Patriots Edge Rusher Crisis | NFL News

0:00It's September 1st. NFL News Today starts now. AI powered and always on. Yo, let's talk about AJ Brown. For three years straight, this dude was putting up numbers that put him in the same conversation as John Marcheces and Justin Jefferson. We're talking yards per reception, yards per route run, average depth of target. He was leading the pack in a lot of key stats. And he was doing it even with fewer snaps than some of the other guys. When you break it down, Brown was leading in yards per catch and yards per route run. He was also way up there in average depth of target and forced missed tackles. Even with fewer snaps than chase, he was still second in touchdowns and total yards. Plus, he had one of the lowest drop rates among the top receivers. Physically, many considered him the most gifted of that elite group. His ability at the catch point and his performance against press coverage were top tier. This was the foundation for the argument that he was the number one receiver in the league,

1:01especially in a one on one scenario. Now, last season was a different story. And yeah, it raised some eyebrows. It was definitely concerning to see the dip in production. But the question remains, does one down year erase all that elite tape from the previous three seasons? The consensus is that when AJ Brown is healthy, engaged, and getting the opportunities, he's still a top five receiver in this league. That talent and production don't just disappear overnight.