Buccaneers: Receiver John Brown a free agent target to watch
With new coach Bruce Arians in place, it’s time to figure out which of his former players the Buccaneers will pursue this off-season. Wide receiver John Brown is the first of them.
It might sound funny to say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need help at wide receiver, but that reality is creeping up on the team quicker than you think.
For starters, veteran DeSean Jackson is almost sure to be a cap casualty. Though Jackson has plenty left in the tank as a player, he has expressed frustration with his fit on the team. His chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston has been a consistent weak spot, and his production has suffered for it; Jackson hasn’t topped 800 yards receiving in either of his first two years in Tampa.
The team would save $10 million with Jackson off the roster in 2019, so it’s widely expected that the pair will mutually part ways.
The second factor complicating the Buccaneers’ receiving core is the status of Adam Humphries, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Humphries broke out in 2018 and was one of the very best stories of the entire season.
He racked up career highs across the board with 76 catches, 816 yards and five touchdowns. Thanks to those numbers, Humphries will reportedly command e$8-9 million a year, which may price him out for the suddenly cash-strapped Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay can go a long way towards fixing both of those potential issues with a 28-year-old free agent named John Brown. The speedster played last season with the Baltimore Ravens after spending the first four years of his career with Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals.
Brown is an ideal replacement for Jackson. They have similar play-styles, but the younger Brown is more tenacious and is willing to run a wider variety of routes. The presence of Brown would ensure that the vertical Buccaneers offense still has a downfield speed element in 2019, and both his price and age would be lower than the guy he would replace.
John “Smoke” Brown was drafted by Arians and the Cardinals back in 2014, and he quickly caught on as a dangerous deep threat. As a rookie he averaged 14.5 yards per catch, and in his second year as a pro he broke out for 65 catches, 1003 yards and seven touchdowns. Unfortunately, Brown’s career was temporarily derailed by a Sickle Cell diagnosis. Due to that and several other injuries Brown missed six games between 2016 and 2017 and was not re-signed by the Cardinals.
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The next stop for Brown would be Baltimore on a one-year deal, where he started off this season on absolute fire — he scored three touchdowns in the first four weeks and was a target hog for quarterback Joe Flacco. Brown’s production, along with every other Baltimore receiver, fell off the map once run-heavy rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson took over. He finished the season with 42 catches, 715 yards and five touchdowns.
Now a free agent again, it’s reasonable to think Brown may be attracted to a location like Tampa with a big-armed quarterback, and his former coach leading the way.
Baltimore’s move to Jackson kept John Brown from having the season he was capable of, so a pass-happy offense like the Buccaneers have would almost certainly be worth taking a look at. Brown will also likely come on the cheap on a prove-it deal.
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What do you think about adding John Brown, Buccaneers fans? Should the Buccaneers look for a cheaper option to DeSean Jackson, or hang on to the disgruntled veteran? Sound off in the comments!