The New England Patriots set sights on the New York Jets with reinforcements from injured reserve.
Head coach Mike Vrabel announced during his Wednesday press conference that the organization has opened the practice windows for wide receiver A.J. Brown and offensive tackle Marcus Bryant.
Both now have a 21-day runway to be activated back to the 53-man roster.
Brown, 29, sustained a high ankle sprain in the season opener versus the Seattle Seahawks and spent the past four games on injured reserve before becoming eligible to return this week. The June trade acquisition from the Philadelphia Eagles caught three passes for 26 yards during his brief 2026 debut. He headed to the locker room in the third quarter of what became a 13-10 loss at Lumen Field. Now, with fellow veteran receiver Mack Hollins landing on IR due to a calf injury , the rest of the active depth chart includes Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III and Kyle Williams.
"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 of Brown, whom his former Tennessee Titans selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft at No. 51 overall. "Just treated everything as a pro, be where he's supposed to be and work hard to get back."
Landing in Foxborough in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, Brown's career spans three Pro Bowls, three All-Pros as well as a Super Bowl LIX ring. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound Ole Miss product has amassed 527 receptions for 8,055 yards and 56 touchdowns across 106 games and 98 starts out wide.
"He hasn't been out there for four weeks," added Vrabel, "so we'll get him back out there practicing and see if he's ready to go in a couple days. And if not, 21-day window and we'll go from there."
The same goes for the swing tackle that had been designated for return as clubs around the league reduced from 90-plus active players in August.
Bryant, 24, started New England's preseason opener at left tackle and got the nod at right tackle the following week, as well. Yet on the offense's first drive of that exhibition, the 6-foot-7, 320-pounder got rolled up on and headed from the blue medical tent to the locker room. He had remained sidelined since then despite being eligible to resume practicing last week.
Selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft at No. 220 overall, Bryant outlasted the 53-man deadline as a rookie. The former transfer from Southern Methodist to Missouri went on to appear in 12 games last regular season, handling 19 snaps on offense and 56 snaps on special teams. His practice window opens only days after starting left tackle Will Campbell suffered a right knee injury against the Las Vegas Raiders and was replaced by rookie No. 28 overall pick Caleb Lomu on the blindside.
The 3-2 Patriots currently carry one open spot on the active roster and a full practice squad after recently adding running back Hassan Haskins and cornerback D'Shawn Jamison.
Sunday's AFC East kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.
