Arizona Cardinals: John Brown needs health, big numbers in contract year

By Tyler Olson | Jul 10, 2017

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 26: Wide receiver John Brown /

John Brown has had an interesting three years with the Arizona Cardinals, but entering a contract year, it’s time for him to prove his value.

It was a short three years ago when current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown was catching balls at Pittsburg State University. And don’t confuse it as a school in Pennsylvania. Pittsburg State is located in Pittsburg, KS. Have fun using that at your next trivia night.

Brown had a rough start prior to getting to PSU after he flunked out of Division II Mars Hill and never played a down at Coffeyville Community College. PSU’s head coach, however, saw the talent Brown had during practice and offered him a chance to play on his team that way. Now, with the motivation of his late brother that was shot and killed outside a nightclub years ago, Brown has made a name for himself in the NFL. He did it by turning tears and grief into fire and drive. That and his speed, of course.

A 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine will always get people talking. Regardless of your height (5-11) or weight (179 pounds), if you can run past professional athletes like they’re sitting still, then scouts will give you a hard look. And that’s exactly what Brown has done his first three years playing for head coach Bruce Arians and the Cardinals.

Arizona selected brown in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the first player drafted from PSU since Troy Wilson in 1993. To put that in perspective, Brown was just three years old at the time.

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In his rookie season, he caught 48 balls for 696 yards and five touchdowns while scoring multiple go-ahead touchdowns late in games by scorching opposing defenses. In his second season, Brown confused the sophomore slump with success. He started 11 games and increasing his stat line to 65 catches, 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. He continued to prove his value as a big-play threat as he increased his yards-per-catch average from 14.5 to 15.4.

Last season, though, Brown hit a snag. Injuries, along with being diagnosed with a sickle-cell trait, handcuffed him throughout 2016 and the entire Cardinals offense took a step back because of it. After all, he started just five games and caught 39 balls for 517 yards and only two touchdowns, all career lows. His biggest play was just 30 yards, a clear indication that he wasn’t feeling himself at all last year.

As he enters his fourth season and a contract year, all eyes will be on Brown’s health and whether or not he’ll be worth the risk of a payday. Things didn’t get off to a good start either, as he reportedly tweaked his hamstring in the beginning of June, per Pro Football Talk. It’s worth noting it was his hamstring last season that had ailed him much of the season.

Regardless of his season it’s hard to see him not receiving a contract at some point. He has the potential to be a top talent in the league. With Larry Fitzgerald closing in on the end of his career and no other legitimate threats at receiver in Arizona, they won’t be able to afford losing out on Brown’s potential.

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Health is key. Stay healthy and put up numbers, and you get a larger contract. If he finds himself on injured reserve, though, Brown could be stuck playing out one-year, prove-it contracts for the foreseeable future.

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