Brown finished his 2021 rookie season with 12 catches for 165 yards on 25 targets, playing 15 of 17 games and logging 335 snaps on offense.
The third-round pick started his first three games and five of his first six, yet entered the midpoint of the season with only eight catches for 81 yards. Brown then averaged only 11.2 snaps on offense over his final 10 games, stuck in a bench role even as Washington had minimal success finding productive pass catchers apart from top WR Terry McLaurin. While the 22-year-old Brown could get another shot at a starting job come spring/summer, there's no doubt his initial pro campaign was disappointing relative to the expectations and opportunity he had. Of course, he might've been given more time to develop -- rather than named as a Week 1 starter -- if Washington's passing offense wasn't so unimpressive in the first place.