After a long offseason trying to acquire wide receiver A.J. Brown, the New England Patriots can’t afford to lose him before the season even begins. That’s why it was so scary for everyone when Brown appeared to suffer a hand injury on Monday.
The practice was inside and closed to the public due to poor weather. However, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that the injury occurred while Brown was battling with Christian Gonzalez in a one-on-one drill. There, he appeared to jam his left thumb. Doctors would look at it, and luckily the Patriots appeared to avoid any major injuries as Brown practiced through it.
Following practice, Brown admitted that he dislocated the thumb. It wasn’t pleasant but he was able to practice through it.
“I’m not coming out of practice,” Brown said. “Thumb out of place, you keep going.”
Injury Concerns Have Followed New England Patriots WR A.J. Brown
GettyNew England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown
This offseason, injury concerns began to come up in discussions about the price the New England Patriots would pay for A.J. Brown. In particular, a degenerative knee condition.
Despite all the talk that did end up springing from Brown’s knee, not everyone thinks it’s a big deal. That includes Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
“[A] lot of things get fabricated, and people tell stories,” Vrabel said earlier in Training Camp. “We’re very confident in where he’s at physically.”
The dislocated thumb, obviously, has nothing to do with the knee issue that was creeping up for Brown in the past. Still, it does add to being banged up, which can make a player less effective when they’re on the field.
A season ago, Brown was only able to play in 15 games. A year before that, 13 games. It wasn’t a coincidence that Brown saw his production dip, too. So, the Patriots would do well to keep Brown healthy.
A.J. Brown and Drake Maye are Improving Their Chemistry
GettyNew England Patriots QB Drake Maye
For as healthy as the Patriots do want to keep A.J. Brown, they also need him to be at practice so he can build his chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye. That’s created a balance that’s a little difficult to navigate, even as the two have improved working together in recent days.
For his part, Maye took the time to address their chemistry. In particular, how they’re getting Brown the ball.
“A guy like A.J., I think you gotta give him chances,” Maye said. “He can make you throwing the football look good. Just put it in his area and he’ll make plays on it. Just find ways to give him the football, short, intermediate, deep. It is my job to execute the play. It’s on all 11 of us when [Josh McDaniels] calls a play. And there’s a play, a player, or a spot, he may get the ball more often than not, but it’s not specifically my job. I’m just trying to execute the plays. Oftentimes, number one is gonna be open.”
Practicing with a thumb injury on Monday, Brown caught four of seven passes that Maye threw his way. That included two for touchdowns. So, there is some obvious growth between the two of them.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Patriots Injury Update: Latest on A.J. Brown After Getting Hurt in Practice appeared first on HEAVY.