It hasn't been the greatest start to the season for A.J. Brown. The New England Patriots traded two picks for him in June and he was expected to be one of the offensive catalysts for this unit all season long.

Instead, he's nursed ankle and knee injuries and has only played in three games. In those three games, he's caught just nine passes and no touchdowns. Brown hasn't lived up to the mark just yet.

But he could make his return to the field after a two-game absence in Germany. The Patriots missed Brown for their games down in Miami and against Green Bay at home. For both of those weeks, Brown didn't suit up for practice once and was only spotted briefly in the locker room when reporters were present.

Could Brown end up making the trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the Patriots' Week 10 matchup with the Detroit Lions?

"Yeah, I think that that's the plan. Certainly, there's no decision on that, but I would imagine that that's the plan," head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. "We'll continue to work to get guys back, be healthy and help the football team. That's the goal.

"So, to be able to answer that right now, today, I can't do that with a few guys. But, I know that the plan is to try to get everybody that can help us to get on the plane on Wednesday, go over there and help us win."

Without Brown (and Romeo Doubs, who's on IR with a shoulder injury), the Patriots' WR corps have been bare bones. DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III held down the fort until Mack Hollins (calf) could be activated off of IR. Still, getting Brown's talents and size back into the lineup can only unlock a new level of offense that the Patriots certainly need.

Patriots Doing Different International Travel Schedule

They got the bye week coming up after their international trip, so that will be a perfect time for some of the banged up players — including Brown — to get fully healthy for a playoff push. The Patriots are trying something different when it comes to their flight to Germany, as they're heading over one day earlier than the Patriots teams of 2023 (Frankfurt) and 2024 (London) did.

"We're going over a day early. We want to try to get work in here as much as we can get done Wednesday, walkthrough Thursday," Vrabel said. "Then maybe have a day where we're acclimated, where Friday can resemble what we feel like is a Friday practice here. In my past, I think you travel, you land and try to have a Friday practice. I don't know if that necessarily mirrors a Friday practice that we would have here. So, the hope is to try to get over there and to get acclimated enough to where we can have a good day on Friday."

With the Patriots leaving Wednesday night, that means that there isn't long for a decision on Brown to be made. We'll see if the talented wideout can try and make his highly-anticipated return to play.