Noah Brown has to block frustration like he does DBs to make Cowboys 2020 roster

A healthier Noah Brown finds himself in a good position to become the Dallas Cowboys fourth wide receiver on the depth chart in 2020.

For Noah Brown, 2020 is an absolute prove-it year for him and the Dallas Cowboys. This is not only his contract year, but also one where he has the best chance of moving up the depth chart to land in the fourth spot.

When the Cowboys drafted wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb with the No. 17 overall pick, fans rejoiced over the big splash. On paper, the Cowboys wide receiver depth chart is as formidable as any in the league. Amari Cooper was recently extended with the emerging Michael Gallup opposite of him. Adding the explosive Lamb, who some have considered to be the best wide receiver in this years draft class. But then what?

What can Brown do for them?

Brown has bigger-than-prototypical size for the position, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing in right around 225 pounds. He has been used primarily to use his size to block on special teams and sometimes that’s enough to keep you on a roster this deep at a specific position.

He left Ohio State after being a starter for just one season, and it was known that he needed some polishing to his game. The seventh-round pick will be just 24 years old entering his fourth season and has it all on the line after missing all of 2019.

When Brown played, he was used primarily as a blocking receiver, a motif opponents caught onto, stifling the Dallas running game in 2018.

He had been given some opportunities to shine in 2017 as a rookie, but didn’t come through, most notably down the stretch of the tumultuous season which was captured on Amazon Prime’s series All or Nothing.

Brown was able to catch just four passes for 13 yards as the fifth wide receiver on the depth chart as a 2017 rookie. That year he was competing with guys like Brice Butler, Lucky Whitehead and Lance Lenoir. All of these wide outs fell behind Dez Bryant, Cole Beasely, Terrance Williams and Ryan Switzer.

Competing with Brown now will be the likes of the speedy Devin Smith and Cedric Wilson. Both of those players showed flashes in 2019 but neither separated themselves from this battle for that premier fourth spot.

Wilson found himself on the IR in December after appearing in six games and making five catches. Smith made his presence felt early in the season with a 51-yard touchdown against the Redskins but became lost in the shuffle because of the team’s insistence that WR4 play special teams.

Evidence of Talent

Brown certainly looks every bit of a bulldozing WR in his highlights, which include one of the most memorable snags in recent college football history:

Injury History

In 2018, Brown started the year on the IR with a hamstring injury but was healthy enough to be brought back in November where he primarily carved out a niche for himself playing special teams. In that season he was able to grab just five catches for 54 yards.

In 2019, once again, began the year on the PUP (Physically unable to preform) list due to off-season knee surgery.  Unfortunately for Brown, that was the end of the road for the entire campaign.

Moving forward

There’s no shortage in talent at the top of the WR depth chart, but beyond that the chance is there. The Dallas offense is in a great spot to succeed both in the run and the pass. For  Brown, it’ll be about staying healthy, getting on the field in a potential shortened pre-season and showing that he needs to be the guy to look for after Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb. 2020 is a potentially big year for No. 85.

This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. With 86 days* remaining until the NFL’s first game, up next is rookie tight end Sean McKeon.

| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz |

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