The Chiefs left the 2024 NFL Draft’s first round with Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Kansas City already had Patrick Mahomes under center, throwing to Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown. The addition of Worthy, who had just set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, made it seem like the Chiefs had all but won another Super Bowl.
Then, Brown suffered an injury during the first preseason game. He was the first injury domino to fall for the Chiefs. Yet again, it looked like a season in which Kansas City would finally take a step back, but it didn’t. The Chiefs went 15-2 in the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Brown returned at the end of the season to give some needed depth.
Here’s what happened to Brown during the season and how he adjusted to his offense.
SN’S PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NFL scores | Full NFL schedule | Updated NFL bracket
What happened to Hollywood Brown?
With the NFL taking away one of the weeks of the preseason, players are more likely to see playing time in each game. Brown suited up for the first preseason game but picked up an injury. He was diagnosed with a shoulder S/C joint separation.
The S/C joint connects the clavicle to the sternum and helps to support the shoulder. Initially, Brown was going to rest for the remainder of the preseason. After the wide receiver didn’t have the healing that was intended, it was determined he needed to have surgery on his shoulder. Analysts said that Brown was expected to miss the remainder of the season. Head coach Andy Reid added that Brown’s recovery would take months, not weeks.
In Week 1 of the regular season, he was added to injured reserve. Brown had to then miss the first four weeks of the season at minimum, but he missed most of the season. He returned in Week 16 and played again in Week 17 before resting with the rest of the starters in Week 18 to prepare for the playoffs.
MORE NFL PLAYOFFS:
Hollywood Brown 2024 stats
| Game | Receptions | Targets | Yards | TDs |
| Week 16 | 5 | 8 | 45 | 0 |
| Week 17 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 15 | 91 | 0 |
2024 was Brown’s first season with the Chiefs. He had spent the last two years playing for the Cardinals but signed a one-year deal in Kansas City. The biggest knock against the Chiefs in 2023 was people thinking they didn’t have good enough receivers outside of Rice. Kansas City signed Brown and drafted Worthy to combat this but lost Brown at the start of the season.
Since the Chiefs earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, they also earned a first-round bye. Kansas City has had several weeks to prepare for this game. The offense didn’t have many reps with Brown before the end of the season, but now we should see him more involved in the game plan.
