Nick Caserio made it clear Wednesday morning that cutting Houston Texans receiver Noah Brown was arguably the most difficult decision by the franchise entering the regular season.
“He won us two football games literally by himself, the Cincinnati game and Tampa Bay game,” Caserio said. “He had 1,000 receiving in two games, whatever it was. Good football player. He’s going to be on a team fairly soon and probably going to help a team win.”
Caserio was right on one part since Brown found his new home Wednesday afternoon. Fans won’t know if he helps the team win until after the regular season.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Brown is signing with the Washington Commanders and will join the active roster immediately. He’s expected to be the No. 2 receiver opposite Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin while helping No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels get comfortable as he transitions from LSU to the pro level.
Source: WR Noah Brown signing with #Commanders, per source. Will join active roster.
Washington gets much-needed receiver help.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 28, 2024
Brown was one of the Texans’ most productive players when healthy en route to winning a division title last season. He delivered multiple times last season and served as a security blanket for C.J. Stroud while helping him win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Caserio wasn’t wrong about Brown’s impact. His back-to-back 150-plus yard outings in wins over the Buccaneers and Bengals capitulated the Texans to their first AFC South crown in four years. He also caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Case Keenum against the Tennessee Titans to tie the game at 16 with 3:03 remaining.
But Brown also dealt with a slew of injuries. He missed seven games during the regular season and left during the first quarter of the wild-card round win over Cleveland with a should sprain.
Even after Brown re-signed a one-year deal this offseason, he missed all of OTAs, returned for training camp and suffered another shoulder strain that sidelined him for three weeks.
“We kept the players that we felt right now that could help us the most,” Caserio said. “I mean, I would say Noah, I mean, certainly part of that discussion. In the end, we just made the decision to move on, but have a lot of respect for Noah. He is probably one of the toughest players that we had on this football team.”
Brown should slide in for the Commanders as a new second target for Daniels following the trade of former first-round pick Jahan Dotson to the Eagles. He already has a relationship with Washington coach Dan Quinn following their stay together with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022.
Nick Caserio on releasing of Noah Brown:
“Can’t keep everybody. It was a tough decision”
“Helped us win honestly 2 games last year by himself” pic.twitter.com/8w0SlD8kdq
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) August 28, 2024
Brown couldn’t help the Texans the way Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie III or Robert Woods could come Week 1. The best ability is availability for a team looking to win a conference title. It starts with Week 1 by setting a standard against Indianapolis.
Brown, who finished last season with 33 catches for 567 receiving yards, delivered in Houston for a young quarterback. He’ll look to do the same for another rising passer in D.C.