Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has likely been thinking about ways to deploy wide receiver A.J. Brown for some time, but he had to wait to discuss the wideout until Monday’s trade officially brought Brown to New England.
It’s no surprise to learn that McDaniels is excited about what Brown brings to the table. Brown has crossed the 1,000-yard mark in six of his seven NFL seasons and McDaniels said that the receiver’s power on the field reminds him of one of the most prolific players in franchise history.
“There’s a force to the way he plays the game . . . Maybe the closest thing I’ve seen is Gronk. This is a big guy,” McDaniels said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
Brown is likely looking forward to playing for McDaniels as well. ESPN pointed out that wideouts have a history of great success in their first seasons playing for the coordinator. That includes Wes Welker and Randy Moss in New England in 2007, Brandon Marshall in Denver in 2009, and Davante Adams in Las Vegas in 2022. Unmentioned was Stefon Diggs with the Patriots last year and the Patriots might be aiming for more than Diggs’ 85 catches for 1,013 yards once they turn Brown loose this fall.
