Patriots WR A.J. Brown Likely Out at Least 4 Weeks With High Ankle Sprain

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain during the team's season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks after an MRI on Thursday confirmed a high ankle sprain, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The injury occurred during the third quarter of Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. While X-rays did not reveal a fracture, the injury to Brown's right ankle will likely force him to miss the Sept. 20 home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by road matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 27 and the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 4.

The injury took place on a third-down incompletion when Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett landed on Brown's ankle. Brown, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles on June 1 for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, had emerged as a primary target for quarterback Drake Maye. Earlier in the contest, Brown drew a defensive pass interference penalty on a deep ball that set up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Maye to rookie tight end Eli Raridon.

With Brown unavailable, veteran Mack Hollins took over the majority of his snaps on Wednesday. The Patriots depth chart also includes Romeo Doubs, who signed a four-year, $68 million contract in the offseason but finished the opener without a catch. Other options for coach Mike Vrabel include slot receiver Pop Douglas and second-year players Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. The team previously traded former starter Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans during training camp.