it, is "likely." Pats Pulpit's Bernd Buchmasser wrote that Brown "will be activated" to the 53-man roster Saturday and that the expectation is he lines up against the Jets. Tom Pelissero's report, shared on r/nfl, adds a qualifier. "Barring a setback," Pelissero said, Brown is expected to be activated today and will play Sunday. None of the summaries mention a snap count or any limit on his workload.
Brown's 2026 so far is one game. In that opener at Seattle on Sept. 9, he caught three of four targets for 26 yards, with a long of 14 and two first downs, and no touchdown. His 2025 season, in 15 games, was 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns on 121 targets. That gives a baseline for what the offense has been missing, though how he looks coming off the injury is unknown.
| GP | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
New England is 3-2 and second in the AFC East, and it has won two straight without him. The Patriots beat Buffalo 29-26 on the road on Oct. 4 and beat Las Vegas 45-17 on Oct. 11. Between those wins came a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville on Sept. 27. The offense scored 74 points in the last two games, so Brown is coming back to a unit that is already producing, and the coaching staff has less pressure to force him in.
The Jets are 2-3 and third in the division. They are coming off a 17-12 home win over Cleveland, which followed road losses at Chicago (23-12) and Detroit (31-24). New York has scored 12 points or fewer in two of its last three games, so Sunday's matchup pairs a Patriots offense gaining a top target with a Jets offense that has been struggling to score.
Sun, Oct 18, 1:00 PM ET
Kickoff against the Jets is Sunday, Oct. 18, at New England. The formal activation is expected Saturday. Whether Brown plays on Sunday depends on how the ankle holds up. That is the caveat in Pelissero's report.
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