New England Patriots
“Tying to adjust, walking up the hill with my uniform on, I was like ‘man, this is real,” Brown said of his practice debut.
AJ Brown stretches with his Patriots teammates AP Photo/Charles Krupa
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A.J. Brown discussed early Patriots fandom, and what Mike Vrabel said to him after his trade from the Eagles
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A.J. Brown trade grades: Did experts think Patriots gave up too much for star WR?
FOXBOROUGH – After years of rooting for the Patriots and months of speculation about New England as a potential trade destination, A.J. Brown made his practice debut at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.
He was asked to lead the receiver group in the stretches, but politely declined saying that he didn’t feel quite comfortable doing that just yet.
He had to take some time to savor the moment. He’s entering his eighth season in the league, but the feeling of suiting up for the team he grew up rooting for is a new one.
“Just talking with my mom, you know, it’s like I’m still in awe,” Brown said after practice when asked to explain his level of excitement. “Tying to adjust, walking up the hill with my uniform on, I was like ‘man, this is real’.”
Brown’s arrival marked the second day of Patriots OTAs that were open to the media. Here are five takeaways from the action.
Light workload for Brown’s first day
The Patriots eased Brown into the mix with a light workload during scrimmages. He made a nifty one-handed catch during individual drills, but only played a handful of snaps during the team portion.
He caught a short pass from Maye early on, but he spent the bulk of his time on the sidelines getting used to things. He spent some time chatting with coaches and taking in the scene.
“I caught myself during one point in practice where I wasn’t paying attention because I was like ‘dang, I’m a Patriot’. Just trying to take it all in as much as I can. Obviously I got back to work quickly, but there’s levels to it. I’m enjoying it. I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.”
Brown told reporters that there weren’t any injury concerns with his knee at the moment, though there have been rumblings about it being an issue in the past.
“No injury, nothing to worry about,” Brown said. “You’ve got to understand where I came from, so any conversation about anything is going to come up. Maybe in four years, I’ve missed one game from a shot to the knee, so that’s nothing to worry about. I’m ready to go.”
Turnover-free day for Maye
For the most part, Maye turned in an accurate, turnover-free performance. The bulk of his completions came on short throws, but he did mix in a couple deep ones that stood out.
His best throw of the day came when he stepped up into the pocket and put some zip on a throw to tight end Eli Raridon near the sideline. He hit the rookie in stride and placed the ball in a spot where it didn’t take much of the 6-foot-7-inch tight end’s length to haul it in.
Maye hit DeMario Douglas for another wide open deep gain. He found Kyle Williams over the middle for a nice chunk of yardage.
The defensive line batted down several passes, and second-year defensive back Kobee Minor nearly snagged a one-handed pick but the throw was a little behind him and he wasn’t able to hang on.
Overall, Maye did what he needed to do in the short game while providing a couple of highlight-level throws.
Tight-end depth takes a hit
The Patriots placed tight-end Julian Hill on injured reserve on Monday. Hill was expected to compete for a spot behind Hunter Henry, with rookie Raridon and CJ Dippre also in the mix.
On Tuesday, Vrabel said that Hill is not expected to play at all this season.
“That’s plain and simple. Devastating, awful,” Vrabel said. “Really enjoy the person, and want to have him around here as much as we possibly can. But that’s just because he wouldn’t be able to play this season.”
“So, that’s just disappointing because of the impact that he made in a short amount of time with his teammates, and just the person that he is, the way that he practiced. We want Julian to be a part of us as much as possible. He’s just not going to do that on the field this year.”
Hands-on approach for Vrabel
Coach Mike Vrabel had an active and engaged presence during Tuesday’s practice.
He paused the scrimmage after TreVeyon Henderson had the ball poked out on a catch. He mixed up the cadences during the team’s end-of-practice sprints causing a few players to jump early.
“Got you,” the coach said.
The coach was vocal throughout the day as the Patriots continued on with the voluntary practice.
No shortage of confidence for Cory Durden
Last season was the first time Cory Durden played all 17 regular-season games. He carved out a role with the Patriots after the Giants cut him last season.
He made 30 tackles and played his way into the rotation. Now, the 27-year-old is looking to keep the momentum going. He batted down a pass at practice on Wednesday and said the experience from last season gave him a ton of confidence.
“All the confidence in the world,” Durden said. “I started in all the playoff games, they kind of rolled with me. That told me a lot. My confidence is probably the highest it has been since I’ve been in the league.”
With Milton Williiams and Christian Barmore up front, Durden said he believed the defensive tackles were the Patriots’ best position group during last year’s Super Bowl run.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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