Arizona Cardinals: 10 best moves in Steve Keim era
By Scott Allen
8. Drafting John Brown
Here is another player that was a great find by Keim. From small school Pittsburg (Kansas), Brown was fast, he was flashy when he arrived. There was a reason people called him “Smokey”.
His first real flash of greatness was in November 2014, his rookie season. He scored on a 75-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2015, he had his first, and only, 1,000-yard season. He caught 65 passes, seven of them for touchdowns.
However in 2016, things started going a bit downhill. He too could not escape the injury bug. For awhile, we did not know what his real issue was.
Turned out it was Sickle cell trait. It sapped his energy. That also compounded the issues he was having with his hamstring.
In 2017, he only had 21 receptions, three of them for touchdowns. It became increasingly difficult to count on him from week to week.
Although his time in Arizona ended with a whimper, it was still a move we should be all grateful Keim made. Brown had and still does have good potential. He signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason.