FOXBOROUGH — It seems so long ago that New England's secondary was being trumpeted as one of the best in the NFL, what with the additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner providing depth to what had been a fairly shallow cornerback group, and the continued ascent of unit quarterback Devin McCourty at safety.
It's been four weeks, but in that time, the secondary has seen several changes and has taken some lumps.
To start, second-year safety Duron Harmon, expected to be the starter alongside his mentor, McCourty, has been a backup, with Patrick Chung starting every game.
But Chung has been coming off the field with regularity, playing roughly two-thirds of the snaps to this point. Harmon and Tavon Wilson have each played about 20 percent of the snaps.
Not one has distinguished himself to this point.
Then there's been the absence of Browner, which the team knew was coming when it signed him to a three-year deal in March.
The NFL suspended Browner late last season for violating its substance abuse policy, and initially his suspension was to be for one year before being reduced to four games.
The player who started at right cornerback in Browner's stead, Alfonzo Dennard, was apparently injured in the season opener against Miami and hasn't played since, leaving the starting role to second-year man Logan Ryan.
Ryan played so poorly against the Chiefs that he was pulled in the second half for undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler.
And the play of Revis has been questioned after he gave up multiple catches to Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe and was targeted by Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr six times, completing five passes.
But now Browner is back. His presence isn't a cure-all — letting Revis play man-to-man rather than zone would go a long way toward getting more from him — but it can't hurt, especially given the uncertainty of Dennard's status.
"Having Brandon out there will be nice," McCourty said of his 6-foot-4-inch teammate. "He's a bigger guy, a physical guy who lets his presence be known as soon as he steps on the field. You guys saw that in training camp and in preseason when he was out there, and it will be a big plus having him out there.
"He's a veteran football player who's been in tough situations. He'll be ready to go when he's out there."
"We're excited to have him back, man, it's been too long," Revis said. "He brings a lot of physicality to our defense, and we're looking forward to that, for him to be aggressive and bring that physicality to our D."
During training camp, Browner's attitude was on display, particularly during some of his matchups with receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. The teammates jawed back and forth, and during one memorable practice, were pushing and shoving during one-on-one battles.
Unlike receiver Brian Tyms, who also returns from suspension this week, Browner was allowed to be at the Patriots' facility as he served his penalty. By league rule, players suspended for substance abuse violations can remain with the team, while those suspended for performance enhancers, as Tyms was, cannot.
Browner wasn't able to practice or play, but he could work out at Gillette Stadium and take part in team meetings, which may make his transition back to the field easier.
"I think we obviously have to see where he's at," defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said earlier this week. "I'm sure his teammates will be anxious to have him be out there working and we just have to keep plugging along. We think we just have to take a look at everybody right now and see how everything fits together and just try to improve as a defense as a whole."
Before the Kansas City game, Revis said not giving up deep passes has been an area of emphasis. Over the first three games, they allowed seven passes of 20 or more yards. Against the Chiefs, they gave up three, including 33 yards to Bowe and tight end Travis Kelce, and 27 yards to Donnie Avery.
In three games this season, the Bengals, New England's opponent Sunday, have 11 completions of 20-plus yards, and those completions average a league-high 38.8 yards per.
Shalise Manza Young can be reached at syoung@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shalisemyoung.