You might have missed it, what with all the scoring from the Saints that turned an intriguing NFC South matchup into a blowout. But there on the field for the Buccaneers was Antonio Brown, the former All-Pro receiver who hasn’t appeared since Sept. 15, 2019.
Brown joins Tampa Bay as an “insurance policy,” coach Bruce Arians called it, in case injuries strike an already impressive Tampa Bay receiving corps. The 32-year-old — who just came off an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy — still has a December trial scheduled after a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual misconduct and rape was filed in September 2019.
On the field Sunday night, Brown’s return was pedestrian. He made three catches for 31 yards and featured for 39 offensive snaps.
It wasn’t a good showcase for the Buccaneers as a whole, losing 38-3 to the Saints. Quarterback Tom Brady struggled, throwing three interceptions — one of which was intended for Brown, but the receiver cut off his deep route early.
“We’ll just have to go back and watch the film, because some routes adjust different ways,” Arians said, “and Tom and his receivers might not have read it the same.”
Still, Brown did flash a glimmer of his skill on a third-quarter slant route, pulling down a bullet fired from Brady into traffic. At that point, Sunday’s game was already well out of reach. Brown still stood up, held the ball out and dropped it in celebration.
Tampa Bay has a surplus of talented wideouts, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller. How Brown fits into that group remains to be seen, and it might take a week in which the Buccaneers aren’t on the wrong end of a blowout to learn more.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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