Patriots open AJ Brown's practice window; Christian Gonzalez returns to practice Wednesday
The Patriots' offense could be getting its biggest weapon back soon, and the secondary is about to get healthier too. New England opened the 21-day practice window for wide receiver AJ Brown on Wednesday, while cornerback Christian Gonzale…
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The Patriots' offense could be getting its biggest weapon back soon, and the secondary is about to get healthier too. New England opened the 21-day practice window for wide receiver AJ Brown on Wednesday, while cornerback Christian Gonzalez is expected to practice for the first time in two weeks.
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): The #Patriots are opening the practice window for WR AJ Brown, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. Brown, who remains on IR, has been pushing to practice this week. May be a bit early to return from a high-ankle sprain, but he's trying.
Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain during the Patriots' Week 1 loss to the Seahawks and was placed on injured reserve, missing the last four games. The veteran receiver, who signed with New England in the offseason, caught three passes for 26 yards before exiting the opener.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has been sidelined with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the last two contests. His return would be a significant boost to a Patriots defense that has held opponents to 17.6 points per game over the last three weeks.
New England's offense has come alive over the last two weeks behind quarterback Drake Maye, who has totaled four touchdowns in each of his last two starts. Brown's return would give Maye a true No. 1 target on the outside.
Both players will need to demonstrate they are fully recovered during the practice week. Brown has 21 days to be activated from IR or he will miss the remainder of the season. The Patriots host the Dolphins on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.