Barion Brown was the talk of New Orleans Saints training camp over the first couple of weeks. The sixth round pick has been proving he could contribute as more than just a punt returner all camp, and Kellen Moore just gave us a glimpse into what role Brown could have on the offense against the Dallas Cowboys.
On the very first play from scrimmage, Moore dialed up a jet sweep with Brown. It was a new wrinkle that we hadn't seen with Brown to this point, but it was also a wrinkle I'd been waiting to see. On the next drive, Brown took another jet sweep, this time to the right side, for a touchdown.
HOLD THAT TIGER@BarionBrown in for the TD 🙌@LSUfootball | 📺: FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/BG36VMDvcK
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 29, 2026
Barion Brown will be the Saints' "easy yards" player
The surprise isn't using Brown on a jet sweep. It was showing it twice in the preseason finale. Let's be clear, the jet sweep isn't a state secret.
Pretty much every team has the jet sweep in their playbook, so there's not a reason to hide it. However, Moore using Brown in this way twice should send a signal that this is one of the ways Brown will be used in his rookie season. Maybe that's intentional.
The thing about the jet sweep is it can be used as the attack or the decoy. Giving the look of Brown on the jet sweep is an early reminder to defenses that they have to respect the wide receiver when he goes in motion across the line of scrimmage. In turn, that opens up more space for running backs.
It's not just about jets sweeps and misdirection. Brown can be the player the Saints leans on for easy yards that could yield big plays. The first run was a 12 yard run on first down, and the second run was a touchdown.
This type of offense should extend to screen passes as well. Screens hopefully get you at least a couple of yards, but with a player like Brown, it also has a chance for an explosive play
The other part of this is crossing routes with Brown open the door for run after the catch opportunities. That begins to deter from easy yardage, but it does stay in the run after the catch category that screen passes fall in.
If it's a drag route, that 3 yard reception could easily become 20 yard catch because of Brown's run after the catch ability. Deeper routes across the middle give the same room RAC as well.
That's where Brown should excel. Just get the ball in his hands, and let him work. It could be a short pass or handoff, but Brown has the perfect skillset to turn short yardage into big gains in a way the Saints don't have on their roster.
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