Brown plays through dislocated thumb at Patriots camp
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- A.J. Brown dislocated his left thumb during Monday's Patriots practice but didn't miss any time, telling NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Brian Baldinger: 'I'm not coming out of practice. Thumb out of place? You keep going.'
- Brown dislocated the same thumb in 2018 while playing at the University of Mississippi against Arkansas and played through the final five games of that season
- The injury occurred in a one-on-one red zone drill when Brown was matched up against Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a 'must-see battle' through the first eight training camp practices
- Drake Maye's fade pass to Brown in the left-hand corner of the end zone was intercepted after Brown aborted his route while engaged with Gonzalez
- Team doctor Scott Martin and head athletic trainer Jim Whalen came onto the field, taped Brown's thumb, and Brown reinserted himself into drills, later catching two touchdown passes
- Brown planned to receive 'stim and ice' treatment after practice and said his timing with Maye 'started off a little slow' but that the pair were 'picking up very good momentum'
Why it matters: Brown's immediate return to drills and his two post-injury touchdown catches give the Patriots an early read on his durability, while his own admission that timing with quarterback Drake Maye 'started off a little slow' shows the passing-game chemistry remains unfinished business heading into the regular season.
