Brown earns spot after major injury
Texans tight end nearly lost leg in college at Oregon after hurting knee in a game
The truth and the incredible pain stemming from his gruesomely injured leg were dueling enemies for Pharaoh Brown.
No one, not his mother, nor his wife, nor medical personnel wanted to reveal the potentially awful news.
While playing for Oregon in a road game against Utah, Brown suffered such a serious injury tohis right knee— tearing ligaments including his anterior cruciate ligament and stretching an artery in his leg, which caused internal bleeding and cut off blood flow below his shin — that doctors considered amputating his lower leg.
The injury was so gross as Brown awkwardly stepped on a teammate’s foot that cameras cut away from him and the replay wasn’t
shown. It initially was thought he had only sustained ligament damage. Hours later, a Salt Lake City doctor briefed him about the severity ofhis artery and informed him he needed to undergo emergency surgery to save the leg.
“I didn’t find out that my leg could have been cut off right away,” Brown said Thursday. “It was a similar injury to what happened with Zach Miller from the Bears (career-ending torn artery and knee dislocation). Everyone kept it positive and we just kept working. Yes, losing my leg was a possibility. God willing, I was able to make the comeback, and everybody supported me through everything.”
Six years after amajor injury that required three surgeries, four years into his professional career and on his third team after going undrafted, the Texans tight end scored his first NFL touchdown Sunday against the Browns, his hometown team that cut him in September.
“Itwas a surreal moment, just to be there in my hometown,” said Brown, who caught a 16-yard pass from Deshaun Watson for the score. “Even the guys on the Browns when I scored on them, just to see those guys congratulating me, I felt a lot of love. To have people see what I do and acknowledge that and know that you’ve earned the respect of the guys around you, it means a lot.
“It’s a blessing to be able to have this opportunity. I dedicated myself over the years and continued to work hard. This is just the beginning. I’m going to continue to do what Ido and not get too high off of my first touchdown. I will continue to grind.”
From concern at first that he wouldn’t be able to walk or run again, Brown has completed a remarkable comeback and emerged as a success story for the 2-7 Texans.
Discovered during a free agent tryout and initially signed to the practice squad, Brown has contributed as a versatile tight end who can block capably and is a good route runner and big target at 6-foot-6, 258 pounds. Brown has caught five of six passes thrown to him for 53 yards and the one score.
“He’s done a really good job of bringing a physical element to us, particularly in the run game,” Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “We talked about him last week, being so big and long. He does a really good job of not only using those tools and being physical, but being a student of the game and really taking pride in knowing basically a multitude of positions.”
Brown has trained with Justin Allen of ALL-EN Sports in Houston. The younger brother of longtime NFL tight end Dwayne Allen, Justin Allen helped prepare Brown for this moment with a lot of longhours spent regaining his explosiveness.
“A lot of things we worked on were getting his jumping back and his releases, doing footwork, working on his quick-twitch-muscles, putting his knee in stopstart situations, just getting him right to prepare him for the comeback he’s been able to make,” Allen said.
“To see where he’s at now, man, I remember when he was struggling with that knee and it would swell up on him and he had complications.
“He realized what he needed to do, and his knee got stronger and stronger. He’s the ultimate professional. He’s a family man who gets the right amount of sleep and takes care of his body. He reminds me of my brother, and I don’t compare too many people tomy brother. Pharaoh is a student of the game who takes it seriously.”
The diligence with Allen has paid off. Brown is becoming a bigger part of the Texans’ offense.
Brown plays the game with outstanding leverage, an aggressive mentality and a lot of athleticism.
When Brown was a rookie with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent, he absorbed a lot of knowledge from veteran tight ends Jared Cook and Lee Smith.
“I had a good opportunity my rookie year because Jared was a receiving tight end and Lee was predominantly a blocking tight end, so I had the best of both worlds to learn from,” Brown said. “I can do both: block and catch passes. They taughtme how to be a pro as far as film study and taking care of my body. Jared was the first person to put me in a hyperbaric chamber. I’m thankful to have learned from them.”