Late on Thursday Night, the Kansas City Chiefs managed to land one of the last big-name offensive weapons on the open market. They were able to come to terms on a one-year deal with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
A new weapon for Patrick Mahomes: Former Ravens and Cardinals WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2024
During is final season in Baltimore in 2021, Brown had 91 catches for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. During… pic.twitter.com/oGD82iazKb
The former Ravens first-round pick has had an up-and-down career since arriving in the NFL via Oklahoma. Despite the risks, the rewards are through the roof, as few in the league match his explosive playmaking abilities. This article will check out the player and his effects on the Chiefs and your dynasty rosters.
Background
As we mentioned above, Brown broke into the league as a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. The speedster was supposed to help open the full potential of quarterback Lamar Jackson. Marquise dealt with some injury issues, but he was a sizable part of the Ravens’ offense that helped Lamar Jackson win his first MVP award. In particular, he was an absolute weapon in the red zone.
| Games | Receiving | Rushing | Total Yds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | 1D | Succ% | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | Y/Tgt | Att | Yds | TD | 1D | Succ% | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV |
| 2019 | 22 | BAL | WR | 15 | 14 | 11 | 71 | 46 | 584 | 12.7 | 7 | 24 | 47.9 | 83 | 3.3 | 41.7 | 64.8% | 8.2 | 0 | 46 | 12.7 | 584 | 7 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 23 | BAL | WR | 15 | 16 | 14 | 100 | 58 | 769 | 13.3 | 8 | 35 | 45.0 | 70 | 3.6 | 48.1 | 58.0% | 7.7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 59 | 13.1 | 770 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| 2021 | 24 | BAL | WR | 5 | 16 | 16 | 146 | 91 | 1008 | 11.1 | 6 | 41 | 45.2 | 49 | 5.7 | 63.0 | 62.3% | 6.9 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 100.0 | 5 | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 92 | 11.0 | 1013 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 2022 | 25 | ARI | WR | 2 | 12 | 10 | 107 | 67 | 709 | 10.6 | 3 | 33 | 44.9 | 47 | 5.6 | 59.1 | 62.6% | 6.6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 68 | 10.4 | 710 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 2023 | 26 | ARI | WR | 2 | 14 | 14 | 101 | 51 | 574 | 11.3 | 4 | 32 | 42.6 | 41 | 3.6 | 41.0 | 50.5% | 5.7 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | 29 | 11.5 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 53 | 11.3 | 597 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Career | 72 | 65 | 525 | 313 | 3644 | 11.6 | 28 | 165 | 45.0 | 83 | 4.3 | 50.6 | 59.6% | 6.9 | 5 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 40.0 | 29 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 318 | 11.6 | 3674 | 28 | 4 | 37 | ||||
| 3 yrs | BAL | 46 | 41 | 317 | 195 | 2361 | 12.1 | 21 | 100 | 45.7 | 83 | 4.2 | 51.3 | 61.5% | 7.4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | 5 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 197 | 12.0 | 2367 | 21 | 3 | 25 | |||
| 2 yrs | ARI | 26 | 24 | 208 | 118 | 1283 | 10.9 | 7 | 65 | 43.8 | 47 | 4.5 | 49.3 | 56.7% | 6.2 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 33.3 | 29 | 8.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 121 | 10.8 | 1307 | 7 | 1 | 12 | |||
Brown built on his tantalizing rookie campaign and showed continued improvement each season in Baltimore. In his third season, he became the first and only receiver to put up 1,000 receiving yards in a season with Lamar Jackson. Despite his progressive growth and third-year breakout, the Ravens traded their former first-round pick along with a 2022 third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2022 first-round pick.
I have no doubt Rashod Bateman can be a WR1…
— Aidan Maher (@Aidan_Maher17) July 30, 2022
but Marquise Brown brought unique qualities to this offense.
They’re now losing out on lots of vertical spacing & potential big plays.
Baltimore’s versatility now hinges even heavier on Lamar Jackson.pic.twitter.com/WQToX1i0uv
Following Brown’s trade to the Cardinals, many in the dynasty community expected a full-scale breakout. After all, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray was Brown’s college teammate, and the two were an unstoppable duo at Oklahoma, lighting up scoreboards and racking up awards.
Unfortunately, the perceived explosion never fully materialized for Brown and his dynasty managers. Throughout Brown’s two seasons in Arizona, he and Murray dealt with multiple injuries. They seemed to be healthy on the field at the same time rarely. Nevertheless, Brown continued to flash his immense potential, particularly in his first year with Brown, when he had over 700 yards in the ten games he played.
Kansas City
Heading into 2024, Brown was looking to reestablish his value. He will be only 27 at the beginning of the season, leaving plenty of prime years in his career. Instead of taking a lower-level multi-year deal, Brown has chosen the route blazed by JuJu Smith-Schuster by signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs.
Kansas City has been looking for a credible deep threat since the departure of All-Pro Tyreek Hill. Recently released Marquez Valdez-Scantling had previously occupied this role with varying levels of success. In Kansas City, Brown will finally have the chance to put his blazing speed to proper use. MVP Patrick Mahomes has the ability and aptitude to get Brown the ball downfield in stride and on target. One need look no further than Brown’s game against San Francisco last season to see that he’s still got the talent to be a weapon with the Chiefs.
Here is some Marquise Brown coaches film from this season. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/WwVL8c95mt
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) March 15, 2024
Brown will have the twin benefits of playing with Mahomes and against light coverage in Kansas City. Unlike his stops in Baltimore and Arizona, Brown will not see WR1 coverage with the Chiefs. Travis Kelce and promising sophomore Rashee Rice will take up most of the coverage, potentially allowing Brown to feast against single coverage. This has the makings of a career season for Brown.
Dynasty Outlook
This is one of the best-case scenarios for Brown. The Chiefs are the gold standard of NFL offenses. The combination of Mahomes and future Hall-of-fame coach Andy Reid is dominating the league. Reid is among the most creative minds ever to walk an NFL sideline. I fully trust him to make the best possible use of his new weapon.
Don’t get me wrong; I do not think landing in Kansas City will turn Brown into a WR1 for fantasy purposes. However, he is now an excellent flex option who could produce WR2 numbers for your teams. Where he will provide the best return will be in best-ball leagues. Here, he should be an excellent player, as I fully expect Hollywood to have some monster games when Mahomes hits him on deep balls.
With Brown heading to Kansas City, one final avenue to consider is the potential to trade him now. Some of your fellow managers may be drooling at the idea of Brown filling the role that once made Tyreek an absolute star. If you have an owner like this in your league, take the opportunity to shop for and possibly trade Brown. His value is almost certainly at a two-year high in his new home.
Final Thoughts
I own several shares of Brown myself. This free-agent deal is a best-case scenario. The Chiefs have the proper personnel and situation to use Brown’s elite traits properly. He will also have the cover of playing with some truly excellent teammates who will draw coverage away from him for the first time in his career.
The fact that this is a mere one-year deal could be seen as a negative for some in the dynasty community. However, this could also be an absolute blessing in disguise. Hollywood will now put his absolute best foot forward to secure a long-term deal heading into 2025. This is, without question, the best offensive situation he has found himself in since his days at Oklahoma. Look for Brown to challenge for his second career 1,000-yard campaign and to reestablish himself as one of the most dangerous speed options in the NFL.
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