A.J. Brown Nears Patriots Return From Injured Reserve

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown is progressing toward a return from injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain in the team's Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with rehabilitation updates indicating he could return during the season's early weeks.

According to Bleacher Report citing The Ringer's Tom Pelissero, Brown's recovery has moved in a positive direction and the Patriots have not decided whether he will resume practice immediately or need additional time.

Pelissero reported that Brown could return "sooner than later," and said "Brown continues to progress in his rehab" while "everything seems to be trending in a positive direction."

Brown remains on injured reserve and is eligible to return as early as the Patriots' Week 6 matchup against the New York Jets. He played 31 offensive snaps before leaving the Week 1 loss.

Sports Illustrated reported Brown was seen entering the Patriots locker room on October 8 wearing cleats without an apparent limp and with light tape around his right ankle. The report noted he remained ineligible for the Week 5 game.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel addressed Brown's status before the team faced the Raiders, saying "He won't be out there today, I can promise you that because he's not eligible," said Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots offense has struggled without Brown, with Sports Yahoo reporting the team averaged 12 points per game and scored only two offensive touchdowns through its opening stretch. Drake Maye had thrown six interceptions while the passing attack searched for consistency.

The receiving group has relied on players including Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism III while Brown remains sidelined. Chism said the team expects its receivers to contribute while waiting for Brown's return.

"Excited to get A.J. back here in a little bit, and hopefully Mack can get back here as soon as possible. We love our room, we love our team," said Efton Chism III.

Christian Gonzalez also discussed the offense's approach without Brown, saying the Patriots still have confidence in their depth despite missing their top receiver.

"Anytime you want to have your guys. There's a lot of talent in that room. From [Romeo Doubs], to [DeMario Douglas], to [Mack Hollins], to [Efton Chism], to Kyle [Williams].

There's plenty of talent. Obviously, you want to have A.J. You can't say you don't want to have him, but there's no drop-off.

That's what we pride ourselves on as our team. The next man just got to be ready. The next man got to step up.

It's pro football. Injuries are going to happen. Everybody has to be ready to go.

They're doing their job. They're coming into work. They work real hard.

They've got their head down. It's football. It's the offense.

It's going to click. We're not worried about it at all," said Christian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has also spoken about his own development after earning recognition as one of the Patriots' top defenders. Patriots Wire reported he received praise from veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey after their meeting.

"You earned every penny of that," said Jalen Ramsey to Christian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez discussed receiving recognition from Ramsey and their offseason work together.

"It's real cool," said Christian Gonzalez.

Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also praised Gonzalez after facing him during the season.

"I think Christian Gonzalez had the best game versus us for sure," said Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Gonzalez previously discussed overcoming a shoulder injury during his rookie season and the mental challenge of missing games for the first time in his football career.

"Getting Dior my rookie year definitely helped a little bit. Just that was the first time I had ever been hurt playing football. I had never missed a game before, so it was mentally a challenge.

And then just being able to have Dior kind of just took my mind away from football, focusing on rehab and just taking care of him. He was running around being bad, being crazy. So it just took my mind off of it, and he was able to help me mentally focus on rehab and not worry too much about football," said Christian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez also described his dog Dior's personality while discussing life away from football.

"He would like jump on a tree, and you'd tell him to spread em' and act like you're checking him, like maybe he's getting arrested or something. But he hasn't done that in a long time, so I don't even know if he knows how to do it. But he's not really a trick dog. He just chills," said Christian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez later discussed his partnership related to Dior's nutrition and care.

"I was able to hear about their brand and do a little research and make sure it was good for him. And he enjoys it. He loves it.

He gets so excited every day to eat the same meal. But he loves it. I know he's eating the right things, and it gives me peace of mind," said Christian Gonzalez.