On paper, adding Brown and Doubs while only subtracting Diggs so far makes wide receiver a strength of the Patriots roster. New England also bolstered its offensive line by drafting first-round tackle Caleb Lomu and signing free-agent G Alijah Vera-Tucker, added a developmental tight end in third-rounder Eli Raridon to pair with vet Hunter Henry, and still has running back duo Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson – a substantial improvement from the offense QB Drake Maye stepped into as a rookie just two years ago.
All these acquisitions are investments in the Patriots most important asset: Maye. The third-year quarterback made a major leap in his second season under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, finishing as the runner-up for MVP while leading the Patriots to Super Bowl LX. By continuing to stack talent around Maye, New England will hopefully avoid its young superstar QB backsliding as defenses continue to devise ways to make life harder on the Maye-McDaniels pairing.
As we zoom in on Brown, the Patriots wideout has been highly productive as he ages from Vrabel’s second-round pick in the 2019 draft to entering his eighth NFL season. Last season, Brown had 81 catches for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns. He has gone for 1,000-plus yards in six of his seven seasons, while ranking sixth among wide receivers in both ESPN’s receiver score metric and catch rate over expectation (+6.8%) in 2025. Simply put, Brown is still one of the league’s best at winning his matchup against single coverage.
That said, Brown posted career lows in yards per route run (1.96) and average yards after the catch (3.3), while having his second-lowest career output in average target depth last season (12.2). Some of that was usage-related, as Brown set a career-high with 87.6% of his routes coming from outside the formation. In all, 47.7% of Brown’s targets came on either hitches or go routes. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts isn’t known for throwing into the middle of the field, so Brown became an isolation and go-ball specialist in his final years in Philadelphia.
One could argue that McDaniels will be more creative with his deployment by moving Brown around the formation and targeting him on under-center play-action routes over the middle, which were a featured part of his game in Tennessee. Last season, Brown only had 11 catches for 134 receiving yards off play-action while Philly only ran play-action on 14% of their drop-backs. In his final season with the Titans, Brown ranked ninth in the NFL with 403 receiving yards off play-action on 22 catches. By targeting him between the numbers, New England can create more catch-and-run opportunities for Brown to hunt explosive plays.
At this stage, Brown relies more on his size (6-1, 226) and play strength than speed. Still, he’s savvy enough to win with body positioning, strength at the catch point, and nuance against zone coverage while still flashing suddenness on slants and double moves to beat man coverage.
Let’s break down the tape on the Patriots new star receiver and how he’ll fit into the offense.
Starting with the area of his game most emphasized by Philly, Brown has typically lined up wide for the majority of his career, running 79.5% of his career routes as an outside receiver.
In 2025, Brown was mostly used as a backside receiver by the Eagles, where he saw plenty of press coverage. The Pats wideout faced press coverage on 26.4% of his routes and was in isolation, where he was the lone receiver to one side of the formation, on 20.7% of his routes. By lining him up on the backside, the Eagles created 1-on-1 opportunities for Brown to beat single coverage on a vertical route tree that featured mostly hitches, slants, comebacks, and verticals.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brown’s 338 receiving yards against man coverage ranked tenth in the NFL last season. For comparison, Diggs was one spot behind him with 326 receiving yards vs. man coverage (11th in the NFL). Brown also ranked eighth among wideouts in yards per route run against man coverage (2.82). In theory, Brown gives the Patriots a legit man-coverage beater who will make teams pay when he sees single coverage on the outside.
