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Brown Learning Familiar Offense with Cardinals

Marquise Brown is the new kid on the block, but that doesn't mean the offense he is learning isn't anything he hasn't seen before.

Aaron Decker

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It was a bit of a head scratcher when the Arizona Cardinals decided to trade away their first-round pick for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. The team had multiple needs on offense and defense, but pass-catchers didn’t seem to be an immediate necessity.

Now the acquisition of Brown seems almost prophetic. The Cardinals found out shortly after the draft (or possibly before) that their star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would miss six games due to violating the league's PED policy. Pair that with Brown joining his best friend, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, and you have a receiving core reloaded with talent. The question is how will they utilize Brown?

The answer goes back to when Murray and Brown's friendship began at Oklahoma. In 2017, Brown had a stellar season with the Sooners, but caught most of his passes from Baker Mayfield while Murray watched on the sidelines. The following season the duo finally came together. Alongside Murray, Brown brought in 75 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 17.6 yards a reception. The tandem helped lead the Sooners to a 12-2 record and a trip to the College Football Playoffs.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is hoping that success will carry over to his team. A key to that success is Brown joining an offensive scheme similar to the one that showcased his talent in college.

“I think it’s similar to what he played in at OU, obviously position wise, no huddle type stuff, signal based,” Kingsbury said. “I think he feels comfortable in what we’re doing, a lot of the drills are probably similar to what he did at OU and the relationship with Kyler goes a long way.”

In his two seasons at Oklahoma, Brown's speed helped the Sooners offense stretch the defense down the field with Brown often winning out. His speed was apparent on the field and on the stat sheet. In 2018, Brown was wide open 60% of the time on targets over 10 yards according to PFF. That quickness led him to bringing in 11 receptions for over 40 yards.

The Sooners attacked defenses down the field by utilizing the speed of their receivers. It helped lead Oklahoma to a conference high 42.1 points a game. That type of aggressive offense, attacking, is what Brown already likes about the Cardinals offense.

“The attack mentality, we’re trying to put points up and that’s what I love,” Brown said.

What made K1 and Hollywood so dominant in 2018 was the combination of a receiver who can get open down the field and a quarterback who is accurate with his deep passes. It’s a pretty foolproof combo. Luckily, for the Cardinals, not much has changed with Murray.

Murray was one of the best quarterbacks when it came to down-the-field passes in 2021. Pro Football Focus ranked him as their leading quarterback in deep passing performance. An analysis by NFL.com of Murray's skill when passing for more than 20 yards showed he had a 47% completion percentage for 940 yards and seven touchdowns.

Not only was Murray impressive down field but so were his receivers. According to NFL.com the Cards receivers were open 11.7 of the time on passes 20 yards or more. Along with his open receivers, Murray was the best quarterback at connecting with open pass-catchers, according to PFF.

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Brown seems to be a perfect fit for an offense anchored by other receivers who can attack the defense vertically.

“He [Brown] can stretch the defense; there's no doubt,” Kingsbury said. “Vertically, he can really roll. Having A.J. [Green], Rondale [Moore], him, and guys that can stretch the field from all angles is going to be good for us.”

Brown's move to the desert follows three seasons with the Ravens. Alongside Lamar Jackson, Brown had his best season last year, eclipsing 1,000 yards for the first time, but he ultimately requested a trade this offseason.

“I did a decent job at the Ravens,” Brown said. "It’s not really about a fit, but what helps the team. I feel that I can definitely help the team with the role that I’m asked here, but I feel like I helped the Ravens as well so it’s really about the philosophy of the team.”

The Ravens offensive philosophy never seemed to mesh with their high velocity receiver. Brown was targeted deep the eighth most by any receiver last season, but the quality of those throws from Lamar Jackson and his backup was average. On top of poor utilization, the Ravens focused their pass attack to tight end Mark Andrews and the run game.

Brown should still expect a battle for targets this season, with players like Green, Moore and tight end Zach Ertz that are all weapons for Murray to throw to. The target share will only increase once Hopkins returns from his suspension in Week 7. It's a problem Kingsbury is waiting to solve until the time comes.

“I think that Hop is such a dynamic playmaker that once he gets back we’ll kind of see where we’re at, how it’s been going, who's been playing the best where, and adjust from there,” Kingsbury said. “But I think we’ll have a plan going in, where we want guys to start positionally and go from there.”

The battle for targets and deep balls isn’t necessarily a detriment for Brown or the team. While he is prominent down field, his speed is also well utilized on crossing routes and screen passes where he is allowed to surpass opposing defenders. Even without any targets, his presence on the field is another weapon the defense has to focus on.

“I can catch underneath and run routes but I think the biggest thing is I can help other guys get open,” Brown said. “I feel like once Hop gets back, it’s going to be very fun and exciting.”

Brown and Murray will begin putting their offensive scheme in motion when the Cardinals begin their training camp in late July. 

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Aaron Decker
AARON DECKER