It seems the New England Patriots are quietly building a Super Bowl-worthy squad as they secured A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles. The move not only turns the Patriots into an offensive powerhouse but also reunites Brown with head coach Mike Vrabel.
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However, former Pro Bowl offensive tackle Terron Armstead is urging caution before crowning the new-look Patriots as undisputed conference heavyweights. Appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show,” he acknowledged that New England undoubtedly got better, but he warned that a furious divisional rival was waiting to dismantle their plans.
“They got better. You got a surefire number one. You got the history and relationship with him and Mike Vrabel,” Armstead said. “You got the runner-up for MVP, Drake Maye, and what he did in his second year.”
“And we’re only looking for more greatness. They got better. Can I say that? Put them over the top in the AFC? I can’t say that with certainty right now.”
Adding Brown, who has cleared the 1,000-yard threshold in six of his seven NFL seasons, supercharges an offense that leaned heavily on downfield passing last year. Maye led all qualified NFL passers with a 61.2% completion rate and a 126.1 passer rating on deep throws.
Brown perfectly complements this skillset, having racked up 2,939 yards and 24 touchdowns on downfield targets over his last four seasons. Despite the clear tactical win, Armstead remains hesitant to declare the Patriots the team to beat in a brutally unforgiving conference.
“Buffalo want their league back. They want their shot back for what happened and the Patriots taking that division last year. The Broncos will be there and they added Jaylen Waddle. So that’s going to be too,” Armstead said.
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The Bills boast an explosive, battle-tested offense powered by Josh Allen’s elite dual-threat capabilities. Their potent ground game heavily stresses defenses, keeping them balanced and highly dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos rely on exceptional offensive line continuity and depth to control the line of scrimmage, seamlessly integrating explosive new playmakers like Jaylen Waddle.
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With Vrabel anchoring the sidelines and Maye throwing to a premier alpha receiver in Brown, New England is definitely in a great position. Yet, as Armstead astutely notes, winning the offseason trade market is vastly different from surviving the incoming AFC gauntlet.
