A.J. Brown's New England Patriots return was absolutely underwhelming.
He caught just three of his 10 targets for 27 yards and recorded a career-high three drops in the Patriots' Week 6 win against the New York Jets. He also looked slow and clearly wasn't 100% (to be fair, he sustained a high-ankle sprain about a month and a half ago; not everyone can be TreVeyon Henderson), and he never found his rhythm with Drake Maye. They never got on the same page.
But I'm not worried about it. I'm not buying into the idea that he might be washed or that the Patriots overpaid for him or anything like that. Brown is going to be just fine. It was one game, and there shouldn't be any doubt that he's going to be a big part of New England's success moving forward.
It just might take a little longer for him to show that.
A.J. Brown's Patriots return looked worse than it actually was
It's important to remember that this was the 29-year-old's first full game in a new system with a new team and a new quarterback. He only played in 44% of the Patriots' offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, and he missed a month of play after leaving the game early. It shouldn't be a surprise that he needs some more time to build chemistry with Maye.
Brown is still a three-time All-Pro receiver. It's not like he just forgot how to catch while he was on the shelf.
Plus, he at least did a good job of getting open. He had some uncharacteristic drops (including some on third and fourth downs), but he still got some incredible looks. And given that he clearly wasn't 100%, that's incredibly promising. Having someone who can constantly get open (and isn't Kyle Williams on a go route) is going to be great for Maye and the rest of New England's offense.
It was a tough first full game with the Patriots for Brown, but it looked like the team was just trying to get him acclimated. They didn't completely restrict him (he played 76% of the team's offensive snaps; the most of any wide receiver for New England in the game), and it looked like they made it a point to feed him.
Brown is going to be fine, and the Patriots' offense is going to be fine. The Mississippi native is still an incredible asset to the team, and he will prove that the rest of the way.
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