A.J. Brown injury update confirms return timeline for Patriots wide receiver

We now know how long New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown will be out with his ankle injury.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport , Brown's high-ankle sprain has been confirmed after tests and he will miss four weeks.

With a four-week timeline, this will likely lead to his placement on injured reserve, although it's certainly possible the Pats hold off in the hope he can return sooner.

Brown suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night.

Now, the Patriots find themselves in a precarious spot, as they're extremely thin at wide receiver without Brown.

Romeo Doubs , who also made his Patriots debut on Wednesday night, will step into the WR1 role. The veteran wideout's stint with his new team got off to a tough start after he failed to reel in a single catch on three targets and had a drop.

The next most experienced wide receivers on the roster are veterans Mack Hollins , who is no more than a deep depth piece, and DeMario Douglas , who has two campaigns with over 500 receiving yards.

Beyond Hollins, Douglas and Doubs, there's Kyle Williams , who is unproven in his second season, and Efton Chism, who has just three catches in his brief career.

Safe to say, the Patriots need to explore their options in the trade and free-agent markets moving forward.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton immediately comes to mind as a potential option. He was cut loose by Big Blue earlier this week.

It sure would be nice to have Kayshon Boutte right now.