Why Hollywood Brown Could Be Chiefs Conduit to Redemption

A year ago in training camp, the Chiefs had a brief glimpse of Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy on the same field. It was a script made for the silver screen -- until September shoulder surgery landed Brown on injured reserve.

But now that Brown is back to 100 percent and both vertical threats are back in camp, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are watching the second run of that movie.

“Yeah, it'll be great to have him out there,” head coach Andy Reid said Sunday afternoon from training camp in St. Joseph, Mo. “When they were together out there last year, for the part of camp they were together there, that was a positive for us.”

Positive yards – lots of them -- is what Brown and Worthy could produce, assuming Brown can stay healthy. He’s made trips to injured reserve in three straight seasons, sidelined by foot and heel injuries in his last two years with the Cardinals before last year’s shoulder setback.

But when healthy, Brown’s proven his deep-threat potential. Of his 28 career touchdown receptions, 10 were thrown at least 20 air yards. He’s also shown lightning speed, having registered a 4.27 40-yard dash at his 2019 Oklahoma Pro Day. Along with Worthy’s 4.21 ability, the Chiefs have the NFL’s fastest vertical threats.

The Ravens’ first-round selection (25th overall), Brown, as a rookie, helped Lamar Jackson earn the 2019 MVP. The young wideout continued to improve until he exploded for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns on 91 catches in 2021. That year in a 36-35 win over the Chiefs, he posted six catches for 113 and a 42-yard touchdown.

The looming suspension of Rashee Rice won’t change the Chiefs’ training-camp reps, Reid said Sunday. Mahomes will still get snaps with Rice, Worthy and Brown – and Worthy is especially excited.

 “I think we're really locked in right now,” Worthy told Kay Adams on Up & Adams last week. “Everybody’s back. This is my Year 2. This is Rashee’s Year 3. This is Hollywood's Year 2 in the system, so I feel like a lot of guys came back more comfortable and it made things easier. We're not just kind of easing into things; we're not learning the playbook; we're not thinking. We're just going out there and playing.”

A healthy and available Brown could be the catalyst, even if he’s opening opportunities for teammates. For him to become a conduit for Super Bowl redemption, he’ll need to start with his first touchdown reception since 2023 in Arizona.

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