The Kansas City Chiefs are planning on activating wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from injured reserve and playing him this Saturday against the Houston Texans, according to sources that spoke to ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler. If available, Saturday will mark Brown’s first career start with the Chiefs.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown Will Play Saturday
Brown signed a one-year contract with Kansas City worth up to $11 million this past offseason. However, he has missed every game leading up to this week due to an SC joint injury he suffered on the first play of the Chiefs’ preseason opener. After undergoing surgery and rehabbing that injury, he was able to begin practicing last week.
Brown was originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019 before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2022 NFL Draft. Over his five-year career, Brown has accumulated 313 receptions for 3,644 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns.
What does Brown’s addition mean for the Chiefs?
While Brown brings in some much-needed support for the passing attack, he may not make much of an impact this Saturday. He’ll probably use this game to familiarize himself with the Chiefs’ in-game offense. Plus, it’s still unclear who Kansas City’s starting quarterback will be the starter Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in Week 15. If Mahomes plays, then Brown will probably have a couple of receptions. If Wentz is the starter though, then Brown could be held catchless this weekend.
Hollywood Brown’s presence will more likely be felt in the playoffs. Brown is a well-documented deep threat, something that Kansas City has been missing since the off-season departure of wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
After Rashee Rice was lost to injury earlier this year, wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson stepped up to fill the void with the two averaging 13.9 yards per catch and 11.8 yards per catch, respectively. However, Smith-Schuster and Watson have only amassed 34 receptions this season. Meanwhile, Hollywood Brown finished the 2023-24 campaign averaging 11.3 yards per catch despite Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray missing nine games.
Brown averages 11.6 yards per reception over his entire career. Even if he’s average, Patrick Mahomes will have a reliable wideout that can get open down the field. If Mahomes can quickly create chemistry with the former Oklahoma Sooner, then Brown will be an important part of the Chiefs’ playoff run.
