Buccaneers Add Veteran WR to Practice Squad
In a pair of practice squad moves, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran wide receiver John Brown and released running back Darwin Thompson on Thursday, the team announced.
Brown, an eight-year pro, spent time with the Denver Broncos and the Jacksonville Jaguars throughout the 2021 season before joining Tampa Bay's practice squad for the playoffs.
A 2014 third-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, Brown spent four seasons under now-Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and his staff, emerging as a dependable passing game weapon for quarterback Carson Palmer and his backups when the starter dealt with injuries.
In his career, Brown has caught 320 passes for 4,748 yards (14.8 yards per reception) and 31 touchdowns, posting single-season highs of 72 receptions and 1,060 yards in 2019 with the Buffalo Bills and seven touchdowns in 2015 with the Cardinals.
As the Buccaneers will be without star receiver Chris Godwin (torn ACL) for the remainder of the season will the statuses of receivers Cyril Grayson (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (hip) are up in the air before the Wild Card round, there is a chance Brown could emerge as a contributor rather immediately in Tampa Bay's offense should he earn a practice squad elevation this Sunday. His familiarity with Arians and Byron Leftwich's offense certainly help his case to gain immediate playing time.
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