Since being signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Jaron Brown has used the month-long warmups at training camp to get his reps in and prove himself to his coaches and teammates. However, since the team has much depth at the receiver position, Brown hasn’t received the amount of playing time that he would like to have. With the Cardinals entering the season as one of the NFL betting odds favorites to win the Super Bowl, Brown likely won’t see a lot of playing time unless someone gets hurt.
Despite not having a lot of playing time, Arizona’s coaches have noticed the hard work Brown has put in since he joined the team, and are happy about the way he has progressed as a player. Even quarterback Carson Palmer had nothing but good things to say about Brown’s dedication to his craft, which says a lot about how far the undrafted player has come in three years.
Unlike other players trying to make NFL rosters who have great training camps and preseasons but eventually get cut and signed to practice squads, Brown doesn’t have jaw-dropping fields. However, Brown is one of the most consistent performers in the league, which is what his coaches love about him because they know what he brings to the table every game.
Brown has made the Cardinals’ final roster in each of his three seasons in the league, and barring a serious injury, he is expected to make the team’s roster again.
While Carson Palmer felt bad that Brown doesn’t get as much playing time as he would like because the team can’t bench players like Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd for him. Palmer said having a player like Brown on the team gives them a security blanket in case of an injury, which is a good thing.
According to Palmer, Brown gets underestimated a lot, which is one of the things that drive him. He is also deceptively fast, which always takes defenders by surprise whenever he is in a game. Palmer also said Brown makes contested catches and is almost as physical as Fitzgerald when it comes to blocking, which makes him a great weapon to have if one of the other receivers go down.
Whenever a receiver has gone down during the offseason, Brown has stepped into their roles and taken the reps the players would have had, which he says has been very beneficial to his progress. It is also the reason why he has learned how to play every receiver position so that he can step in at a moment’s notice, and the offense wouldn’t skip a beat.
In his three years in the league, Brown has caught 44 passes for 513 yards and four touchdowns. What makes his numbers even more impressive is the fact that he has caught more than three passes in a game just once in his career, which shows that he makes the most of the few passes that come his way.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said if Brown was in another system, he would be a very capable second or third receiver. The coach added that the offense is so confident in Brown that they don’t hesitate to throw to him in clutch situations.
September 25th, 2016 
Matt Loede 
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