Marquise Brown was upset by his lack of usage following Sunday's 28-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Baltimore Ravens' wideout saw just two targets his way, catching one for a three-yard TD. After the game, the second-year wideout fired off a tweet that has since been deleted.
"(W)hat's the point of having souljas when you never use them (Never!!)," Brown wrote.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday that he texted Brown about the tweet, and the wideout took it down.
"He did play the game like a soldier. He was fighting very hard out there," Harbaugh said, via ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I promise you we're trying to use all of our guys. He's probably a little frustrated. He's not a selfish guy. I don't believe he is for one second. If he was, he wouldn't play as hard as he did or be the good guy that he is around the building."
Brown's complaints are understandable. A year that was supposed to be a breakout campaign has been mostly marred in inconsistency since Brown exploded out of the gate for 101 yards on 5 catches in the Week 1 blowout. In six games since, Brown has just 22 catches for 278 yards and two TDs.
Much of Brown's inactivity has been due to Lamar Jackson missing the wideout deep several times this season. If the duo had connected, it's likely Brown would feel a lot different. Brown ranks 9th in the NFL with 709 air yards, per Next Gen Stats, despite getting far fewer targets than all the players above him on the list (next closest is Adam Thielen at 53). The inability to convert those big plays has restricted the Ravens offense.
The Ravens also haven't used Brown much as an intermediate route runner. He has just nine targets on slants, crossers and screens.
Perhaps the squeaky wheel will get the grease as the Ravens move forward. Or, given that the offensive line just lost Ronnie Stanley for the season, Baltimore could continue with its ground-heavy approach and protect Jackson's passing attack. If it's the latter, Harbaugh will have to manage the expectations of his young wideout who just wants a chance to make plays.
