Seven Patriots who must step up to replace A.J. Brown

BOSTON — It’s going to be a long four weeks without A.J. Brown.

Maybe even five or six.

Brown’s high ankle sprain landed him on injured reserve Saturday, meaning he must miss the Patriots’ upcoming games versus the Steelers, at the Jaguars, at the Bills and against the Raiders at home. If Brown sits for six weeks, a common recovery time for players at his position with this injury, he would also miss contests versus the Jets and at Chicago.

Yikes.

By then, around mid-October, the league’s contenders will have revealed themselves. The Patriots expect to be in that group, but losing Brown months after trading for him to be their new No. 1 receiver hurts their chances. As offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Friday during a radio interview on WEEI, it must be an all-hands-on-deck effort to replace Brown.

“We’ve got a lot of different skill(-position) guys who can do a lot of different things,” McDaniels said. “There isn’t one person on our roster that can replace anybody like A.J. in the middle of the game or for a stretch of the season. So, we’ll band together and figure out what we can do well and try to get the guys in their places of strength.”

So who must step up most in his absence? Look no further than the quarterback.

Drake Maye

Maye’s three mindless interceptions in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s season-opening loss at Seattle overshadowed what was a mostly efficient performance. He was accurate within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage and helped keep the offense on-schedule with his scrambles. Maye also responded better to pressure, taking a sack on a lower percentage on the snaps where he was hurried and hit than he did in the Super Bowl and overall last season.

But there was simply no excusing the picks, and Maye knew it.

‘It’s unacceptable,” he said postgame, “and I know we’ve got to get back to work.”

Maye must protect the ball above all else moving forward, but without a go-to target, he must also check to the right play so he can capitalize on the right matchup. The Patriots have given him the keys at the line of scrimmage. It’s time to figure out how to stay on-course without Brown, instead of driving into a ditch like he did at Seattle. All three of Maye’s interceptions came after Brown’s injury.

It’s all but certain Maye will rebound, given how well he played virtually all of last season. But the players around him? Not so clear.

Romeo Doubs

Three targets. One drop. Zero catches.

Doubs’ team debut did nothing to inspire confidence in his ability to replace Brown as the Patriots’ temporary No. 1 receiver, but the fifth-year wideout maintained he will improve.

“I mean, I just put that on my end. I’ll just be able to move forward. That had nothing to do with Drake. That was 150% me,” Doubs said postgame. “And I’ll be better.”

Last year, Doubs averaged 3.5 receptions and 45 yards per game over a career year with the Packers. The Patriots might just take that after his opener, despite signing him to a rich $68 million deal in free agency. Doubs can play outside and in the slot, so expect McDaniels to move him around in efforts to get his production going after a disappointing debut.

Mack Hollins

Hollins became Maye’s go-to target in that turnover-filled fourth quarter, and should now be expected to rise into the starting lineup next to Doubs and/or DeMario Douglas. He’s a big, physical receiver with a wide catch radius that appeals to Maye, especially on deep balls. The two connected to convert on fourth-and-9 on the final drive.

“That’s what he does. That’s Mack Hollins’ career, stepping up and being in the right spot and knowing what to do and making big plays,” Maye said. “Fourth down (there) was a big play he made.”

Even if Hollins isn’t catching the ball, he can make an impact with his run-blocking and occasionally from the backfield or at tight end. He is the ultimate dirty-work receiver. Hollins even drew trade interest from at least one contender during the preseason, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who added that that team preferred him over Kayshon Boutte.

From his production, to his body type as an “X” receiver just like Brown, Hollins has the skill and versatility to help the Patriots in several ways.

Kyle Williams

Like Doubs, Williams finished with zero catches Wednesday. But at least Doubs did enough to earn some targets.

Williams, whose playing time should increase the most in Brown’s absence, must show some signs of growth in Year 2. He had 12 receptions on 27 targets as a rookie, including the playoffs, and spent most of the summer toiling as the Pats’ No. 5 or No. 6 wideout. The Boutte trade was more or less a bet on Williams being able to replicate the production Boutte would have given them had he remained in New England (granted, Williams is also younger and cheaper than Boutte).

So far, in the smallest sample possible, that bet hasn’t paid off. Williams must start proving himself now, which should include more deep shots from Maye, who went 0 of 4 on passes longer than 20 yards in the season opener.

Josh McDaniels

The truest measure of a coach is how much he/she maximizes their talent available.

Even accounting for all of the newness and challenge involved in an opener, the combination of McDaniels, Mike Vrabel and whomever else on their offensive staff contributed to that game plan in Seattle failed. And it’s time to bounce back.

No stranger to trickery, McDaniels could involve more plays like the flea flicker he called versus the Seahawks to generate more explosive plays. Or he could diversify a passing attack that otherwise was fairly bland. Wherever McDaniels lands, look for the Pats to also ignite their run game to stay balanced, especially after the Patriots made offseason additions like new left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and fullback Reggie Gilliam.

Speaking of that run game …

Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson played more than 84% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps against the Seahawks, and should be in line for a similar workload until TreVeyon Henderson returns from an ankle injury. He forced three missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, and tied for the team lead in catches. Ideally, the Patriots don’t lean so heavily on Stevenson as a rusher, receiver and pass-blocker when the offense needs to keep him in pass protection, but this is the world they live in without Henderson and now Brown.

Stevenson will both be a bell cow and a bellwether for the offense in the interim. The better he plays, the better off the Patriots will be.

Reggie Gilliam

More than most signings, Gilliam’s addition in free agency was a clear-cut message that Vrabel thought the Patriots did not run the ball well enough last season and had to improve there in order to make another Super Bowl run this year.

“The (receivers) have to be able to (block), so I think there’s finding that balance between what we feel like our team does best, but then also using Reggie, using the tight ends, using guys and some of the personnel,” Vrabel said. “So, I know that that’s probably fairly vague, but you have to have a mentality and a mindset to want to run the football, and then I think the scheme and what the players do best is critical.”

Gilliam never made a major impact as a pass-catcher or rusher for more than a couple games per season with Buffalo, but has enough athleticism to contribute in this offense as more than a head-on blocker. But everything with his role starts there, keeping Stevenson clean in short yardage and helping the Patriots in critical situations. Whether he’s at fullback or as the No. 2 tight end, a role McDaniels will occasionally task him with fulfilling, Gilliam must raise his game for the foreseeable future.

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