Tag: Hollywood Brown trade

Cardinals get an A for Hollywood Brown trade

CBS Sports had plenty of praise for the Cardinals after they acquired Hollywood Brown from the Ravens.

The Arizona Cardinals made all the breaking news headlines Thursday night with a surprising trade for wide receiver Hollywood Brown. The trade was completely out of nowhere as the Cards had to operate with total secrecy as to not put Baltimore at a disadvantage in the draft.

There are some who believe the Cardinals gave up too much draft capital for Brown, but the general consensus is the offense is significantly better after the trade.

One of those is CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, who gave the Cardinals an A for their overall draft haul.

With Christian Kirk departing via free agency, Brown’s arrival allows the aging A.J. Green to slide back into more of a rotational role behind DeAndre Hopkins and takes pressure off Rondale Moore as the presumptive No. 3. It’s a truly sensible gamble, potentially solving a slew of issues at once. Not only are the Cards potentially placating their star QB, who’s angling for his own payday and will benefit from an additional deep threat, but they’re getting a possible long-term playmaker at a premium position.

Benjamin and others have given props to the Cards for addressing a number of issues with this trade. They filled one of the biggest needs on the team, as they were without a WR2 and lost Christian Kirk to the Jaguars. They also needed elite speed on the outside to pair with Hopkins. Very few players in the league offer the same sort of speed as Hollywood Brown.

The Cardinals also made a long term commitment to their franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, pairing him with a strong offensive weapon who also happens to be one of his best friends.

Most media outlets have given the Cardinals a respectable grade in the B grade range, but it’s refreshing to see CBS Sports give the team high praise for their acquisition of Brown.

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Why the Cardinals’ trade for Hollywood Brown is outstanding

The Cardinals trade for Hollywood Brown was an excellent move that immediately makes the team better

As projected, the Arizona Cardinals used their first round draft pick to acquire a wide receiver. The surprise came when the pick was traded for an established star wideout, as opposed to moving up for one of the top prospects.

The Cardinals sent pick No. 23 for Ravens’ star receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and a third rounder. They were met with optimism for the deal but also a fair amount of skepticism. Former Titans wideout A.J. Brown was traded for a similar package.

There are a few reasons for this that are going over the head of the casual twitter general managers. First, A.J. Brown wanted to play with the Eagles. That has been made clear. Second, while he has put up better stats than Hollywood to this point, the Cardinals were looking to pair elite speed with DeAndre Hopkins. The team also has two extra years of affordable control.

Oh – and the obvious. Hollywood played with Kyler Murray in college and the two were one of the most exciting duos in the country.

Sitting at pick No. 23, it was always going to be a longshot for the Cardinals to land one of the big four receiver prospects, those being Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams. All were gone by pick No. 12.

General manger Steve Keim mentioned in his press conference following the first round that he thought most of the prospects the team coveted would be gone by pick No. 23. This came true, with the likes of Treylon Burks, Zion Johnson and Jahan Dotson all being selected in front of them. There wasn’t a better offensive player to be had than Hollywood at pick No. 23.

Acquiring Brown (and a bonus third-round pick) immediately brings a known commodity into the offense, as opposed to taking a gamble with a college receiver.

In his final season with the Ravens, Brown had 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. This is an impressive feat considering the run-heavy scheme by offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Baltimore’s star quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the last month of the season which severely hindered Brown’s opportunities to make plays.

There’s a good chance Hollywood’s production increases in Arizona. First, Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is far more receiver-friendly than that of the Ravens in terms of production. Second, opposing defenses draw most of their focus on DeAndre Hopkins. Brown will see a ton of one-on-one coverage with the safeties drawn towards D-Hop.

Last season was hands down Brown’s best. He was operating as the No. 1 receiver on the depth chart. The sky is the limit for him alongside Kyler Murray and the arsenal of offensive firepower at the Cards’ disposal.

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POLL: What do you think of the Cardinals’ trade for Hollywood Brown?

What are your thoughts on the Cardinals’ trade to acquire Hollywood Brown?

The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a stunner Thursday night when they acquired star receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from the Baltimore Ravens. Brown and quarterback Kyler Murray played together during Murray’s time at Oklahoma.

Brown is the speed compliment on the outside the Cardinals have been searching for. He is the long-term answer at WR2 to pair with Hopkins. It is also a sign of very good faith towards Murray, who has gone through his fair share of drama from the Cardinals’ front office.

Some across the NFL social media world think the Cardinals gave up too much to acquire Brown. They sent pick No. 23 but did receive an additional third-rounder from Baltimore. Fellow star receiver A.J. Brown was traded to the Eagles minutes later for the 18th overall pick and some thought the Cardinals should have gone that route.

With that in mind, what do you think of this blockbuster trade for the Cards? Vote in the poll and sound off in the comment section below the article.

[polldaddy poll=11104040]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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