HOUSTON – Noah Brown is difficult to bring down, presenting a challenge for defensive backs in the open field and in close quarters.
And he provides a big, strong downfield target for his quarterbacks, as he did last season when his role and connection grew with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
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During a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown was ultra-reliable. He caught all five passes thrown to him for 91 yards and a touchdown as he worked the middle of the field and the sideline adeptly.
It was performances like that one that prompted the Texans to sign the six-foot-two, 225-pound former Ohio State player to a one-year contract with a maximum value of $3.1 million and $2.25 million total guaranteed. He’s coming off the best season of his career, finishing with 43 catches for 555 yards and three touchdowns on 74 targets as he played 75% of the offensive snaps.
The way Brown gets the job done is by creating space with his athleticism and his strength.
“My style of play? I would say physical,” Brown said. He had four catches for 85 yards, including a season-long 51-yard reception, during a win last season over the Texans. “I am from the get-go in all aspects of the game. Run game, route running, physical to the ball. A little bit all-around player, I feel like I can help this team in many ways.”
Brown joins a crowded wide receiver position that includes Robert Woods, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Amari Rodgers, and Xavier Hutchinson.
#Texans wide receiver Noah Brown said Bobby Slowik is a 'real creative coordinator' @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/aavY9Z63Ju
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 13, 2023
Where some players might see change as scary as he moved south within the state of Texas to join a 3-13-1 franchise after going to the playoffs with the Cowboys, Brown looked at it differently. He started building chemistry this spring with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and veteran Davis Mills.
“Some of the things that went into being here, it was just a new, fresh opportunity,” Brown said. “I was in Dallas for six years. I feel like I built a solid foundation of what I can do in this league there. I feel like this is an opportunity to expand upon on that, a team I feel like I can help out. We got a great young quarterback in C.J., another quarterback in Davis. I’m looking forward to working with both of them.”
Having played with an accomplished, proven passer in Prescott, Brown is adjusting to how Stroud plays as he prepares to throw his first passes in a regular-season game this fall. Both are talented players, but Stroud has to establish himself.
“They’re both great quarterbacks, I mean, great arm talent,” Brown said. “I think it’s a little bit early to compare a rookie to somebody like Dak Prescott. That’s a great class to be in. I think he has all the potential to live up to that, maybe even surpass it. So, you know, I’m rooting for C.J. and I’m willing to have his back on anything.”
The possibility of playing for a rookie quarterback dovetails with the Texans having a first-year offensive coordinator in Bobby Slowik. Slowik was the San Francisco 49ers’ passing game coordinator and is installing the Texans’ version of the Kyle Shanahan playbook.
“I’m really excited about the offense,” Brown said. “I think we have a real creative coordinator. I think we have a lot of talented pieces, some of which are a little bit unknown in this league. Which I think is going to work to our advantage. I’m excited to be a part of this offense.”
A New Jersey native, Brown was drafted in the seventh round by Dallas.
His NFL career got off to a slow start.
With the Buckeyes, he overcame a broken leg that required two surgeries and returned to catch 32 passes for 402 yards and seven touchdowns, including tying a school record with four touchdowns in a single game against Oklahoma, before declaring early for the NFL draft. He has 82 career receptions for 980 yards and three touchdowns. He caught 43 passes for 555 yards and three touchdowns last season.
“I think I came in this league a little bit raw,” Brown said. “I had to find my way on the field however I could. That started off being mostly blocking and special teams. But as that’s gone on, you find a way on to the field for maybe a blocking package, then all of a sudden you find yourself getting in packages for pass plays. I think I’ve taken advantage of every one of those steps, last year being another one. I think I have a chance to expand on that again this year.”
The Cowboys drafted Brown after he was recommended by former Ohio State teammate and Dallas star running back Ezekiel Elliott.
He’s known for his ability to block and operate on special teams.
With the Texans’ run-centric offense build around Pro Bowl alternate running back Dameon Pierce, Brown’s job description will include a lot of blocking. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I think Coach Slowik places an emphasis on everybody blocking, everybody being physical,” Brown said. “Sometimes that is slept on in the wide receiver position, but I think it’s been a great emphasis here. I think not just me, but everybody in our room is prepared to go in there and do the dirty work blocking.”
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been in an offense where blocking is not valued by the wide receivers. I think sometimes you see wide receivers put more of an emphasis on it personally or take pride in it a little bit more. I think everywhere I’ve been, it’s been coached. I think that’s part of, if you’re a wide receiver, you want the guy across from you to feel you on every rep.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.