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The Arizona Cardinals have two great wide receivers on their hands. They have a future Hall of Famer in Larry Fitzgerald, and a rising star in Michael Floyd. But even with that, football analysts were singing praises for rookie John Brown – a third round pick. Comparisons of him and receiving phenom T.Y. Hilton were drawn (due to Bruce Arians as their shared coach), and somehow, those projections are starting to ring true, and Brown may most explosive option among the Cardinals’ arsenal.
In three games, Brown has had his name called in the end zone three times. But he has scored 18 of his 29 points in through touchdowns alone, so that might worry some GMs. If we can take anything away from his Week 3 performance against the San Francisco 49ers, it’s that he can be a consistent contributor in the end zone.
Last season, the 49ers gave up the ninth least points to wide receivers. They also gave up the fourth least amount of touchdowns (.6 per game), yet Brown was able to find the end zone twice with a backup quarterback. If Brown would have scored twice with Carson Palmer, I wouldn’t be as astounded, but Brown had Drew Stanton throwing his way. Nothing against Stanton, but it’s a surprise that they’d be that successful with a quarterback who has been a backup for nearly his entire career.
Brown also made some head room when facing the San Diego Chargers, scoring eight points with a touchdown and 29 yards. In two of his three games, Brown has contributed a touchdown for the Cardinals. However, last week was the first time in three games he was able to top 50 yards.
That’s the biggest concern with Brown, that he can’t be an even bigger threat by racking up yards. That of course comes from him being third in command among the Cardinals WRs. Brown has 15 targets compared to Fitzgerald’s 21 targets and Floyd’s 22, so Brown is at a disadvantage compared to his counterparts. But to Brown’s credit, he is the lone receiver to score a touchdown — he’s averaging a touchdown every five targets.
Brown is a player you can’t afford to miss out on. He may not always contribute due to lack of opportunity, but he capitalizes when opportunity presents itself. Even if the matchup seems perfect (such as his New York Giants matchup), he may be held to just two points. But keep plugging him into the lineup, and more often than not, he’ll at least post six points off a touchdown for you.
