​There are a lot of reasons why A.J. Brown joining the New England Patriots has dominated the news cycle. On this week’s edition of that, one of his teammates, who was also a new addition to the team, spoke out about what he thinks of Brown as a Patriot ahead of this season.Kevin Byard knows what an addition like Brown means for any team. The two shared the field of battle with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021, as well as briefly in 2023 with the Eagles. So the new Patriots safety kinda knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the Patriots’ most major acquisition.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementByard sat down with SiriusXM NFL Radio this week to talk about Brown, along with what it takes to play against elite wideouts like Justin Jefferson and so much more.”When I was in Chicago, we obviously played against a guy in Justin Jefferson, and, for the most part, you need to point out where Justin Jefferson was on every single play,” Byard said. “It’s the same thing with A.J. When I’m lined up at safety, and I’m deep back there, 12, 14, 15 yards, whatever, I’m going to identify where’s A.J.? You know what I mean? Like, where’s he at? Is he lined up way out on the boundary at the X? Is he lined up in the slot or whatever? Let’s identify where he is, and now I can kind of get a good base on, OK, this is where the No. 1 player is. The running back’s here; the tight end’s here. So, it just shifts your philosophy on how you want to play defense.”Byard’s defensive perspective on playing against a guy like Brown was insightful as he discussed just how hard it is to bring him down once the ball is in his hands.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Do you play cloud over top of him? ‘Cause you don’t really want to leave him one-on-one,” Byard said. “I mean that’s what A.J. does best. He’s gonna run those slants, those quick dig routes, those go balls. I don’t think anybody in the league is better than him when it comes to those routes and being able to break a tackle and take it the distance. So, he’s just a phenomenal athlete, phenomenal talent.”Brown’s trade to the Patriots was one of the more major offseason moves of the NFL this season. But let’s give Byard’s one-year deal to the Pats a lot of credit, too.The eleven-year veteran reunites with Mike Vrabel after leading the league in interceptions in 2025 when he played for the Chicago Bears.Follow Tyler for more Patriots contentAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCheck out the Patriots Roundtable Podcast and like and subscribePatriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.