After pushing through a painful foot injury to tie the Ravens’ rookie record for touchdown catches in a season, wide receiver Marquise Brown hopes to have a clean bill of health for his second campaign.
According to NFL Network, the 2019 first-round pick recently had a screw removed from his surgically-repaired left foot in hopes of eliminating any future discomfort stemming from the Lisfranc injury Brown sustained late in his final season at Oklahoma. That injury and subsequent surgery forced the 22-year-old to miss spring workouts, the start of training camp, and occasional practices during his rookie season, but the speedy Brown still led all Baltimore wide receivers with 46 catches, 584 yards, and seven touchdowns.
Can’t wait to see too??? https://t.co/LWayaaTNt6
— Hollywood Brown (@Primetime_jet) February 25, 2020
That’s why general manager Eric DeCosta believes the best is yet to come.
“We’re excited to see what this offseason’s going to be,” DeCosta said at the scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday. “I think coming off the injury that he had, which was a significant injury, to see how he rebounded week to week and played in the games and made big plays all throughout the year, that was exciting. We’re excited about that. Receivers typically make a big jump from their first to second season. We think that’s going to happen with ‘Hollywood.'”
Brown’s NFL debut couldn’t have been better as he became the first player in league history to notch two touchdowns of 40 or more yards in his first career game. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound wideout wouldn’t post another 100-yard receiving game until the playoff loss to Tennessee — his 126 receiving yards were the second most by a Raven in postseason history — but his play-making ability was a rare bright spot in that disappointing defeat.
DeCosta says a full offseason to be able to work with MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and veteran slot receiver Willie Snead on the timing and intricacies of Baltimore’s passing game will help Brown take his game to the next level. That’s a scary thought for opposing defenses after Brown ranked second in the league in passer rating when targeted last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“He’s got a great work ethic. He’s explosive,” DeCosta said. “I think you all saw his hands, his ability to catch the ball in traffic and make contested catches for a little guy. He’s got a great attitude.”
DeCosta also expressed optimism for fellow 2019 draft pick Miles Boykin, who finished with a modest 13 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. Including the postseason, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound rookie played just under 500 snaps and was an effective blocker, but he caught only four passes over the final nine regular-season games before making three receptions for 29 yards in the playoff loss.
The Ravens are expected to explore additional options at wide receiver in free agency and the draft, but they want to see Boykin continue to develop and become a bigger contributor in 2020.
“He made some big plays for us throughout the course of the year,” said DeCosta, citing four catches of 18 or more yards. “We expect him to improve quite a bit with an offseason. He’s a big and strong and fast, physical guy. Great attitude. The second year for most receivers is critical, and we think he’ll make a big jump.”
