A.J. Brown’s Absence Could Open the Door for This Second-Year Patriots Wide Receiver

The New England Patriots will make several shifts in the coming weeks based on the season opener. One of them is the wide receiver corps, now that A.J. Brown is on IR for the next month and a half.

Brown suffered a high ankle sprain on a play Wednesday night that had him limp to the locker room and never return. Despite Brown and quarterback Drake Maye's chemistry still developing as the season goes on, Brown's absence was felt the other night and will continue to be felt over the next few weeks.

So who is going to step up now while the Patriots' major offseason move is sidelined?

There are a lot of theories from sports writers across the web, even here on this site, in terms of who is going to be key in the passing game for the Maye-led offense.

ESPN's Mike Reiss posted his weekly Patriots report, and he seems to feel that one of the lowest receivers on the totem pole will make a huge impact. Reiss reports that second-year WR Efton Chism III may step up in a big way in the coming weeks.

"Brown's absence likely means quick-cutting second-year receiver Efton Chism III—who projects as a future top slot option with flexibility to play outside—now goes from inactive to the 48-man game-day roster," Reiss writes.

Chism III has been a fan favorite of Patriots fans since the viral footage of him looking oddly similar to Julian Edelman in training camp last season.

He hung by a thread this offseason but made the cut at the bottom of the wide receiver room. Still, his presence could be key if the Patriots plan to shift away from having Maye sling it down the field and revert to five-yard slant passes. They're not flashy plays, but they're the bread and butter of Josh McDaniels' playcalling.

If Chism III can become that slot receiver that the Patriots need in the interim, and even further past that, maybe some anxieties about what this offense can be going forward can become a thing of the past.

Let's not forget, though, for the most part, players like Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Chism were key in helping the Patriots offense get them to the Super Bowl last season.

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