One of the biggest surprises heading into Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills was seeing offensive tackle Trent Brown’s name pop up as a healthy scratch on the inactive list.
Coach Bill Belichick didn’t offer much of a reason for that decision on Monday, but the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi shed light on the situation with a troubling report on Sunday.
Per Giardi, Brown, who had been banged up with injuries initially, “could have returned before and did not” for the Patriots. His unwillingness to do so seemingly rubbed an unnamed player in the locker room the wrong way.
“A lot of us — almost all — are fighting for each other and for pride, even though the results aren’t what any of us want,” the unnamed player told Giardi, via NESN’s Sean T. McGuire. “It sucks that not everyone is willing to put it out there. I hope people who sign the checks are paying attention.”
Giardi wrote further on Brown allegedly shutting down early on the team:
Internally, I’m told, there was belief Brown could have returned before and did not. The belief was that he was protecting himself and his future earnings in a season without the promise of a postseason.
With the number of players on the roster who were playing through injuries — including those on the offensive line — needless to say, that hasn’t gone over very well (and nor should it).
The Patriots have been decimated by injuries on the offensive front, and Brown’s availability would have been a huge lift in games. Yet, the team has been forced to rely on a combination of Conor McDermott and Vederian Lowe at tackle.
With other players banged up on the roster, it would make sense why there might be frustrations in the locker room, if Brown is indeed guilty of checking out early. If anything, this makes it highly unlikely the veteran offensive lineman will be back with New England in 2024.
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