Rookie wide receiver Jaron Brown is satisfied after make a touchdown catch against the Packers Friday night.
GREEN BAY, WI. – As the lights grew brighter high over Lambeau Field, the easier it became to spot Jaron Brown.
It was actually pretty hard to miss him Friday night. He was the one loudly stating his case to be Bruce Arians' fourth wide out.
Brown answered the call Arians has made throughout training camp: Stand out when the lights are on. His size – 6-foot-2 – and athleticism made Brown a frequent target for backup quarterback Drew Stanton, who looked Brown's way seven times in the Cardinals' 17-0 win over the Green Bay Packers. The two connected on five of them, including a touchdown that gave Arians' a front-row seat to Brown's agility.
"It felt like I went to him a lot tonight," Stanton said. "I think that's one of the guys I've been most excited about to see play in
a game. You see his ability, his potential and his measurables, so getting on the same page as him and being in a one-on-one match up with him is what we were looking for on that (touchdown) play."
Brown came off the left side and Stanton threw toward the receiver's back shoulder. Brown twisted back toward Stanton midair securing the score early in the second quarter to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead.
"Anytime you throw it up there in my vicinity, it's my job to go up there and catch it," Brown said.
He finished with 46 yards, second most to Charles Hawkins' 92. Hawkins and Brown have separated themselves from the other young receivers where it's needed most – the field. Their 138 combined yards accounted for just more than half of the Cardinals' 263 total passing yards.
But to Arians, it was still too early to get excited about anybody, Brown included.
"He had a decent day," Arians said. "He could've had a big day. Charles had a nice day. Those guys are going to fight it out to the wire.
"Overall I give our receivers a 'C' today."
Brown isn't concerning himself with the battle for the fourth receiver. He knows the decision is out of his control, but he also understands what he can do to sway Arians' mind.
After the first game, however, Stanton, who was 8-for-14 for 107 yards, saw where Brown can improve most: the mental side of the game. Brown, an undrafted free agent out of Clemson, can improve on identifying coverages immediately after the snap and using his natural ability to make defenses pay.
Brown wasn't pigeonholed Friday night. He was used on a variety of downs and distances, and targeted on short and long passes, his high being 17 yards.
Stanton, who played for Arians last season in Indianapolis, said Brown is a good fit for Arians' offense, which is tailored to bigger, faster receivers.
"I think you want big, physical guys who can run," Stanton said. "That's always a plus. We want to stretch the field vertically. We know who our top three guys are going to be and the bottom part of this roster is going to get filled out by young guys at wide receiver.
"So, it's just a matter of who can step up in these games and put a good foot forward."
Brown got off to a good start Friday.
