Report: Cardinals' Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown Could Miss 6 Weeks with Foot Injury
October 17, 2022
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown is expected to miss around six weeks after being diagnosed with a nonsurgical fracture in his foot, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Brown was injured in Sunday's 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday the initial concern was he could be lost for the remainder of the 2022 NFL season.
The Cardinals already hedged their bets by acquiring Robbie Anderson from the Carolina Panthers.
The return of DeAndre Hopkins could help to offset the impact of Brown's injury as well. The five-time Pro Bowler is eligible to play in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints after serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.
Still, losing its leading receiver is bound to hurt Arizona's passing game.
Brown caught 43 passes for 485 yards and three touchdowns through the team's first six games. Tight end Zach Ertz is second in receiving yards (299).
Even if Anderson, who's averaging 15.8 yards per reception, provides his intended effect as a downfield threat and Hopkins is his usual self, receiver depth will continue to be an issue for the Cardinals.
For Brown, the injury couldn't come at a much worse time because he's on pace to have a career year. His 80.8 receiving yards per game are nearly 20 more than his previous best (63.0 in 2021).
The 25-year-old is at least under contract for one more season after the Cardinals picked up his $13.4 million option for 2023. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way in 2022, he'll still have next year to rebuild his stock and parlay his performance into a lucrative long-term deal with Arizona or another team.