A.J. Brown will help the New England Patriots' running game.
A.J. Brown is one of the best WRs in the NFL, so the New England Patriots will likely face more two-deep-safety defenses next season, according to Chad Graff of The Athletic.
While the two-deep-safety defense could prevent the Patriots from having explosive passing plays, it could open up their running game.
"But the other aspect of the move is the way Brown should dictate how defenses play against New England. A year ago, defenses often lined up against the Patriots with a single high safety, unafraid of the team’s receivers beating them deep. That contributed to heavy boxes, which is part of the reason the Pats’ running game struggled to find consistent success. With Brown, though, the expectation is the Pats will face more two-deep-safety defenses. That could limit their explosive plays on offense, but it could open up a lot in the running game."
Brown had 78 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season with the Eagles. The Pro Bowler enters next season with 8,029 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Eagles. He was heavily linked to the Patriots because Mike Vrabel coached him in Tennessee. The two are very close.
Since entering the NFL, Brown is fourth in the league in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.
Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting last season, losing the award to Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford. New England's offense could be very, very explosive next season with Maye, Brown and Romeo Doubs leading the way.
A UNC product, Maye finished the 2025 regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns while completing 72.0% of his passes. Not bad for a second-year QB.
New England reached the Super Bowl last season, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Year 1 of the Vrabel era. The Patriots had to acquire Brown because their No. 1 WR from last season, Stefon Diggs, was released this offseason.
It will be intriguing to see how Brown performs in 2026 in Josh McDaniels' offense. The Patriots open the season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Maye enters next season with 6,670 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. It will be fascinating to see whether the Patriots can return to the Super Bowl next season and win it all.
Maye and Co. have plenty of motivation after losing to Seattle 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
