Antonio Brown is going home. Whether he plays football when he’s in South Florida this weekend remains to be seen.
Mike Giardi of the NFL reports that Brown has joined his new teammates for their game in Miami against the Dolphins.
That doesn’t mean he’s definitely playing, however. Every team deactivates seven members of its active roster every week. (Also, there’s a chance that Brown will be on the active roster and not play, like Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII.)
Brown has practiced all week, and as explained on NBC’s Football Night in America last week whether Brown actually plays depends on whether and to what extent he learns the playbook and acclimates to the offense. There could be a limited package of plays. He could be a decoy. Or he could be fully immersed.
Last year, receiver Josh Gordon sat out his first game with the Patriots after being traded to New England from Cleveland.
On Friday, coach Bill Belichick declined to delve into those details. Why would he? The uncertainty could help the Patriots win the game by, you know, 50 points instead of 30.