Cardinals to place WR Hollywood Brown on IR with heel injury; Kyler Murray to practice
Dec 29, 2023, 9:46 AM | Updated: 2:12 pm
Arizona Cardinals receiver Hollywood Brown will end the 2023 season on injured reserve due to a lingering heel issue that limited his production most visibly since the start of December.
“Just hasn’t been able to kind of overcome what he’s got going on,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Friday before Arizona visits the Philadelphia Eagles. “So it’s best thing for him, best thing for us to put him on IR.”
The Cardinals announced the move of Brown and defensive tackle Jonathan Ledbetter to the injured reserve and claimed linebacker Trevor Nowaske off waivers from the Detroit Lions.
Arizona has two games left this year, meaning an IR appointment ends Brown’s season as the 26-year-old enters free agency this offseason.
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Gannon additionally said Kyler Murray, who hadn’t practiced Wednesday or Thursday because of illness, would be on the field Friday.
Cardinals WR Hollywood Brown’s road to free agency
The Cardinals under then-general manager Steve Keim dealt their 2022 first-round pick (23rd overall) in the NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Brown and a third-round choice. It paired the former Oklahoma star with Murray, his friend who with the receiver’s help put together a Heisman campaign for the Sooners in 2018.
Brown, a 25th overall pick by Baltimore in 2019, appeared in 14 games this year for Arizona.
He finishes with a career-low 574 receiving yards.
Brown’s best season in the NFL came in 2021, when he posted 1,008 receiving yards and added six touchdowns for the Ravens.
For Arizona, a Brown return could depend on how the receiver is viewed in the open market as an undersized but explosive second or third option.
He has been hit with minor injuries in two seasons with Arizona but has appeared in at least 12 games in every one of his five NFL seasons.
The Cardinals currently project as owners of the second overall 2024 draft pick with games against the Eagles and Seattle Seahawks left this season.
The franchise is widely linked to Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who is projected by many to be a top-five selection.
