What It Means:

Cook attributed the lapses to a "lack of focus" but also wondered whether Brown ran the wrong routes intentionally as a way of pouting for not getting enough touches. In the article Cook makes the case for trading Brown, citing his "look-at-me antics," including an incident against the Miami Dolphins when he prevented the Steelers from running their two-minute offense by jogging back to the line of scrimmage. Brown was also frequently flagged for excessive celebration and was criticized by both head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for live-streaming Tomlin's post-game speech after the Divisional Round win. Despite some of these head-scratching distractions, Brown was still extremely productive this year and has already begun extension talks with the Steelers.

Brown had a bit of a "down" 2016, but still posted 109.70 Reception Net Expected Points (NEP) on 154 targets. His consistent top-end impact is undeniable, however; he's the only player in the NFL to put up at least 100.00 Reception NEP in each of the last four years.