In a sentence that nobody around the NFL surely wants to hear, the Kansas City Chiefs are about to get even stronger.
Wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Chiefs during the offseason, was a full participant in practice on Wednesday as he works his way back from a major shoulder injury that he suffered during Kansas City’s first preseason game. He has a chance of making his season debut on Saturday against the Texans, giving the banged-up Chiefs a much-needed boost as they seek to solidify their grip on the top seed in the AFC.
Brown emerged as one of the most promising wideouts in the league during his first three years with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, racking up 91 catches for 1,008 yards and six scores in 2021. Then, that offseason, he was traded along with a third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick. He formed a far less potent partnership with Kyler Murray, totaling just 118 catches and 1,283 yards across two injury-riddled seasons in the desert. After the 2023 season, Arizona showed little interest in re-signing him, letting him walk for Kansas City and instead drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. as his replacement.
The Brown signing looked to be a match made in heaven for both receiver and team, as the Chiefs have not had much wide receiver depth throughout their dynasty. But Brown has missed the entire season and Rashee Rice went down with a torn ACL during a Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, two years after splitting with Jackson, Brown might finally get the chance to suit up with another two-time MVP.
Even if he is somewhat diminished from his days with the Ravens, Brown would represent an upgrade over the aging DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who have all been inconsistent. With a weak receiving corps and franchise legend Travis Kelce on his last legs, 2024 has been arguably the worst season of Patrick Mahomes’ career, and he would surely welcome the addition of Brown.
If he plays, he’d be worthy of starting consideration against a Texans defense that has been mediocre against the pass this season. Although Houston has been rarely challenged, allowing just 271 catches and 3,064 yards — in both cases, fewer than all but five teams — it has still been susceptible to getting beaten through the air. The Texans have allowed 11.3 yards per reception, 10th-worst in football, and 27 touchdowns, tied for the most in football. Although Kelce is still Mahomes’ preferred target inside the red zone, Brown garnered 19.6% of Cardinals quarterbacks’ targets inside the opponent’s 20 and has scored at least three touchdowns in each season of his NFL career.
Brown’s potential return would give Mahomes the deep threat that he has lacked in the last few seasons. Although he was a gunslinger at Texas Tech, Mahomes has gradually become one of the most conservative quarterbacks in football, ranking fourth-to-last with just 6.4 intended air yards per passing attempt this season. Meanwhile, Brown averages 7.5 yards before the catch in his career with an 11.6-yard average depth of target, better numbers than both Worthy and Smith-Schuster. If he plays and is anywhere near healthy on Saturday, he’ll add a completely new dimension to the Kansas City offense.
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