Antonio Brown has arrived in Tampa Bay and so far so good. Then again, it was just his first day on the job.
Nonetheless, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians liked what he saw from his newest wide receiver on Wednesday, which was Brown's first day at the team facility.
"He looks fantastic," Arians said Wednesday, via team transcript. "I think we had really good conversations today, he and I. He was in the meetings and everything and he's working with Anthony Piroli and the strength staff. He looks in great shape and ready to go next week."
Next week will mark the first in which Brown is eligible to play following an eight-game league suspension for multiple violations of the league's personal-conduct policy. A civil sexual assault lawsuit is still pending for Brown.
Despite Brown's situation, the Bucs inked him to a one-year deal.
The 32-year-old Brown was a seven-time Pro Bowler with the Steelers before he was released by them ahead of the 2019 season and subsequently signed and released by the Raiders and Patriots thereafter amid much controversy. Brown hasn't played since September of 2019 when he made a one-game cameo with Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Now, Brady and Brown will reunite.
"It went really well, and he and I had a good conversation this morning," Arians said. "He'll be ready to go next week and in good shape."
With Brown's past history of clashing with coaches and team management, there are now different concerns as the 2020 season plays out amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With teams and players having to follow coronavirus protocols, Arians believes Brown will adhere to them.
"He wants to play. If you want to play, you've got to do it. In our conversation today, it's, 'Go to football practice, go to work, come home and go back to work.' He's all in. I don't think we'll have any problems with those things."
If things continue to proceed nicely for Brown and the Bucs, he would be ready for his debut against the Saints -- a team he previously had a visit with -- on Nov. 8. And he could be thrust into a crucial role with Chris Godwin's future unclear after surgery on a broken finger.
"There's no doubt about it, yeah. I was totally surprised by it when we got back [from Las Vegas]," Arians said of Godwin's injury. "He looked fine leaving the stadium and we find out he has to have surgery. I think it's very optimistic that he'll be back in a week, but it could be possible. We don't know, really, how long. Again, that's why we have the insurance policy."
