It took a long offseason full of rumors to get to this point, but the Philadelphia Eagles finally mentioned wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots on June 1st. Now, as Mandatory Minicamp is underway, he’s had an opportunity to adjust to his new team.
With Minicamp underway, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel opened up about how Brown is handling that transition. In particular, now that he’s had a moment to get his feet under him.
“I think good. I think the weekend probably served him well to be able to take a deep breath and get some rest,” Vrabel said. “I am sure it has been a whirlwind for him, but he is excited about learning the system and eventually moving around and doing different things. I think it has been great just having him around and continuing to integrate himself into our football team.”
Mandatory Minicamp isn’t the first chance Brown has had to participate in Patriots team activities. He was already in Foxborough for OTAs, seemingly excited for the chance to get to New England, learn the offense, and make a connection with his new teammates.
Of course, Brown and Vrabel have long since had their own personal connection. The two worked together with the Tennessee Titans, and it’s clear that Brown wanted to get the chance to play for him once again.
A.J. Brown is Making an Impression at New England Patriots Mandatory Minicamp
There is no doubt that expectations are high around the New England Patriots for A.J. Brown. That can be hard to live up to, but he appears to be starting strong.
On social media, ESPN’s Mike Reiss shared a video of Brown making an uncontested catch early. However, he noted that Brown has been showing off his hands in tight coverage already.
“WR A.J. Brown, and his knack for tight-window catches, a top takeaway today. Third play of full-team drills, Drake Maye looks to Brown (6-1, 226) in the low red zone, with CB Kindle Vildor (5-11, 190) in tight coverage. Brown snatches it anyway,” Reiss wrote.
Getting Brown’s connection with Maye up to speed might be the most important thing for the offense this season. Without that, then there could easily be issues like what cropped up for Brown in Philadelphia. So, it’s good to see that they’re already working with one another.
A.J. Brown Credits New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel for his NFL Success
Shortly after A.J. Brown was traded to the New England Patriots, he sat down for an interview with Maria Taylor. There, he credited Mike Vrabel with his NFL success.
“When I first got to Tennessee he was extremely tough on me, and I didn’t really understand what he was trying to do,” Brown said. “Obviously he was trying to push me to become the player I am today, but he was just so tough. I remember a conversation, I was talking to him, like, ‘You don’t have to humble me. I came from humble beginnings.’ I just never understood, he stayed on me all the time… He was holding me accountable, and we grew close over the years.”
While playing with the Titans, Brown had 185 receptions for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns. That was over the course of three seasons. He would go on to have even more success with the Eagles, including two seasons with better than 1,400 yards receiving. Now, he’ll look to bring that success to the Patriots.
“Get open and catch the ball,” Brown said. “That’s what he always says.”
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