The Chiefs “haven’t totally ruled out” a late-season return by wide receiver Marquise Brown, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Brown was originally expected to miss the rest of the 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery and landing on injured reserve in September. However, the Chiefs’ coaching staff have been monitoring Brown’s rehab process, according to Fowler, and the next month will determine if the 2019 first-rounder can play this season.
Brown’s return would be a major boost to a Kansas City offense that ranks outside of the top 10 in several categories, including points per game, yards per game, and yards per play. The Chiefs just lost their first game of the season to the Bills, with Patrick Mahomes unable to surpass 200 passing yards and just one of his pass catchers recording more than 30 receiving yards.
The Chiefs have just two players averaging at least 50 receiving yards per game: Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins. Kelce has not been as dominant as past years, but Hopkins has settled into Kansas City nicely with 17 receptions for 200 yards in his first four games. Xavier Worthy has impressed as a gadget playmaker but lacks the consistency to be a WR2 on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Brown is a speedster, too, but he has a more developed skillset that can complement the route-running and veteran savvy of Kelce and Hopkins while allowing Worthy to remain in his role as a home run threat.
Brown signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Chiefs during the offseason after catching just 51 of his 101 targets for a career-low 574 yards in 2023 with the Cardinals. He was expected to be the latest speedy receiver to find success in Kansas City with Mahomes and Andy Reid, but played just one snap in the preseason before injuring his shoulder.
Brown has dealt with a myriad of injuries dating back to a Lisfranc injury in his last year of college, which combined with his undersized frame to cause pre-draft concerns about his durability in the NFL. However, he played in at least 12 games in each of his first five seasons with an average of 14.4 appearances per year.