Two days after he left their season opener with what was later diagnosed as a high-ankle sprain, the New England Patriots have decided to place wide receiver A.J. Brown on injured reserve. The 29-year-old will therefore have to sit out at least the next four games before being eligible to return.
Taking Brown’s spot on the 53-man roster will not be a wide receiver but rather a defensive lineman. DaQuan Jones, a 34-year-old free agent who most recently played in Buffalo, joined the club on a reported one-year, $3.5 million contract.
Let’s asses what the two moves mean for the Patriots.
WR A.J. Brown: Placed on injured reserve
Unsurprising outcome: Depending on their severity and whether or not the rehabilitation process goes smoothly, high-ankle sprains such as the one suffered by Brown typically come with a recovery time of around four to six weeks. Even in the best-case scenario of him falling on the lower end of that spectrum, a move to short-term injured reserve immediately seemed like a realistic possibility.
After all, there is no need to rush Brown back. Even in the unlikely case he beats the prognostications and is ready for football activity after only three weeks, the risk of returning him to game action quickly would outweigh the potential reward. The goal, after all, is to have him ready for the most important games down the stretch as well as the playoffs. Keeping him on the 53-man roster on the off-chance of having him available against the Raiders in Week 5 would therefore be a questionable decision.
And so, Brown landing on IR should not be a surprise.
Four-week absence: As noted above, injured reserve requires players to sit out at least four games. In Brown’s case, this means he will miss some challenging contests — including three straight against teams that qualified for the playoffs last season:
- Week 2: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 4: at Buffalo Bills
- Week 5: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Whereas the Raiders did draft first overall back in April, the other three opponents listed here all played in the postseason tournament in 2025. That includes the Bills, who once again should be in contention for the AFC East title this season. Playing them in their new stadium would have been a challenge to begin with; Brown’s absence makes the task even taller.
Pressure on the wide receivers: The most concrete impact of Brown’s injury will be felt on the field, where the Patriots suddenly will be without their high-prized No. 1 wide receiver. Naturally, this puts pressure on the entire operation and especially the other wideouts on the roster:
53-man roster (5): Romeo Doubs (87), DeMario Douglas (3), Mack Hollins (13), Kyle Williams (18), Efton Chism III (86)
Practice squad (2): Kyle Dixon (83), Cameron Dorner (88)
IR (2): A.J. Brown (1 | short-term), Jeremiah Webb (29)
The biggest remaining name on the active list is Romeo Doubs, who arrived in Foxborough on a four-year, $68 million deal in March. Doubs had a good training camp and showed some promising chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye over the summer, but he had a disappointing regular season debut: his three targets ended as an interception, a drop, and an incompletion. He, possibly more so than any other player, will need to quickly step up now that Brown is out.
Doubs is a candidate to move to the X-receiver spot typically occupied by Brown, but the more likely outcome is backup Kyle Williams seeing increased action. The second-year man, who flashed his deep speed repeatedly in preseason, played 12 offensive snaps versus Seattle without registering any statistics.
Without Brown in the lineup, Maye also might be giving slot receiver DeMario Douglas and inside/out option Mack Hollins some increased looks. Between the, they were targeted 12 times on Wednesday. Hollins alone was the target of four throws on the final drive, including on the ill-fated interception that sealed the game.
In addition, Efton Chism should be able to shed the healthy scratch status he held in Week 1. While not the same type of player as Brown, his presence as a rotational depth and possible kickoff return option will be valuable.
DT DaQuan Jones: Signed to 1-year contract
Deliberate timing: Jones originally entered the NFL in 2014, meaning that 2026 will be his 13th season in the league. Due to his experience, he falls in the so-called “vested veteran” category of players with four or more accrued seasons under their belt. This makes it that the Patriots signing him now makes perfect sense.
After all, any vested veteran signed before the start of the regular season who remains on the 53-man roster through Week 1 sees his base salary become fully guaranteed. If, however, a vested veteran is signed after Week 1, his base salary will not be fully guaranteed. Jones, joining the Patriots two days after their season opener in Seattle, falls in the second category.
This means that the reported $3.5 million base value of his pact is not required to include any salary guarantees. There could still be some as well as a signing bonus, but the Patriots still get more flexibility by making the move now as opposed to, for example, a week ago.
More depth, size up front: Unless they make a follow-up move along their interior D-line, the Patriots will be heading toward Week 2 with six defensive tackles on their active roster and eight under contract overall:
53-man roster (6): Milton Williams (97), Christian Barmore (90), Cory Durden (94), Joshua Farmer (92), Leonard Taylor III (93), DaQuan Jones (—)
Practice squad (2): Eric Gregory (95), Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (98)
Jones does not just add another body to the mix, though. At 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, he will become the heaviest player in the room — somebody well-suited to take the field on early downs and help complement the existing group of players. Whether or not he will take over for Cory Durden as the primary nose tackle will be seen, but he does have extensive experience at that particular spot and others along the line.
Immense, versatile experience: Jones’ first 12 seasons in the NFL saw him play in Tennessee, Carolina and Buffalo, where he accumulated a combined 179 in-game appearances and 6,779 total defensive snaps. This makes him by far the most experienced defensive tackle in New England at the moment, and one of now seven players on the roster above the age of 30.
His experience is not uniform, though. While offering the size to serve as a 0-technique on the nose, as mentioned earlier, he also has moved all over the formation. In addition, he is more than just a big-bodied gap-controller either: even at his relatively advanced age, he has a quick get-off and is able to shoot gaps. On paper, this should make him a perfect fit in New England’s aggressive downhill attack.
Another ex-Titan in the fold: The Patriots sure love familiarity, and the Jones signing is the latest proof of that. After all, he spent the final three of his seven total seasons as a Titan working under head coach Mike Vrabel. This makes him one of seven players on New England’s current payroll to have played for Vrabel in Tennessee:
- RB Hassan Haskins (PS)
- WR A.J. Brown (IR)
- DT DaQuan Jones
- ED Harold Landry III (PUP)
- CB Kindle Vildor (PS)
- S Kevin Byard III
- S Mike Brown (PS)
In addition to those players, Vrabel also spent time in Cleveland in 2024 working with tight end Cameron Latu.
