Although we haven't seen huge offensive production yet, the Arizona Cardinals certainly have options. With a receiving corps including Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown, in addition to the backfield of Andre Ellington and now David Johnson, there are a lot of ways the offense can beat opposing teams.
But who will be the biggest offensive weapon in 2015? NumberFire thinks there is a chance John Brown could be that guy.
Brown had an impactful 2014 rookie season, but hit a wall down the stretch. He was affected by the loss of Carson Palmer.
In terms of targets and receptions, the numbers were almost identical with and without Palmer. With Carson Palmer throwing him the ball, He was getting targeted 6.7 times per game and catching 3.3 passes per game. Without Palmer, it was 6.8 targets and 3.2 receptions.
The dropoff is in yards and touchdowns. He averaged 11 more yards per game with Palmer and .3 more touchdowns.
Using the same numbers, had Palmer stayed healthy, Brown's rookie stats project out to 53 catches for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. He actually had 48 catches for 696 yards and five scores.
Had that been the case, Brown would have had nearly the same production as T.Y. Hilton in Indianapolis did his rookie year (50 catches, 861 yards, seven scores).
What about 2015?
On the surface, it looks as though Brown will again be the third or fourth option in the passing game behind Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and Andre Ellington. But on closer inspection we see that there just might be enough of a window for Brown to emerge as the top receiving option on this team by the end of the 2015 season.
Hilton broke out after his rookie year with 82 catches each of the following two seasons, gaining more than 1000 yards in 2013 and more than 1300 in 2014.
Is this perhaps what we can see Brown do in 2015, assuming Palmer is healthy all season?