Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown has been battling through a lingering heel injury for the past month, impacting his performance on the gridiron.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Even though he has not technically missed a game this season, Brown has been sidelined and listed as questionable for the Cardinals’ past two games.
Against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 3, “Hollywood” only had three receptions before being forced out for the remainder of the day in Pennsylvania.
Not only that, but he did not register a single statistical marker yesterday versus the San Francisco 49ers besides his name being labeled in the starting lineup.
Recently, Brown has either been a limited practice participant or not preparing at all for four weeks as his injury is substantially more hindering than first believed.
Speaking postgame after the 45-29 loss to the 49ers, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon stated that he is concerned about his star receiver’s health issue.
“You know it’s been going on for a little bit and he’s trying to grind through, he’s (Brown) a warrior,” Gannon said. “We need him. But if he can’t go, he can’t go. Obviously it hurts us because he is a good player.”
“I know the leadership in that locker room…We didn’t lay down at the end of the game. The game’s out of reach and we go down and score.”
– Head Coach Jonathan Gannon pic.twitter.com/VeeGqnkshJ— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 18, 2023
With Brown’s injury persisting and the Cardinals being officially eliminated from the playoffs with a 3-11 record, it may be in the best interest of Arizona’s to shut him down for the rest of the season.
It is his last year of a four-year deal, so “Hollywood” could either continue to push his heel’s limits to the fullest extent or sit out and recover before hitting free agency.
In 2023, Marquise Brown has gathered 51 receptions, 574 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.
Overall, he has totaled 1283 yards, 118 catches and seven touchdowns in two seasons as a Cardinal.
Cardinals defensive struggles exposed in 45-22 blowout loss to 49ers
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Alec Cipollini is a journalist covering the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
