Patrick Mahomes and Marquise Brown Named a Top New QB-WR Combo

As far as duos are concerned, the Kansas City Chiefs have perhaps the most potent one in the entire NFL. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are widely known for their on-field chemistry, but could the back-to-back reigning champs have another dangerous pairing on their hands?

In a recent article on NFL.com, the Chiefs' pickup of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is praised in a major way. Kevin Patra's list of the best new quarterback-wide receiver combos for 2024 sees the Mahomes-Brown partnership rank highly.

Among the five veteran combos listed, Mahomes and Brown take home the No. 3 spot. Patra said he considered listing rookie Xavier Worthy instead, although he ultimately opted for the more proven commodity.

"Brown is anecdotally thought of as a field-stretcher, which can be an accurate description," Patra wrote. "He owns the speed to win deep and perhaps will show that off more with Mahomes. But where he's won more consistently in his career is in the intermediate 10-19-yard range. For his career, Brown boasts a 61.1 reception EPA on targeted air yards on intermediate passes, per Next Gen Stats. On throws of all other distances, he's in the negative EPA. Luckily for Brown, Mahomes does his best work on intermediate throws.

"It's easy to envision an offensive setup in K.C. where Worthy plays the role of blow-the-top-off speed receiver while Brown patrols the intermediate level. This would give the Chiefs the ability to pester defenses consistently at every level."

This isn't the first time Brown and Mahomes have gotten their flowers, and it surely won't be the last. Earlier this week, the Brown signing was ranked by another outlet as a top-15 offseason move around the league. Many anticipate that Brown's speed and dynamic route-running ability will help insulate the Kansas City offense this coming season.

That's evidenced by Patra's inclusion, as the duo trails only two clubs' pairings. The Houston Texans (C.J. Stroud and Stefon Diggs) and Atlanta Falcons (Kirk Cousins and Drake London) took home the first and second spots, respectively. Rounding out the top five new veteran duos are the New York Jets (Aaron Rodgers and Mike Williams) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Russell Wilson/Justin Fields and George Pickens).

Having just turned 27, Brown is right in the thick of his athletic prime. The Chiefs hope that will translate on the field, even after a couple of down seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. If the former first-round pick can produce at a level closer to his 2021 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens (91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns), the team will be more than satisfied.

Catching passes from the best field general in the sport certainly helps. Expectations are high for Mahomes and Brown, and the two are already developing synergy during OTAs. This week's mandatory minicamp will mark the continuation of that process, then training camp in July is when things get serious.