A.J. Brown returns to practice for Patriots

New England Patriots receiver A.J. Brown returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, starting his 21-day window to come off injured reserve, head coach Mike Vrabel said, according to NFL.com.

Brown has been out since the Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where he suffered a high ankle sprain. He has missed four games on injured reserve and is now eligible to return.

The Patriots play the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 18. Vrabel said earlier this week there was a chance Brown could play in that game, but he stopped short of promising anything. Boston.com reported Monday that the coach wanted to see how Brown looked in practice before making a decision.

Wednesday’s limited session is the first step. Under NFL rules, a player designated to return from injured reserve can practise for up to 21 days before the team must either add him to the active roster or leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The Patriots have not said when they will make that move.

New England has won its past two games, over the Buffalo Bills and the Las Vegas Raiders, without Brown. Quarterback Drake Maye threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in the win over the Raiders, a season-high 45-point performance, and did not turn the ball over, the Boston Globe reported. Maye connected with nine different pass-catchers in that game.

Maye also threw six interceptions through the first three games of the season, the Globe reported. A healthy Brown would give him another established target as the Patriots try to extend their winning streak to three games.

The Patriots have other injury questions. Left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) both left Sunday’s win over the Raiders, and their availability for the Jets game has not been made clear. Maye was listed with a shoulder injury but took part fully in practice, according to the Globe.

Teams release their final injury designations for Sunday games later this week. Brown’s status for the Jets game should become clear after Friday’s practice report, though Vrabel has the option of giving him more time given the 21-day window.

Via NFL.com, Boston.com and the Boston Globe.

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