One veteran is giving Cowboys OC Kellen Moore a huge break
The Cowboys came into the 2020 season with one glaring question mark, albeit self-imposed. Once they decided to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, the position immediately took a huge downgrade, and put more responsibility on the shoulders of CeeDee Lamb. When factoring in Michael Gallup not being available at the start of […]
The Cowboys came into the 2020 season with one glaring question mark, albeit self-imposed. Once they decided to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, the position immediately took a huge downgrade, and put more responsibility on the shoulders of CeeDee Lamb.
When factoring in Michael Gallup not being available at the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, and free-agent addition James Washington absent for nearly two months with a fractured foot, the wide receiver position with the Cowboys needed a spark, and veteran Noah Brown has been consistently making plays in training camp.
With camp hitting full swing, the Cowboys' team website recently put together a list of the 10 best performers so far. Squeezed in between Leighton Vander Esch and DeMarcus Lawrence at the seventh spot was Brown.
Cowboys' staff writers on what Brown has shown in Oxnard, California:
"Entering his sixth season, Brown is definitely the veteran of this young receiver group. But in the practices out here, he liked the most experienced player. He not only knows how to find the open areas of a zone and become a possession receiver, but Brown's speed and quickness looked better than ever and he often won his matchup, especially in the 1-on-1 drills."
This has to be a godsend to Cowboys' offensive coordinator Kellen Moore who is facing his biggest season yet. The Cowboys indeed have several young receivers showing promise, highlighted by 2021 fifth-round pick Simi Fehoko. However, with Brown stepping up to the plate and looking like his role could be bigger than ever this season, the Cowboys may not have to depend on them as much and allow their development to proceed smoothly.
As things currently stand, Brown will likely take the WR3 role behind Lamb and third-round pick Jalen Tolbert to start the season. Brown has routinely been a fourth or fifth option with the Cowboys, but injuries have called on him to stand on the frontline and produce, and it's worked out just the way the Cowboys would have hoped up to this point.
The Cowboys could have easily let Brown seek employment elsewhere this offseason seeing as he's not a star player. Instead, he signed his second consecutive one-year deal in hopes of rewriting the narrative that he can't be counted on with his injury history since he's been in the league.
Earlier this month, Brown spoke on what his mission is in 2022 as he counties to show his worth in training camp.
“I hope they definitely notice it,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t say they’re not taking me seriously. But my goal is to come out here every day and stack days on top of each other and (let) the chips fall where they fall afterwards.”
When the Cowboys get Gallup back, Brown will likely be the team's WR4 at best. In the meantime, his noticeable progression has given the Cowboys much-needed insurance at wide receiver with multiple guys on the shelf and gives more confidence that if injuries occur during the year he can be a reliable alternative.
Feature image via Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
