Sunday’s test for Carolina Panthers secondary? Containing Baltimore’s ‘Smoke’

The Carolina Panthers secondary will have its hands full this Sunday with a wide receiver who is perhaps an unfamiliar name to many.

John “Smoke” Brown, the receiving yards leader for the Baltimore Ravens, is No. 15 in the NFL in total yards with 558.

But he is No. 1 in the NFL in yards per catch among receivers with 25 or more catches, with 28 receptions for an average of 19.9 yards.

“Yeah, we’ve been watching film on him,” cornerback James Bradberry said. “He looks explosive. Really, really fast. So it’s going to be a challenge for us. Definitely.”

The Arizona Cardinals picked Brown in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft out of Pittsburg State. He spent the next two seasons complementing veteran No. 1 receiver Larry Fitzgerald with his notable speed, and had a 1,000-yard season in 2015.

“He’s got big speed, and you can see it on film his ability to get vertical and really stretch defenses,” Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said. “We played him back when he was in Arizona and you got a feel for it then. He’s got different speed, and he’s somebody that you have to know where he’s at on the field.”

But injuries and health issues plagued Brown, and the Cardinals did not extend his contract after the 2017 season, the final year of his rookie deal.

Carolina Panthers receiver Torrey Smith, Baltimore’s deep threat from 2011-14, works out with Brown in the offseason. Brown picked Smith’s brain after signing with the Ravens as a free agent this spring, when Smith said he felt Brown would do well in Baltimore.

As it turns out, he was correct.

“He’s always been very talented,” Smith said. “And he’s with the right quarterback. .. .I knew that he would have a big year, and I knew he’d love playing with Joe (Flacco). I’m very excited for his success, and to see him be the guy he can be.

“Between the injuries and different battles health-wise, he’s always been the same guy that he is right now. Everything is just perfect right now, in terms of health. (And) there’s something to be said for being comfortable and at peace knowing that somebody believes in you.”

Smith said he roots for Brown’s success — except for this weekend, against Carolina, when Brown will be a tough matchup.

First, Carolina will have to defend Brown’s speed.

“Try to get hands on him,” Bradberry said. “When he’s crossing through, say if we’re playing zone, try to nudge him a little bit and knock him off his route. Make sure you don’t give him a clean release, don’t let him build up his speed, nothing like that.”

Brown has also shown over the last few weeks that he can be extremely versatile, catching passes out of all three receiver positions.

“Big, big addition, yeah,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said this week. “He’s a deep threat but he also runs routes well, he’ll block. He does it all.”

That, combined with Brown’s quickness, can present problems.

“It’s definitely a going to be a threat when you have that type of speed, and it’s all over the place,” Smith said. “Our defense is going to have their hands full with him. I’m sure (Baltimore) is going to put him in a position to make plays. ... I know he’s a weapon.”

Shoring up the secondary

The Panthers’ secondary has been inconsistent, ranking No. 17 in the NFL in passing defense, allowing 260 yards per game.

Last week, Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz was very successful against the Panthers, completing 30 passes on 37 attempts for 310 yards and two touchdowns.

Bradberry gave up two early catches to Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffrey, who finished the game with 88 yards and a touchdown.

“We just worked on our technique throughout practice,” Bradberry said. “We talked about it in the film room, and then did stuff (we saw) on film to correct our mistakes. The coaches, they did a good job this week of harping on those mistakes and correcting those things.

“We’ll be ready.”

Bradberry said that he specifically worked on defending the back-shoulder fade, on which Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffrey caught a long ball from Wentz while matched up against Bradberry last week.

“Just make sure you turn to the man, make sure you keep contact with him,” he said. “A back-shoulder fade, that’s probably the hardest route to cover in this league. So just really turning to the man, and don’t look back the other way. Because that’s when your receiver leaves you.”

Locking down the intermediate

Carolina has had some specific issues with defending the middle of the field against tight ends in the past two games. Last week, Philadelphia tight ends Zach Ertz caught nine passes for 138 yards.

But the Ravens haven’t had a ton of production from tight ends Nick Boyle and Hayden Hurst, who have combined for 14 catches for 136 yards.

So Sunday’s matchup will likely feature Brown, Willie Snead (who was on Carolina’s practice squad briefly in 2014) and Michael Crabtree. Snead and Brown have both been successful out of the slot and when targeted in the middle of the field.

“(Brown) and Crabtree do a good job, they complement each other,” Kuechly said. “And they’ve got a guy in the slot who we are pretty familiar with, with Willie Snead. ... He’s a productive guy. Those three guys do a good job, and they’re all a little different. All are good at what they do.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2018 at 5:21 PM.