Patriots Injury Report: A.J. Brown Among 4 DNPs as Hollins Returns to Practice

Featured image: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., where the Patriots host the Packers on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026 (file photo). Photo: Mark Goebel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

The New England Patriots’ Wednesday injury report listed A.J. Brown (ankle/knee) among four players who did not practice as New England prepares to host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots injury report also showed Mack Hollins (calf) and Greg Van Roten (hamstring) back in limited work after injured-reserve designations, while Drake Maye practiced fully with a right shoulder listing, according to the official Week 9 injury report on Patriots.com.

Wednesday’s report: who sat, who returned

Did not participate Wednesday: defensive tackle Christian Barmore (illness), wide receiver A.J. Brown (ankle/knee), running back TreVeyon Henderson (illness) and tight end Hunter Henry (foot). Limited: safety Kevin Byard III (chest), cornerback Carlton Davis III (neck), Hollins (calf), outside linebacker Gabe Jacas (knee), linebacker Dre’Mont Jones (shoulder/knee), tackle Morgan Moses (foot) and Van Roten (hamstring). Maye was the only Patriot listed as a full participant.

Head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Brown would not practice Wednesday and grouped Barmore and Henderson with him as unavailable for the session because of illness, per the Nov. 4 Vrabel transcript. “Yep, Mack and GVR [Greg Van Roten] will return to play,” Vrabel said of the IR returns. “We just want to get guys out there at practice. There’s only so much that the trainers and strength coaches can do with them. So, hopefully we can work those guys back in and see where they are here as we work through the week.”

Boston.com noted Hollins became eligible to return from injured reserve this week after missing four games with a calf injury and has not played since New England beat Buffalo on Oct. 4. The club has a 21-day window to activate him or he reverts to season-ending IR. Hollins entered the week tied with Efton Chism for the second-most receptions among Patriots receivers (15), trailing DeMario Douglas, Boston.com reported.

Vrabel on Brown, trade chatter and the Packers week

Asked whether injured reserve was a possibility for Brown, Vrabel stayed on the day’s snapshot: “Again, I can just speak on today and where he’s at today and what we feel like he can do today. So, that’s why I said he wouldn’t be out there today.” On his concern level with Brown’s knee, Vrabel said his concern was preparing for Green Bay and carrying over the second half of the Miami win.

Vrabel also pushed back on a national report that Barmore and Davis were available ahead of the trade deadline. “I think sometimes national reports have the tendency to do that. I have not shared that information with anybody,” he said in the transcript. “This time of year, I think that all these things kind of get drummed up. So, we’re focused on trying to prepare for Green Bay and make the corrections from the game. This is business as normal here.”

New England is 5-3 entering the Packers game after a 24-19 win at Miami, as covered in our Patriots-Packers matchup preview. Patriots.com labels Sunday’s contest a Week 9 game; that official week number is what the injury report uses. Green Bay’s Wednesday report included Micah Parsons limited (knee, on the PUP return window) and several DNPs of its own, per the same Patriots.com release.

By the numbers: Wednesday practice participation

Twelve Patriots appeared on the Wednesday sheet. Four did not practice, seven were limited and one (Maye) was full. The chart below counts those buckets from the official report. For a team already thin at wide receiver — Romeo Doubs remains on IR, and Brown has been limited to three games this season per Boston.com — Hollins’ limited return is the clearest positive roster note before Packers week continues Thursday and Friday.

On the roster margin, the club also signed safety Elliott Davison back to the practice squad on Nov. 4 after releasing him on Nov. 2, Patriots.com announced. Davison had played three games for New England this season. Kickoff, TV and the rest of the home schedule are on the Patriots schedule hub.

What to watch the rest of the week

As of midday Thursday, Nov. 5, the club’s official injury report page still showed only Wednesday’s participation, with the Thursday column blank. Thursday and Friday injury reports will set game statuses for Brown, Henry, Barmore and Henderson. Hollins and Van Roten remain inside their 21-day return windows; activation is a separate roster decision from practicing limited. Maye’s full participation with a shoulder tag is the quarterback baseline heading into a Packers defense Vrabel described as physical and among the league leaders in negative plays and drives ending in turnovers.

Sources

• Patriots.com: Week 9 Injury Report — Patriots vs. Packers (Nov. 4, 2026)
• Patriots.com: Transcript — Head Coach Mike Vrabel press conference, Nov. 4, 2026
• Boston.com: Patriots starters, including A.J. Brown, absent from practice as Mack Hollins returns
• Patriots.com: Official injury and practice participation report
• Patriots.com: Patriots sign S Elliott Davison to the practice squad

Additional sources

• Packers.com: Packers-Patriots Injury Report, Nov. 4, 2026
• Wikimedia Commons: Gillette Stadium file photo (CC BY 2.0)