Dallas Cowboys receiver Noah Brown helps spark upset of Cincinnati with career day

Noah Brown has made his mark with the Dallas Cowboys by being willing to do anything.

From being the personal punt protector on special teams to playing tight end when injuries hurt the team’s depth, Brown has shown he’ll do whatever the team asks of him.

With the Cowboys staring at an 0-2 start with Dak Prescott out against the Bengals, the Cowboys needed somebody to step up on offense if there was any chance of an upset over the Super Bowl runners-up.

Brown provided a career-high day. Brown’s 91 receiving yards were the most in his career while his 9-yard touchdown catch from Cooper Rush in the first quarter was the first in his career.

“Noah is a stud. He did a great job in the offseason,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s a tough football player. Both on offense and special teams. How many receivers are the personal protector on the punt team? One tough dude.”

There were often times where it seemed like Brown was Rush’s go-to target and the two have established chemistry after spending so much time as reserves for the Cowboys.

“Man, it’s huge. It’s just a testament to all of the work we put in, in the facility. Not a lot of people get to see Cooper, or me in the past really. But the work showed today, I’m proud of him,” Brown said.

While Brown enjoyed being in the spotlight and producing, he still made sure to stick to his usual mentality of being a difference-maker by doing the little things.

“Oh yeah, it’s great but I was out there doing the dirty work today too. I always take pride in that, take pride in getting open, take pride in blocking, whatever I have to do,” Brown said.

His teammates also enjoyed seeing the former seventh-round draft pick have his breakout moment at the most opportune time.

“It brings joy to me. He’s been under the radar for awhile. He’s been here since (2017), but for him to get his first touchdown in years along with almost 100 yards, you can’t ask for anything more. I’m happy he did,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said postgame.

As Lamb alluded to, Brown has had to pay his dues by doing the dirty work on special teams and as a blocker after an underwhelming collegiate career. Brown had talent and was a former teammate of Ezekiel Elliot at Ohio State, winning a national championship in 2014.

But Brown had just 400 yards in three seasons with the Buckeyes and surprised many when he entered his name into the NFL draft. After being picked No. 239, Brown has had to scrape and claw to stay on the Cowboys roster.

He had to overcome a nagging hamstring injury in 2018 and missed all of 2019 before slimming down in 2020 to become a bigger weapon in the passing game. For him to still be on the roster despite all the setbacks is an achievement in itself.

With the injuries to Michael Gallup and James Washington, the door opened for Brown to make plays.

And no play was bigger than his last catch of the game when Rush found him for a 12-yard gain with less than a minute remaining. It got the Cowboys into Cincinnati territory and would eventually set up the game-winning field goal by Brett Maher.

“Well, I like those quote ‘no-name’ receivers to step up and be the difference,” owner Jerry Jones said. “That reminded me of what we see in him. Give him a chance. He got out there and got some more snaps under his belt.”

Lamb said fans shouldn’t underestimate how difficult the catch was.

“That was a crazy catch actually. It was tipped; for him to just come through and scoop the ball up. I was glad it was him and not a black jersey,” Lamb said.

With the margin of error so thin for the Cowboys, Maher said Brown was crucial for the win.

“That was awesome, we needed everyone in this locker room today. It was a very much a team win and I’m super happy for Noah and Cooper,” Maher said.