A.J. Brown Returns to Patriots Practice Before Jets

A.J. Brown is finally back on the practice field in Foxborough. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that the star receiver would return to practice for the first time since landing on injured reserve Sept. 12, opening his 21-day window ahead of Sunday's home game against the New York Jets.

That is the news Patriots fans have circled since the opener. Brown has barely played for New England, and a 3-2 team coming off a 45-17 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders suddenly has its No. 1 target back in the building.

Brown's long road back

Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 at Seattle, catching three passes for 26 yards before he was ruled out in his Patriots debut. New England acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles in June for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, so four weeks on the shelf stung.

Vrabel is not promising Sunday yet. "He hasn't been out there for four weeks, so we'll get him back out there practicing and see if he's ready to go in a couple days," he said. "And if not, 21-day window and we'll go from there."

He did praise how Brown handled the layoff. "I think his routine was really good, ability to be around guys in the meetings was good, and then also focus on his rehab," Vrabel said. "Just treated everything as a pro."

The locker room felt it. "Huge boost. He's a receiver one," veteran safety Kevin Byard said. "Obviously the past couple weeks our pass game has been playing really well so he adds another dynamic to that."

Gonzalez is ready, too

Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury from the Week 3 loss to Jacksonville, said he will play Sunday. "I'm good now, ready for Sunday," he told reporters.

Gonzalez admitted the sideline wore on him. "I've been itching, kind of going a little crazy when I'm not getting to play," he said. "You put in work with all these guys and then you don't get to be out there with them."

New England also opened the practice window for swing tackle Marcus Bryant, welcome depth with left tackle Will Campbell nursing a sprained right MCL. Cornerback Carlton Davis (neck) will not practice, per Vrabel.

Jets week just got louder

The Patriots host the Jets at Gillette Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. With Mack Hollins on injured reserve, a healthy Brown would join Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism III in a passing game Byard says has been rolling. Practice reports on Thursday and Friday now matter as much as the game plan. If Brown clears them, Foxborough gets its first real look at the receiver it paid a first-round pick to get, against a division rival, with Gonzalez back on the other side of the ball.