A.J. Brown’s Impressive Performance in Joint Practice

FOXborough, Massachusetts – The New England Patriots hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for a joint practice, marking the first time A.J. Brown faced his former team since the blockbuster trade that sent him to Foxborough in June.

Brown’s presence was felt throughout the practice, with the veteran receiver seemingly putting extra emphasis on the session. The first few minutes of the practice saw Brown line up against former teammate and first-team All-Pro corner Quinyon Mitchell in 1-on-1s.

After Brown got a step on Mitchell down the left sideline, Drake Maye uncorked a perfectly placed ball into Brown’s breadbasket for what would’ve been a touchdown. However, Brown could only get his left hand on the ball, and the pass fell incomplete.

Brown attributed the dropped catch to a Mitchell hold, stating, ‘Q got away with a little holding. I won, and he pulled himself back into the play, and I just have to finish the play.’

Brown’s lone blip on an otherwise dominant day was that dropped touchdown. However, he made up for it with an impressive showing in team drills, catching all seven of his targets on the afternoon.

Maye peppered Brown during the 7-on-7 period, and he caught all three of his targets during that portion of practice, including the final reception, when he beat Mitchell in coverage. After the catch, Brown spun the ball on the turf in celebration.

Things only escalated from there as Brown continued to dazzle when practice moved to 11-on-11s. He made arguably the highlight play of the day, leaping into the air with Eagles corner Riq Woolen in coverage and hauling in the pass while keeping his feet in bounds.

‘[Maye] gave me a good ball,’ Brown said of the catch. ‘It was a quicker throw, and I just know I had to win at the line of scrimmage, and I was going against Tariq. I know he’s very fast, and I know he was coming, so I just had to hold my line of scrimmage and just keep going vertical and fade at the last second.’

Brown’s on-field showing will undoubtedly be the headline, but it was just as interesting to watch him on the sideline, specifically how he interacted with his former teammates. Toward the tail end of practice, Brown chatted with former Eagles teammates, including offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, center Cam Jurgens, and running back Saquon Barkley, among others.

However, it’s worth noting that Brown hasn’t spoken to Jalen Hurts since the trade. When asked about it, Brown replied, ‘No. It’s love, and there’s love my way.’

Brown’s performance in the joint practice has left no doubt that he’s fully immersed in the Patriots offense and poised to be a big chess piece in Josh McDaniels’ formations.

‘I’m ready to go,’ Brown said when asked about his knowledge of the Patriots offense. ‘100%.’

Brown’s interaction with his former teammates was a jovial reunion, with the players seemingly enjoying each other’s company. It’s clear that despite the trade, Brown still maintains a strong connection with his former teammates.