AJ Brown May Return for Patriots' Game Against Jets

Star receiver AJ Brown may return for the New England Patriots' game against the New York Jets next weekend. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel stated on Monday that "there's a chance" Brown will be back for the AFC East divisional contest on Sunday. Brown has missed four games since suffering a high-ankle sprain during a tackle in the season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He was placed on injured reserve but is eligible to come off it this week. Vrabel did not confirm whether Brown would definitely play in the home game against the Jets. The Patriots initially faced challenges on offense without Brown but have recently improved, winning against the Buffalo Bills and the Las Vegas Raiders. During a Monday appearance on WEEI, Vrabel expressed hope for Brown's return, saying, "I hope that he’s going to help us. But that remains to be seen yet when he’ll be back. So, we’ll see how he does today and move from there." Reports indicate that Brown was seen walking without a limp in the Patriots’ locker room. Before his injury, Brown had three catches for 26 yards with the Patriots after being acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Last week, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that there is optimism Brown will return in Week 6, although the team has not yet opened his return window. If Brown returns this week, it would be timely, as fellow receiver Mack Hollins was placed on injured reserve with a calf strain last week and will miss at least three more games.