'Noah Brown is a Stud!' Cowboys Praise 'No-Name WR' After Upset Win Over Bengals
FRISCO - In a very linear sense, the Dallas Cowboys this offseason said goodbye to No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper, a four-time Pro Bowler, and elevated into his starting spot a player who has been stuck at the back of the wideout rotation for the entirety of his ....-year career.
So Noah Brown is supposed to be Amari Cooper?
Critics (including yours truly) considered it a ridiculous notion, a puff of arrogance from a Cowboys front office that didn't seem to take seriously finding weaponry for Dak Prescott's offense.
Critics (including yours truly), in the wake of Dallas' 20-17 victory over the Bengals in Week 2 - a game in which the relative-unknown Brown played a starring role - owe somebody an apology.
"Noah Brown is a stud,'' Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said after the win at AT&T Stadium.
And how do we argue against that after this outcome, with Cooper Rush playing QB in place of the injured Prescott and opening the game with the engineering of a lengthy drive capped by a nine-yard TD throw to Brown, who finished with a game-high 91 yards on five catches.
“Not a lot of people get to see Cooper, or me, in the past, really,'' Brown said. "But the work showed today, I’m proud of him,” Brown said.
Brown was more productive than the boastful Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals. He was a productive bookend to teammate and No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who rebounded from a Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, finishing with seven catches for 75 yards on 11 targets.
Said Lamb of Brown: “It brings joy to me. He’s been under the radar for awhile. He’s been here since (2017), but for him to get his first touchdown in years along with almost 100 yards, you can’t ask for anything more. I’m happy he did.''
Prescott has long been a believer in the 6-2, 225-pound Brown, even though before this year, he'd caught 39 passes for no TDs since joining the Cowboys in 2018.
"You want a guy who’s the epitome of being a professional, it’s Noah Brown, on and off the field,'' Dak said recently. "He’s somebody that those young guys need to follow. Not just should follow, but need to.''
Brown, 26, was good last week against the Bucs, too, with five more catches for 68 yards.
This time around, he got the score - and fellow former Ohio State standout Ezekiel Elliott retrieved the touchdown ball for Brown's collection.
"He’s so competitive,'' McCarthy said of Brown. "The offseason he had, the anticipation of the opportunity that he was going to have this year. You’re just seeing the payoff of it. I love the way he plays. ... One tough dude.”
Does this mean the Cowboys were right in not adding more talent at wideout after the salary-dump trade of Amari to Cleveland as they wait for the rehab return of Michael Gallup, maybe in Week 3 at the Giants?
“Well, I like those quote ‘no-name’ receivers to step up and be the difference,” owner Jerry Jones said. “That reminded me of what we see in him. Give him a chance.''
Dallas did that. And Noah Brown - "a stud'' - caught it.
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