The Kansas City Chiefs beefed up their aerial attack this offseason by adding a new target for Patrick Mahomes in wide receiver Marquise Brown.
Now that Rashee Rice’s status for 2024 is up in the air due to legal issues, the addition of Brown seems more important than ever.
While speaking to reporters earlier this week, Mahomes raved about Brown and said he was even surprised by the pass-catcher.
“I think everybody has seen his speed and the way he’s able to track a football down the field which we’ll obviously use, that’s something that’s huge and we need to continue to get better and better at this offense,” Mahomes said, via Devon Clements of Heavy.com. “I think the route running is what I’ve been pleasantly surprised by. Just the way he’s able to get in and out of his cuts, he has a good feel for space and like I said he wants to learn more and more, so I think as he gets within our offense and learns how with the freedom you have and the route running and your ability to find space I think we can utilize that over the middle of the field. I know he’s done that in the past but I think we utilize it at an even higher load so I think it’ll be something that we can really emphasize in our offense.”
Brown is coming off of a disappointing 2023 campaign with the Arizona Cardinals in which he played 14 games and logged 51 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was originally selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 25th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He spent his first three seasons with Ravens, capping off his Baltimore tenure by hauling in 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six scores in 2021. However, that ensuing offseason, Brown requested a trade, and the Ravens sent him to the Cardinals.
Brown’s numbers plummeted in Arizona, with his most productive campaign there coming in 2022, when he caught 67 passes for 709 yards and three touchdowns.
But now, Brown is in a much better situation with an obviously superior quarterback in Mahomes with the Chiefs, so the Hollywood, Fl. native could be in for a big year in 2024.
We’ll see if Patrick Mahomes is able to deliver the goods to Brown come September.
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