Dallas Cowboys: 5 Players who need more playing time in 2019
By Randy Gurzi
5. Noah Brown, WR
In the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected Ohio State wide receiver Noah Brown. A big-bodied target with a wide catch radius, Brown was a red zone threat for the Buckeyes and Dallas loved that about him. What they liked, even more, was the blocking shown by the 225-pound wideout.
Brown made the roster in 2017, which isn’t easy for such a late-round pick to do, but hardly saw the field. He then started out this past season injured, but still managed to play eight games and saw his usage improve. They also lined Brown up as a receiver as well as in an H-back role in the backfield.
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The problem was, Dallas was far too predictable with him on the field. They would line him up wide, then place him in motion so he could come inside to block. It went from having a wideout who could block as well as run routes, to the Boys tipping their hands that they were going to run with No. 85 on the field.
Looking forward to 2019, the coaches need to figure out a way to get Brown on the field, but be more deceptive with him. He would be much more dangerous as a player if defenses didn’t know what he was doing. And while the snap count was limited, Brown actually graded out as the best receiver on Dallas according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Brown has plenty of talent and the Cowboys would be wise to maximize that in 2019.
For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.