New England Patriots
“He gives them run-after-catch explosion and isolation down the field on 50-50 plays that they didn’t have.”
A.J. Brown is entering his first season in New England. John Tlumacki/Boston Globe
July 16, 2026 | 9:24 AM
2 minutes to read
Drake Maye and the Patriots offense should have an elite new weapon to work with during the 2026 season.
New Patriots wideout A.J. Brown’s resume speaks for itself, with the 29-year-old’s standing as one of the league’s most effective pass-catchers not taking a hit despite his age and slight dip in production last year in Philadelphia.
Every year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polls coaches, football execs, and other personnel in order to compile a list of the top 10 players at each position in the NFL.
And at the wide receiver position, Brown ranked No. 9 overall in Fowler’s latest list.
“He changes the coverages people play, everything will be rolled his way, and it will lighten the box for Josh [McDaniels] to really get the run game going,” one NFL coordinator told ESPN. “He gives them run-after-catch explosion and isolation down the field on 50-50 plays that they didn’t have.”
Brown, who ranked No. 5 overall among wideouts in last year’s list, still had a productive season in 2025 amid plenty of drama with the Eagles. He reeled in 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 total games with Philly last year.
In total, Brown has surpassed 1,000 or more receiving yards in six of his seven full seasons in the NFL, including all four years in Philly. Over his four seasons with the Eagles, Brown averaged 84 catches, 1,258 yards, and eight touchdowns a year.
Since entering the league in 2019, Brown ranks fourth in the NFL in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56).
Brown’s knack for bailing out his quarterbacks should also be a welcome sight for Maye and a Patriots offense that flatlined during the team’s run to Super Bowl LX.
“No player has more catches (88) and receiving yards (1,812) on tight-window passes (less than 1 yard of separation from defender at arrival of the pass) since entering the NFL in 2019 than Brown, per NFL Next Gen Stats,” Fowler wrote in his article.
Brown is the third Patriots player to be ranked in the top-10 of his respective position so far in Fowler’s annual list. Christian Gonzalez was tabbed as the No. 3 cornerback in football, while Maye was listed as the No. 8 QB in the league after his breakthrough campaign in 2025.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
