QB Patrick Mahomes sees something more than just speed in new Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown's game
The Kansas City Chiefs began their voluntary offseason workout program on Monday, with some member of the organization speaking to the media afterwards. One of them was three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who just finished holding his own workout program in Texas with many of his wide receivers. This has become an offseason […]
The Kansas City Chiefs began their voluntary offseason workout program on Monday, with some member of the organization speaking to the media afterwards.
One of them was three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who just finished holding his own workout program in Texas with many of his wide receivers. This has become an offseason tradition for Mahomes over the last few years.
It's a great way for he and his pass catchers to get to know each other and build chemistry on and off the field. Mahomes spoke about the Chiefs' top free agent acquisition of the offseason, receiver Hollywood Brown, mentioning that he was pleasantly surprised by Brown's route running ability.
“Hollywood, I think, obviously you see the speed,” Mahomes said. “You see the speed, I mean, instantly. But I think what I like so far is how hard he works. He's been at all the workouts and the route running, and he wants more, he wants to continue to push himself more and more. And I think he’ll have a great role in this offense, the way he's able to run routes, the way he's able to stretch the field, I think it’ll be even different than you've seen him before. Because I think we could utilize them in different ways that I think he has been utilized in yet.”
The first thing that usually comes to mind about Brown is his blazing speed. He ran a 4.27 40-yard dash during his Pro Day at Oklahoma back in 2019 and has been one of the best deep threats in the NFL since entering the league.
“Yeah, I mean, I think everybody's seen his speed, and the way he's able to track the football down the field, which we’ll obviously use," Mahomes continued. "That's something that's huge that I think we need to continue to get better and better at in this offense. But I think the route routing is what I've been pleasantly surprised by, I mean, just the way he's able to get in and out of his cuts, he has a good feel for space. And he wants to 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 that you have with your route running and your ability to find space, I think we can utilize that ability over the middle of the field. I know he's done that in the past, I think we can utilize it at even higher, higher loads. I think it'd be something that we can really emphasize in our offense.”
Coach Andy Reid will certainly find plenty of ways to effectively incorporate Brown's speed in his offense, as everyone knows Reid's history with speedy receivers. However, if Mahomes is right about Brown's polished route running ability, that could be the x-factor that elevates the Chiefs' offense to another level.
One of the biggest challenges K.C. had on offense last season was its receivers knowing where to be at the right time. The only real chemistry Mahomes had with his WRs last year were Rashee Rice and occasionally Justin Watson.
We've seen what a difference it makes when Mahomes has a WR who he can trust to run clean routes and be in the right spot at the right time with guys such as Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Brown being that next guy will be essential to the success of the Chiefs' offense in 2024.
Now entering his sixth season, Brown should be a quality route runner. He seems to already have a level of trust with Mahomes, which will continue to elevate as the offseason unfolds. Brown will be looking to put together the best season of his career in 2024 as he heads towards free agency again next year. If he and Mahomes tear it up together and become a force, his long-term future could be in Kansas City.
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