AJ Brown High Ankle Sprain

A.J. Brown has a high-ankle sprain after leaving his Patriots debut early against the Seahawks. NFL Network reported the diagnosis Thursday, and the New York Post relayed that X-rays were negative for a fracture while an MRI will gauge severity. Brown is expected to miss at least a few weeks.

That is a brutal turn for New England after trading a 2028 first-round pick to get him from Philadelphia. Brown finished with three catches for 26 yards before the right ankle ended his night in a 13-10 road loss at Lumen Field.

How the ankle went down

Early in the third quarter, Drake Maye threw Brown's way on third down with Nehemiah Pritchett in tight coverage. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that Pritchett's right knee appeared to land on Brown's ankle with his body weight. Brown grabbed the back of his right leg, walked to the tent, then to the locker room. He was questionable, then ruled out at the start of the fourth.

After the game he wore a protective boot in the locker room. Mike Vrabel had no firm update on the spot. Kevin Byard said Brown was in "good spirits." Maye called him a competitor who will fight to get back. The injury itself still needed Thursday's NFL Network readout to put a name on it.

Week 2 Steelers and the depth chart

High-ankle sprains often need at least a couple of weeks before a real return window, and worse grades stretch longer. The Post noted short-term IR is only a possibility if the MRI is bad news, so treat that as speculative until New England says otherwise. What is locked: Brown is not walking into a quick bounce-back.

The Patriots do get an extended layoff before hosting the Steelers on Sept. 20. Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins profile as the early two-receiver set, with Kyle Williams in line for more snaps after just 11 offensive plays Wednesday. For fantasy and live boards, Brown is a stash, not a Week 2 play, until the MRI and practice notes land.

Brown helped set up New England's only touchdown by drawing a deep pass-interference flag before Eli Raridon's 2-yard score. One half of a debut is not the partnership Mike Vrabel signed up for. The high-ankle label is the update Patriots fans did not want. The next number that matters is whatever the MRI says, then how much of September he actually misses.