The Kansas City Chiefs began last year’s offseason with one goal in mind: improving the offense. After leading the league in dropped catches and struggling throughout the year, the team wanted to kick it into the next gear. They found their answer quickly in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
But a full regular season later, how is the move looking for both sides?
Chiefs Signed Hollywood Brown in Free Agency
After releasing Marquez Valdes-Scantling early in the offseason, the Chiefs were looking to make a big free agency splash. And they got their man in Brown. It was a relatively low-risk hire, as the Chiefs signed him for one year at just $7 million.
Brown started his career with the Baltimore Ravens after being taken in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons there, with him having his one-and-only 1,000-yard season in his last season with the team.
Afterward, Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent two seasons.
Before Kansas City, Brown had caught 313 passes for 3,644 yards and 28 touchdowns. In 2023, he caught 51 receptions on 101 targets for 574 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. So, the upside was clear to the Chiefs when making the move.
Since moving on from Tyreek Hill to shore up the defense, Kansas City hadn’t had a true long-ball threat on the roster. But with Brown in the mix, the Chiefs finally had the chance to let Patrick Mahomes air it out once again.
Brown’s Injury and Return
Unfortunately, things didn’t exactly go according to plan. While Kansas City capped off a terrific regular season with a 15-1 record before resting its starters in Week 18, they did most of the work without Brown on the roster.
In the first week of the preseason, Brown caught a pass from Mahomes against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet, he landed awkwardly on his shoulder, beginning an injury and long rehabilitation process that would see him miss the first 15 weeks of the season.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ offense was far from excellent, hovering at or near the top 10 according to PFN’s Offense+ metric, but they continued to find ways to win regardless.
Then, before Week 16, the positives started pouring in.
After being on injured reserve since September, Brown was finally ready to make his return in Week 16 against the Houston Texans. In the next two weeks, Brown recorded 45 and 46 yards, respectively, as he tried to grow accustomed to the offense. However, his impact was far greater than just the raw yardage he put up.
In just two games, Brown became an easy target for Mahomes to convert third downs, helping the best third-down team in the NFL to grow even more lethal.
Further, over that two-game stretch, the Chiefs averaged 28 points per game, their highest mark for any two-game sample this season.
Even though they were able to skate through the regular season largely without Brown, Kansas City’s quest for the first-ever three-peat will require him to come in handy during the length of the playoffs.