Arguably the most finesse skill position in the NFL is receiver. The position is one that has flourished in the era focused on player safety.
The perception is all receivers do is go into the pattern and catch passes. The reality is a little dirtier.
Noah Brown peeled back the curtain at Houston Texans mandatory minicamp Tuesday and revealed new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has a predilection for getting his receivers involved in blocking and setting the edge.
“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.”
Brown’s entry into the league was as the Dallas Cowboys’ 2017 seventh-round pick. Running back Ezekiel Elliott lobbied Dallas to take his former Ohio State teammate for Brown’s ability to run-block.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been in an offense where blocking is not valued by the wide receivers,” said Brown.
The 6-2, 225-pounder provided the Cowboys with 43 catches for 555 yards and three touchdowns through 16 games last year, 13 of which he started. Even when Brown’s role shifted more from special teams and run-blocking to catching passes, he never shied away from blocking.
Said Brown: “I think sometimes you see wide receivers put more of an emphasis on it personally or take pride in it a little bit more. But 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. That’s a run play, pass play, whatever it is.”
If Slowik has his way, opponents will feel Texans receivers up close on run plays, not just in the secondary on passing downs.
