FOXBOROUGH, Mass — With how bad the injury situation was getting for the New England Patriots, it was another day where a lot of players took the field, with the team having very good practice attendance.
That included wide receiver A.J. Brown and cornerback Christian Gonzalez taking the field once again, along with OT Morgan Moses, OT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, and CB Marcus Jones, who were all not spotted during the media-access portion of practice on Wednesday. All were listed as limited participants, except for Gonzalez, who participated fully.
Here's what I'm hearing at Gillette Stadium:
1. A.J. Brown is back(ish)
After spending four weeks on injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain, Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown returned to practice on Wednesday. And
on Thursday, he spoke for the first time since he sustained the injury.
"It felt good," Brown said of being back on the field. "It's like 1 step at a time with me each and every day. They're just trying to increase my load and just see how I respond each and every day. So it felt good just to be back on the grass practicing. Working on the side is really boring, so it was just good to be back."
However, Brown wasn't quite ready to confirm whether or not he plans to take the field this weekend.
"It's definitely, it's still up in the air," he stated. "Obviously, it's going to be a Coach Vrabel decision, to see where I'm at and make the better decision for the long haul, not just for temporarily. But I'm just trying to stack each and every day right now."
Josh McDaniels was also quite happy to have one of his key weapons back.
"I've seen him in the building and rehabbing and all that stuff, but good to see him out on the practice field," Josh McDaniels said. "It's always good to bring some fresh juice to the guys and to the unit, so we know what he can do when he's out there and he's healthy. We'll see how the rest of this week goes, and ultimately what ends up happening. I'm sure Mike (Vrabel) will make a great decision about exactly how we need to do that if that goes forward that way."
However, he was sure to highlight that the team has two plans for Sunday's game: whether Brown takes the field or not.
“We have most of our personnel groupings and those kinds of things are slashed with two different groups anyway in case we lose somebody so that somebody knows who’s going in next,” he explained. “And I don’t mean seamless in that it’s a one for one swap out. But would we know how we’re going to go ahead and play the game or use those packages if he doesn’t make it? Yes, we have already talked about that, and the guys are studying both ends of the spectrum. And I’d say that’s a credit to the guys because you talk about Chiz, Kyle, Romeo, Pop, Eli (Raridon), Hunter (Henry), they all know multiple positions.”
2. A look at TreVeyon Henderson and more practice updates
Once again, Henderson and Campbell participated in practice, which is a huge relief after it looked like the Patriots could be without two of their key starters for a period of time. During the media-attended portion of practice, both were very involved in the drills alongside their teammates, not appearing to be held back. Henderson especially stood out as it was reported that he had suffered a high ankle sprain, which often takes around four weeks to heal. As for Campbell, his was reported to be a right knee sprain.
A look at TreVeyon Henderson pic.twitter.com/z3uTFlvVPo
— Sophie Weller (@sophieewellerr) October 15, 2026
On Thursday's injury report, they were once again listed as limited.
Cornerback Carlton Davis (neck), cornerback Karon Prunty (hamstring), and defensive tackle Corey Durden (Illness) were not spotted at practice.
3. Corey Kiner ready to step up
In the event that Henderson is not able to play in Sunday's game, or the coaching staff makes the decision to give him the week off to rest his ankle, it will mean more snaps for running back Corey Kiner.
He emphasized that he feels prepared, giving credit to the running back room.
"We don't like to see our guys go down. We don't like to see anybody go down. But we all build each other up and help each other practice hard and learn every single day," he told Patriots Wire. "So iron sharpens iron, and whenever somebody gets the opportunity, we are there for them, and it just helps."
Kiner was traded to the Patriots ahead of roster cutdown day from the Arizona Cardinals, joining a room with Rhamondre Stevenson and Henderson. Over the weeks, he said he has gotten much more comfortable with the new system.
"It's just football at the end of the day," he said. "Yeah, it is a new system for me, new verbiage, and everything like that. But at the end of the day, they want me to understand it's just football, and I'm good at it."
4. Brenden Schooler reflects on first game back
While Brenden Schooler has been out on the field for the past two weeks at practice, Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders was the first game the safety was eligible to return. He said the ramp-up period, which is new this year for players on the non-football injury list, was "super beneficial and much needed," allowing him to take the field ready to go.
"It felt super good," Schooler told Patriots Wire. "It was just like riding a bike. Just getting back on that thing, knocking the rust off, and just having fun flying around. So it was awesome. I think I needed it for my soul more than anything."
Springer also couldn't hide his excitement at having the special team ace back on the field.
"Always good to have him back because he's just a good voice of reason. He's another coach on the field," Springer said. "I think a lot of guys around him feed off his energy and the way he plays on the field. So always good to have a guy like that back."
5. Elijah Ponder continues to impress
Elijah Ponder went from being an undrafted free agent to an emerging star on the Patriots defense. And it is not going unnoticed by his coaches.
"He's a very humble young man," defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr said. "I think he just puts in the work, and he just has a great work ethic. He's a professional. He just puts in the work day in and day out, and he gets to see the fruits of his labor."
"When you're all in, you've got to be all in on everything," outside linebacker coach Mike Smith added. "That's what he does. He's just very consistent and just a very reliable person."
6. Other notes
- A.J. Brown on the other Patriots WRs: "I feel like the guys did a great job... There were still things to improve on, and they would tell you that, but I think they did really well, and whenever I do decide to come back, I just want to add and continue to keep putting that out on display."
- Zak Kuhr on having Christian Gonzalez back: "Yeah, it's always great to have zero out there... Just flying around, good energy, good communication with the guys. Doesn't look like he missed a step, and we're excited to have him out there for sure."
- Josh McDaniels on the Jets defense: "They have new players. This is a different defense than last year, clearly, and the players that they've added through the draft and in free agency have made a big difference. The front is very disruptive; they can rush, but they also blitz."
- Last season, Jeremy Springer said that he begins prepping for the following week's opponent on Friday. But with a short week ahead, as the Patriots will face off against the Chicago Bears next Thursday, Springer was asked when he would start in this case. He said it'll stay on Friday, but he'll always be doing "a lot more legwork on Saturday."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: What I’m hearing at Gillette Stadium: Thursday rumblings (Week 6)
