When the Arizona Cardinals sent the 2022 No. 23 overall pick for Ravens star receiver Marquise Brown, the front office had high hopes for him and DeAndre Hopkins on the field following Hopkins’ six-game PED suspension.
While the move was certainly intended to be insurance for the suspension to Hopkins, the idea was to have one of the top receiving duos in the league in Week 7 when he returned.
On the last offensive play of the game in Week 6, Brown suffered a foot injury that has kept him out for over a month. It was days before Hopkins was set to make his return to the lineup.
While it’s all but too late to make a playoff push in 2022, the Cardinals will finally have their receiver duo on the field at the same time this Sunday against the Chargers.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed Brown will see action on the field, albeit on a snap count.
Beyond Brown being a much-needed receiving threat for the team, the concept was to add a player with elite speed next to Hopkins. It would draw coverage away from the intermediate passing attack, which is D-Hop’s specialty.
Should an opposing defense double Hopkins, Brown would be left one-on-one and become a big-play threat. On the contrary, defenses playing back to eliminate the threat of a deep passing touchdown for Brown would leave Hopkins open in the middle of the field.
Perhaps the Cardinals can show enough offensively to provide some optimism for 2023. It will certainly help their chances of having both star receivers on the field.
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