Pittsburgh Steelers: Brandon Marshall and Antonio Brown will be best duo in NFL
The New York Jets released WR Brandon Marshall this week making him free to sign with any team he chooses. While the list will be long there’s only one team that makes perfect sense. The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Marshall is not washed up. Two seasons ago in the midst of a 109 catch, 1502 yards receiving and 14 touchdown campaign the media was placing him in top 5 discussions but due to the Jets inconsistent play at QB in 2016 his numbers suffered. With the Jets looking to clean house and do a complete roster rebuild Marshall and the Steelers should come to terms on a 3-year deal that would give the Steelers the best offense in the NFL.
It’s safe to say that Antonio Brown is at the top of all WRs list but as good as he is, imagine the damage he could do if he had help.
In an offense that will feature Le’Veon Bell, Brown and Marshall to go with Ben Roethlisberger the Steelers will have the possibility of having a 1500 yard back and two 1200 yard receivers. What other team can say the same?
The reason why Marshall and Brown would be a great pairing is due to their roles. Marshall is no longer the player that can beat you on a go route. He’s become more of a possession receiver which bodes well for Brown. Last season, Marshall caught 58 passes for 788 yards, and while most were across the middle, Marshall can still break one open up the field. The Steelers have been searching for a receiver to take the pressure of their prized possession but no one has fit the bill.
With Marshall on the other side, Brown could focus more on deep routes that Roethlisberger loves to throw and let Marshall control the middle of the field where they could take advantage of Marshall’s hands and speed over most LBs.
With defenses now forced to focus on two good receivers this will open up the running game more giving Bell less defenders to break on the line of scrimmage.
The NFL is a passing league and Brown’s numbers have proven that point. Add in Marshall and Ben could be on his way to a Super Bowl and league MVP next season.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
