Commanders WR Noah Brown, slowed by injuries, won’t stop fighting: ‘That’s all I know’

ASHBURN, Va. — Ohio State's recruiting classes are always loaded, especially at wide receiver. The 2014 group under Urban Meyer was no exception.

Of those incoming, Curtis Samuel rocketed into the Buckeyes' rotation for a team that would win the national championship that first season. Parris Campbell later became a 1,000-yard receiver in 2018, while Terry McLaurin caught 11 touchdowns that year, a prelude to becoming the group's top NFLer with the Washington Commanders .

Then there was Noah Brown . The physical, 6-foot-2 receiver from New Jersey stood out from his fellow four-star freshmen.

"He had the best skill set as far as hand-eye coordination and ball skills," Meyer, a three-time national championship-winning coach, told The Athletic this week. "Tough, tough guy. He was our toughest receiver, best blocker, best skill set."

After a one-catch freshman season — Ohio State fed the likes of Ezekiel Elliott , Michael Thomas and Samuel frequently — Brown roared into the following spring and fall practices. He became the most talked about player in the offseason and was set for a larger role. Days before the 2015 season opener against Virginia Tech, Brown suffered a significant leg injury.

"He shattered his leg," Meyer recalled. "It was heartbreaking. He had an incredible training camp."

Brown underwent surgery and spent two weeks in the hospital. Another procedure followed four months later.

When the big-bodied target returned to the field in 2016, he would flash his football potential. Brown caught his first career touchdown against Bowling Green. Two weeks later, he tied a program record with four touchdown receptions against Oklahoma, including a spectacular one-handed catch pinned against a defender's back that will remain in highlight rotations for decades. He finished with 32 receptions for 402 yards and seven touchdowns in what wound up being his final college season.

"He's a grinder," said Meyer, now a college football analyst for Fox Sports. "He took that opportunity to come back even better, and he did."

His confidence after the injury and fear of suffering another led him to enter the 2017 NFL Draft. While Samuel, McLaurin and Campbell were taken in the second or third round when they left the Big Ten program, Brown fell to the seventh. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 239th overall pick.

Players drafted that low normally face severe uphill climbs to make the roster. But Brown stuck that first year with the Cowboys and remained with the team for six seasons, primarily as a special teams contributor. Injuries weren't completely in the rearview — he missed all of 2019 following multiple knee surgeries. It wasn't until the 2020 season that he finally felt "like myself."

But the frustrating pattern remained. Work hard for a wide receiver breakout, only for another injury to sap the momentum.

Brown set career highs in 2022 with the Cowboys, catching 43 passes and scoring three touchdowns. He signed with the Houston Texans the following offseason, but a back injury in Week 1 sidelined him for the next four games. Then came a two-game stretch during the Texans' playoff push that thrust him back into the receiver spotlight. Brown dazzled with six receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown in Week 9 against Tampa Bay . The following week at Cincinnati, he went for seven catches for 172 yards.

The Texans won seven of their final 10 to win the AFC South and host a postseason game. But in their wild-card victory over the Cleveland Browns , Brown endured a shoulder injury after just five snaps. He would miss the divisional-round game versus the Baltimore Ravens . Surgery followed.

Still recovering from the injury, Brown participated in training camp but missed the entire preseason this summer. Houston released the 28-year-old during final cuts. Texans general manager Nick Caserio called the decision "difficult" and referred to Brown as "one of the toughest players ... he won us two football games literally by himself."

That release is when Brown's luck might have turned. Two days later, he signed with the Commanders, a team lacking a clear receiver hierarchy after someone he's known since high school, McLaurin.

For the first time in his seven-year career, the path to an NFL starting role is clear. Based on his first appearance and chemistry with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels , Brown might take the job Monday night when the Commanders (1-1) visit the Cincinnati Bengals (0-2).

Daniels and Brown connected for a 34-yard catch on the game's final drive as Washington rallied for a 21-18 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday.

"Well, what a first start for him," coach Dan Quinn said on Thursday. "Jayden absolutely ripped the (throw) inside on the last drive to Noah. He's an aggressive, strong player and I think he demonstrated that in the game."

Brown's late arrival before the season kept him out for the opening-week loss at Tampa Bay . Staying after practices with his quarterback and picking the brain of his longtime friend, McLaurin, sped up the homework pace.

"It's tough when you work your whole life up to that point, are ready to execute and you're taken away from the game," Brown said of his path, starting with that first injury. "It tests you a lot. But, you know, I'm a tough person."

McLaurin knows Brown's capabilities and desires better than most.

The four-time 1,000-yard wideout explained recently that Brown can play all three receiver positions and is physical "not only at the line (of scrimmage) but at the catch point." McLaurin recognized this isn't a "blow-by-you receiver," though Brown had receptions for 75 and 53 yards with Houston. "You turn on the film from last year. He (can) get behind defenses and run after the catch."

Look at Washington's receiver room and Brown's traits. It's clear how he can help. "He's a different style of receiver," McLaurin said.

Most notably, having witnessed his Ohio State teammate's resolve, McLaurin knows Brown comes prepared. "Noah is a guy who always makes the most of his opportunities."

Daniels, off to a solid start entering his first prime-time game, confirms McLaurin's assessment.

"You can tell with Noah how he approaches practice," Daniels said. "He's a pro's pro. You see the same thing from Terry, which trickles down to the rest of the room."

Brown explained that his fortitude is "embedded" in his family, and he gains strength from his religious faith, believing that "God doesn't put you through anything you can't handle. ... Looking at where I'm at now, I can understand. I'm glad that I pushed through and have figured it out."

Brown acknowledges there were flirtations with the Commanders during free agency, as he and Quinn overlapped in Dallas. "For me, (Washington) was a place I looked at," Brown said.

Now he's here, healthy and, as always, motivated. Brown is reunited with "one of my favorite teammates" in McLaurin, set to help Daniels' development and ready to attack the latest opportunity with the same determination that's sustained him through the setbacks.

"That's how I was raised," Brown said. "That's all I know."

(Photo: Greg Fiume / )