The New England Patriots didn’t need long to see whether A.J. Brown would have anything extra for his former team.
Brown was one of the busiest players on the field Wednesday during the first of two joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, repeatedly connecting with Drake Maye during team work.
Patriots reporter Alex Conti counted nine catches for Brown before practice had even finished.
Minutes later, Conti described Brown and Romeo Doubs as “unstoppable right now”, with New England stacking “completion after completion after completion.”
The production continued a strong stretch for Maye and his overhauled receiving corps.
The Patriots acquired Brown from Philadelphia in June for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, while Romeo Doubs signed with New England in March after four seasons in Green Bay.
Wednesday provided another hopeful sign against outside competition.
Maye, Brown Keep Their Hot Streak Going
GettyFOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 19: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots throws during a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on August 19, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Maye and Brown had already started heating up before the Eagles arrived in Foxborough. Patriots.com noted after Monday’s practice that the offense “found another gear” as the quarterback and his new No. 1 receiver continued building their connection.
Pats Pulpit charted Maye at 15-of-17 during 11-on-11 work Monday, with Brown and Doubs among the biggest beneficiaries.
Brown also hauled in a long touchdown during that session, giving Wednesday’s performance the feel of a continuation rather than a one-day spike.
That chemistry made its way into joint practice today.
The Boston Buzzer (via Bulletin Bro) shared video of Maye dropping a pass down the sideline to Brown, calling it a “ridiculous throw” that landed “in the bucket.”
Doubs gave the Patriots an answer across from Brown, as Brown remains the headliner, though, and Wednesday just emphasized the obvious.
Nine catches for Brown in the first joint session made sure his ex-team reunion didn’t pass quietly.
Patriots Defense Trades Takeaways for Saquon Barkley Trouble
The other side of practice was tougher for New England.
Henry McKenna of FOX Sports reported that Barkley “gashed the Patriots” during 11-on-11 work, finding room both up the middle and off the edge while also contributing as a receiver.
Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer saw a similar trend, reporting “a lot of holes” for Barkley and the Eagles’ other running backs. He added that the ground success helped set up a deep completion from Jalen Hurts to Elijah Moore on a corner route.
New England still found answers in the secondary.
McKenna also counted three interceptions during two 7-on-7 periods.
Craig Woodson recorded two of them, while Marcus Jones had another that McKenna believed would have gone for a pick-six in a game setting.
That made the day a useful snapshot of what joint practices can provide.
New England’s renovated passing game looked sharp against Philadelphia’s defense, but Barkley exposed areas the Patriots will want cleaned up before the regular season.
The teams will practice together again Thursday before meeting in their second preseason game Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
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