Brown to See Extended Role vs. Washington

Perhaps tomorrow evening the odd and quite frustrating inconsistency of Reggie Brown will be diminished. Of course, the backup receiver is still one of the lower members on the WR depth chart, but the 5th-year player is expected to see an extended amount of playing time versus the Washington Redskins for the Eagles’ Week 7 game. With typical-starter Kevin Curtis rehabbing from knee surgery he underwent yesterday, and former rookie reserve Brandon Gibson being shipped to the Rams during the trade deadline earlier in the week, Brown(pictured) will play tomorrow’s contest as the official number 4 wideout.

As much as QB Donovan McNabb usually spreads the ball around while offensively attacking through the air, there is a great chance that Brown will have opportunities to shine. To add to that fact, the former 2nd-round draft pick has an excellent history against the Redskins. Take a look at a few games in which Brown played versus Washington, and see for yourself how well he tends to perform when matched up with them:

Week 9, 2005: 5 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD

Week 17, 2005: 7 receptions, 77 yards, 2 TD

Week 14, 2006: 3 receptions, 73 yards

Week 10, 2007: 3 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

Week 5, 2008: 4 receptions, 84 yards, 1 rush, 6 yards

Despite not recording a large amount of catches, Brown has historically made some beneficial plays versus the rival Redskins, and with an extended role as a pass target this week, he should be able to at least produce a few helpful catches. Earlier in the season when it became apparent to Brown that he wasn’t going to see much action in the season because of the guys ahead of him on the depth chart (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, etc.), he barely expressed his displeasure, and remained a hard worker and determined member of the team despite his few chances at playing. Now his time has come, and maybe if he can prove that he can produce as he did several years ago as a quality starter (or at least hint at it), Brown will find himself with more of a role for the rest of the season.