Brown will be an exclusive rights free agent this offseason.
The New England Patriots have already restructured their coaching staff for the second consecutive offseason. Now it is time for the real work with an expected overhaul of the roster coming.
Free agency will be a key part of this process. And while adding external players to the mix will undoubtably happen with over $125 million in projected cap space, there are also a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. Following a series of moves, 14 remain in need of a new contract prior to free agency.
Among them is offensive lineman Ben Brown, the next player in our free agency profile series.
Hard facts
Name: Ben Brown
Position: Center/Interior offensive line
Opening day age: 27 (5/19/1998)
Size: 6’5”, 313 lbs
Jersey number: 77
Free agency status: Exclusive rights free agent (ERFA)
Experience
NFL teams: Cincinnati Bengals (2022), Seattle Seahawks (2023), Arizona Cardinals (2023), Las Vegas Raiders (2024), New England Patriots (2024)
Brown began his college career at Ole Miss in 2017, and over the course of his five seasons as a Rebel started all 40 games he appeared in: he lined up at right guard for 30 of those games, and at center for the remaining 10. Despite his experience, he did not hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft. Instead, he entered the league as a rookie free agent signing with the Cincinnati Bengals.
After spending his rookie campaign on the Bengals’ injured reserve with a biceps issue, he joined the Seahawks’ and Cardinals’ practice squads as a sophomore. He was not retained by Arizona following the 2023 season, allowing him to join the Raiders in 2024. He later was signed off Las Vegas’ practice squad by the Patriots, who gave him his first in-game regular season action as a 10-game starter at center.
2024 review
Raiders stats: N/A
Patriots stats: 10 games (10 starts) | 667 offensive snaps (61%) | 16 pressures surrendered (4 sacks, 2 hits, 10 hurries) | 2 penalties
Season recap: Following a brief stint on their practice squad, the Cardinals decided not to retain Brown after the 2023 season. Instead, he ended up signing a futures contract with the Raiders. The 26-year-old ended up spending the entire offseason and training camp as well as the early portions of the regular season in Las Vegas; he did not see any game action outside of his three preseason appearances.
In October, Brown was poached off the Raiders practice squad by the Patriots, who needed to upgrade their center depth after having lost starter David Andrews to a season-ending shoulder injury. The former UDFA went on to provide that, and more, over his 12 months on New England’s active roster.
Just three days after joining the team, he saw his first game action alongside another first-time starter, rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The pair would remain in the starting lineup together for 10 contests, during which Maye showed promise and Brown delivered up-and-down performances at the heart of a makeshift offensive line; his run blocking and pass blocking were adequate at times, but he had multiple bad snaps and despite good effort showed limitations against top-tier opponents.
Given the circumstances — seemingly learning on the fly in a challenging environment — he performed reasonably well, though. However, the writing was on the wall for him when the Patriots decided to reactivate former first-round draft pick Cole Strange from injured reserve and moved him from guard to center.
Strange’s return to the starting lineup coincided with Brown entering concussion protocol. He missed the Patriots’ Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers as a result of his head injury, and was placed on injured reserve ahead of the season finale versus the Buffalo Bills.
In total, he ended his first year in New England with 10 starts. He did not miss a single offensive snap before his eventual season-ending concussion.
Free agency preview
What is his contract history? Brown has signed several contracts since his arrival in the NFL, most of which at a lower level reflective of his practice squad and backup status. The most recent deal he received was the one-year, $915,000 pact the Patriots gave him upon adding him to their 53-man roster from the Raiders practice squad. He ended up earning $637,500 of that deal, making up nearly half of his $1.51 million career earnings as calculated by Over The Cap.
Which teams might be in the running? Brown enters exclusive rights free agency with some starting experience, even though teams might be hesitant to sign him to a role that goes beyond backup duties. Nonetheless, O-line-needy teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings or Seattle Seahawks might go after him if he makes it to the open market.
Why should he be expected back? The Patriots currently have 58 of their 90 roster spots filled, and plenty of cash to use this offseason. Brown would leave a relative small dent in their league-leading salary cap space, while simultaneously providing experienced depth and versatility along the interior offensive line.
Why should he be expected to leave? Brown had some solid performances in his first half-season in New England, but his ceiling appears limited. He also might fall victim to an apparent logjam at center, with veteran David Andrews and youngster Cole Strange both higher-profile candidates to start at the position.
What is his projected free agency outcome? The Patriots will keep Brown around, either by signing him to a one-year, $1.03 million ERFA tender or by offering him a low-cost contract extension similar to the one signed by defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr. earlier this month.
What do you think about Ben Brown heading into free agency? Will the team keep him around? Or will he fall victim to a do-over up front? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.