Noah Brown was a somewhat surprising cut by the Houston Texans.
In turn, he might well turn out to be a somewhat surprising boon for the Washington Commanders.
Brown joined the Commanders this week and head coach Dan Quinn is amped to have a competitor like him onboard.
"I think the first thing I think about with Noah, this is a dog-ass competitor,” Quinn said this week upon Brown’s arrival. “He is a really physical player. He's got a great background both as a receiver and on (special) teams. He's a fantastic teammate. And so, when we had the ability to add him to this group, it was a very easy decision from the coaching side.”
Quinn isn’t a stranger to Brown, as the wide receiver was with the Dallas Cowboys from 2017-2022, his last two seasons coinciding with Quinn serving as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Brown produced arguably his best showing in 2023 with Houston, catching 33 passes for a career-high 567 yards and a career-best 17.2 yards-per-catch average. It was all the more impressive considering Brown played in just 10 games and dealt with various injuries.
Now, supporting Quinn’s compliments on all his intangibles, Brown’s ready for whatever role the Commanders throw at him.
“I think I bring a little bit of everything when it comes to the offensive mindset,” Brown told reporters on Thursday. “I’m a very viable pass option, I can block in the blocking game, I have experience in the special teams game and I’m willing to do all of it. I’m just ready to contribute.”
Not wasting any time, Brown and rookie first-round quarterback Jayden Daniels put in some extra work on the wideout’s first day.
“That's something that, which is fun as a coach, it makes you happy,” Quinn said. “Jayden came up to me, ‘Can I take Noah?’ And so that's exactly what you'd hope to hear from a player to get, ‘Why would we wait 'til Monday when I can start on this today?’ Jayden has that mindset to him and knowing Noah, he's going to do everything he can to get up to speed, as well. So, not surprised. They are fantastic competitors that they're already at it.”
Daniels, the 2024 NFL Draft’s No. 2 overall pick, made a good first impression on Brown, looking to get his newest target up to speed.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about him and today felt nothing short of that,” Brown said. “I’m impressed with how he operates, how he takes control of things, and [we] wanted to get some extra work in, so we got that done. Excited to get on the right track.”
With the Commanders shipping former first-round pick Jahan Dotson to the rival Philadelphia Eagles, there was certainly a need to bolster the WR corps. Terry McLaurin is the unquestioned WR1 with Dyami Brown having accounted himself well this summer and likely to start along with Olamide Zaccheaus in the slot. There is plenty of opportunity for Brown and rookie Luke McCaffrey to vie for bigger roles, however.
Thus, Brown could go from the cutting room floor in Houston to being a prime producer in D.C.