Tag Archives: Justin Brown

justin brown

Bills Claimed Justin Brown Off Waivers

The Steelers waived WR Justin Brown on December 30th, after the last game of the season. The team made the move to make room for the signing of RB Ben Tate, who was signed as a security blanket due to Le’Veon Bell’s knee injury.

Since the Steelers waived Brown after the final regular season game, any waiver claims wouldn’t be known until after the Super Bowl. Now that the Brady Bowl is behind us, those claims are now public information. The Buffalo Bills successfully claimed Brown off waivers. The Steelers drafted Brown in the 6th round of the 2013 draft.

Brown caught 12 passes for 94 yards last season, and was inactive for the last 10 games.

Ben_Tate_2014_Browns_Training_Camp

Steelers Sign RB Ben Tate, Release WR Justin Brown

The Steelers made the anticipated signing of Ben Tate official this afternoon. Tate will wear #34. To make room on the roster for the signing, the team has released WR Justin Brown.

https://twitter.com/BobLabriola/status/550011502363951104

The release of Justin Brown makes a lot of sense, considering he hasn’t worn a helmet since week 6.

The 26 year old Tate has a career total of 540 carries, 2,363 yards rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He has also seen a fair amount of use in the passing game. He totals 67 pass receptions for a total of 347 yards over the course of his career.

With the status of Le’Veon Bell uncertain, adding a solid veteran this week is prudent. During his press conference, Coach Tomlin said that he believes Tate can contribute this Saturday, but it remains to be seen just how ready he can be with such short prep time.

Band-aid

Lance Moore And Brice McCain Ruled Out For Browns Game

The Steelers have released their end of week injury report and, with the exception of Lance Moore, things look pretty good. Here’s the injury report:

OUT: CB Brice McCain (groin), WR Lance Moore (groin)

DOUBTFUL: WR Martavis Bryant (shoulder)

QUESTIONABLE: OL Cody Wallace (finger)

PROBABLE: Matt Spaeth (hammstring), Sean Spence (knee), Greg Warren (knee)

With Lance Moore out, expect to see Justin Brown get some snaps in the slot.

 

steelers training camp

Justin Brown Returns To Practice Today Despite Broken Nose

Steelers wide receiver Justin Brown says he will return to practice today despite having a broken nose. The second year wide receiver didn’t even realize it was broken until teammates told him so after Thursday’s practice. The injury occurred when safety Shamarko Thomas’ helmet collided with his during a blocked pass.

Brown says that his nose feels fine, and he’ll keep it taped and bandaged for a week. According to Steelers.com correspondent Missi Matthews, Brown has had surgery to repair the break.  Brown doesn’t have any hard feelings towards Thomas. “Everybody is trying to make their mark. It happens. We know what we signed up for.”

derek moye

Justin Brown Is Progressing Towards A Roster Spot

Second year wide receiver Justin Brown is looking at a familiar situation this summer. He’ll be on the roster bubble, fighting for the remaining receiver spot on the depth chart. With a year on the practice squad under his belt, he’s in a better position now than he was last year. According to various reports, he performed well at OTA’s, and coaches took notice.

Brown was running with first team receivers these past few weeks at OTA’s, and the 6’3″ receiver knows the significance of that. “It is definitely good getting some reps with the ones,” Brown said. “When my number is called, I am just trying make sure that I’m ready and I know what I am doing. I’ve noticed (the coaches see what I’m doing), and it’s definitely encouraging.”

Justin Brown was drafted by the Steelers in the 6th round last year. In 2012, Brown totaled 75 receptions for 879 yds, including 5 touchdowns, and amassed over 200 yards in punt returns. While not one to get separation at the top of his route with elusive speed, he demonstrated frequently that he was an instinctual hands catcher, and used his long frame to attack the ball in the air. Even though he transferred from Penn State after the 2011 season, he quickly became Landry Jones’ go to chain moving target.

Brown’s friend and former teammate at Penn State- Derek Moye- is his biggest competition this summer for a roster spot. “We’re all out here competing, we’re all out here trying to get better,” Brown said via ESPN. “Derek’s my boy so there’s no hard feelings at all. We’re always trying to help each other out with our games.”

Moye made the 53 man roster last year, but saw a very limited amount of playing time (53 snaps). He echoed Justin Brown’s sentiments. “It’s going to be a good competition. At the same time we’re out there helping each other out, making sure we all push each other to be better.”

Both Brown and Moye were putting in extra time working out with Ben Roethlisberger back in February, as was Markus Wheaton. While OTA’s are just ‘football in shorts’, it certainly seems like the extra work is paying off in Brown’s case. The wide receiver position battle is going to be a very interesting one to watch in August.