The New England Patriots will put wide receiver A.J. Brown on injured reserve because of a high-ankle sprain sustained in a season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN reported Friday.
Brown walked off the field with the injury to his right ankle on New England’s opening possession of the second half in the Patriots’ 13-10 road loss on Wednesday. An MRI confirmed the high-ankle sprain.
He must miss at least four games before the Patriots can activate him. The earliest Brown could return would be New England’s Week 6.
The injury occurred when Brown was targeted by a third-down pass from Drake Maye, but Seahawks nickel cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett deflected the pass to force a punt. Pritchett’s knee landed on the outside of Brown’s ankle, which twisted inward as he went to the ground.
Brown removed his right cleat and entered the blue medical tent on the sideline as the Patriots added a field goal to go ahead 10-0 in the third quarter.
Acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles via trade in early June, Brown had three receptions for a team-high 26 yards in the first half.
Brown, 29, was named second-team All-Pro with the Eagles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
He has 527 receptions for 8,055 yards and 56 touchdowns in 106 career games (98 starts) with the Tennessee Titans (2019-21), Eagles (2022-25) and Patriots.
