Previous strategies suggest Noah Brown can solve Commanders' receiving woes

When the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors were buzzing, the Washington Commanders decided to stay put and not make a move. In a somewhat surprising move, the team doubled down and traded former first-round pick Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Was there something the fans were missing? Were Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and Olamide Zaccheaus more formidable of a trio than was let on in the preseason? After the first week of the campaign, the answer to that question seems to be trending towards the negative.

The Commanders' receivers combined for a total of seven receptions for 55 yards at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. Terry McLaurin didn't get his first reception till 3:35 left in the third quarter. Not exactly a recipe for success.

Enter 6-foot-2, 225-pound wideout Noah Brown. He was surprisingly dropped by the Houston Texans before signing with Washington. He has a history with Dan Quinn, having overlapped with him on the Dallas Cowboys.

The Commanders' head coach had high praise for Brown when the team signed him. The cynic may ask what a former seventh-rounder on his third team can add to Washington's offense. This highlight is one prime example.

Washington could have used some of that in Week 1.

Brown not only has improved his receiving total every year in the league. But he almost single-handedly won the team two games last season, according to Texans general manager Nick Caserio.

"He took advantage of the opportunities last year. Again, he won us two football games literally by himself, the Cincinnati game and Tampa Bay game…He's going to be on a team fairly soon and probably going to help a team win."

- Nick Caserio via KXAN

What Noah Brown brings to the Commanders

Although Brown might not be considered a young receiver anymore at 28 years old, he should still have tread left on the tires. He started only one year at Ohio State and only has 25 starts in the NFL. Throughout his six-year career, the pass-catcher has taken 2,078 total offensive snaps. That is almost the amount Terry McLaurin has accumulated over the past two seasons.

When he surprisingly chose to leave the Buckeyes for the draft with two years of eligibility remaining, scouts saw Brown as an unfinished product who needed to improve his route-running and contested catch ability to have a chance.

Based on ESPN's receiver scores, which use Next Gen Stats to analyze every wideout and give a rating from 1-99, it does look like Brown has improved as a receiver since his time at Ohio State. His overall rating climbed from 46 in 2020 to 56 in 2023. His YAC rating peaked in 2023 at 69, which was third-best in the league among wide receivers behind only Deebo Samuel and Nico Collins.

His ability to get open also peaked in 2023 at 51. This ranked Brown higher than stars such as DeVonta Smith, Tyler Boyd, Cooper Kupp, and Amari Cooper. His overall receiver score was ranked No. 43 among. In comparison, McLaurin was No. 53 and Dotson came in at No. 101.

So, could Brown be the answer? It wouldn't be the first time a player has peaked later in their career. There are countless examples including Terance Mathis, Troy Brown, Rod Smith, Brandon Stokley, Donald Driver, Wes Welker, Joe Horn, and more recently Brandon Lloyd. Sometimes all it takes is a new team or a fresh opportunity to finally unlock their hidden potential.

How the Commanders can duplicate the 49ers and Falcons strategy

General manager Adam Peters and Quinn have experience quickly replacing wide-receiving targets.

In 2016, the San Francisco 49ers' leading pass catchers were Vance McDonald and Jeremy Kerley. Before the 2017 season started, the team hired Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, who added Peters as vice president of player personnel.

With no connection to the previous regime's players, the team cut Kerley and traded McDonald to the Steelers. This is reminiscent of what the Commanders did with Dotson.

The Niners drafted Trent Taylor in the fifth round. They also signed Marquise Goodwin and former Washington star Pierre Garcon.

Goodwin, similar to Brown, did not have much starting experience but was thrust into a starting role in San Francisco. He ended up leading the Niners in receiving with 56 receptions for 962 receiving yards.

Quinn did something similar as Falcons head coach. Atlanta released Roddy White in 2016. Despite what pundits thought about a top-tier receiver potentially arriving to fill the void, the team brought in Mohamed Sanu, a bigger receiver at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds - similar to Brown.

Sanu would go on to become a key contributor for the Falcons. He was their second-leading receiver from 2016-18, before being traded to the New England Patriots during the 2019 campaign.

Although many have questioned the Commanders' approach, Peters and Quinn have faced similar conundrums earlier in their career, and the results turned out pretty well.

Washington hasn't had a wide receiver duo have over 800 yards since Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson accomplished the feat in 2016. If Brown happens to fill that gap and provide a second receiving option behind McLaurin, he will solve a problem the franchise has been plagued with for almost a decade.

No pressure.

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