Patriots players have already experienced this A.J. Brown 'nightmare'

The perception exists that wide receiver A.J. Brown caused people within the Philadelphia Eagles at least a few headaches over the past two seasons before the Eagles traded him to the New England Patriots earlier in June. 

It seems like Brown has given New England players different kinds of problems during his first practices with the team.

Patriots embracing this A.J. Brown "nightmare"

Safety Kevin Byard III previously shared locker rooms with Brown during stints with the Tennessee Titans and the Eagles. Thus, Byard already knew all about Brown's on-the-field abilities before the Patriots' recent practice sessions. 

"Of course, I was excited (by the trade). It’s something I was secretly hoping for," Byard said on Tuesday, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "Same old guy. He’s a phenomenal talent. Haven’t seen any difference from when he was back in Tennessee in his first couple years of the league. And just my 10-game stint in Philly, same guy. Same guy to go up and make plays one-on-one. A nightmare for defenses."

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels recently compared Brown to future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski. Like Gronkowski, Brown is expected to see plenty of targets in red-zone situations. 

The Patriots presumably wanted to acquire Brown before the NFL's summer break so that he could begin working with third-year quarterback and 2025 MVP finalist Drake Maye as soon as possible. According to Byard, Brown and Maye are quickly becoming friends.

"They’re already developing that relationship," Byard said about Brown and Maye. "Anytime A.J.’s backside at X (receiver), I know that’s where the ball is probably going. So I try to cheat my alignments and stuff like that. Drake is a phenomenal quarterback. I think he’s very (in) command of the whole team. Just even seeing him in the locker room, very approachable guy. And then obviously I know A.J., so that relationship has always been there."

The Patriots are currently thrilled to have A.J. Brown

Sagas involving Brown seemingly became exhausting for at least some Eagles players up until the trade involving the Patriots became official. He eventually may become more of a negative than a positive for New England, but Byard and others have thus far welcomed the 28-year-old with open arms.

"Phenomenal guy," Byard added about Brown. "Just happy he’s my teammate again."