Tag: Ben Brown

Jerod Mayo says Patriots’ new center showed something he’s never seen

C Ben Brown made a strong first impression on Jerod Mayo and the Patriots

New England Patriots center Ben Brown had a strong debut on Sunday against the Houston Texans, despite the loss.

He played 100 percent of the offensive snaps and did not allow a pressure, per Pro Football Focus. The offensive line as a whole allowed a 30.9 pressure rate against the Texans.

Brown got the start on Sunday after only two practices with the Patriots. On Monday, it was reported that the team had released veteran center Nick Leverett.

The move came after a solid performance from Brown.

Coach Jerod Mayo spoke with the media and commented on Brown’s efforts in his first game in New England.

“This is one of those things, I’ve never seen it before,” Mayo said, as transcribed by NESN’s Sean T. McGuire. “A guy being able to come in here after four or five days and become the starting center. So, he did a great job.

“I would say he probably was our best lineman yesterday, and he did a good job for us. He did a good job all through the week during practice, and then went out there and performed pretty well.”

Getting that center depth is going to be important. Andrews is a 32-year-old currently sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury.

It’s been a wild week for Brown, who was just signed off the practice squad on October 10. Now, he could be a major part of the offensive line equation moving forward.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Former Bengals UDFA got his first start with new team in Week 6

A former Bengals player is starting to stand out with his new team.

It’s always interesting to check in on former Cincinnati Bengals and there is an interesting situation developing for one with the New England Patriots.

Not all that long ago, Ben Brown out of Ole Miss was an undrafted free agent with the Bengals who seemed like he could have a bright future before going to injured reserve.

Fast forward to now, Brown just earned the start at center for the Patriots over the weekend.

And in the aftermath of Brown’s first start? According to CLNS Media’s Taylor Kyles, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Brown was the team’s best lineman during the game against the Texans.

Make no mistake, the Bengals are happy with Ted Karras as the starter in front of Joe Burrow. Seventh-round rookie Matt Lee looks like he could develop into a possible starter, too.

But Brown, 26, always felt like a guy who could break out, too. That’s now happening elsewhere in the AFC.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Report: Patriots sign veteran OL from Raiders practice squad

The Patriots have reportedly added to their offensive line depth

The New England Patriots have reportedly signed veteran offensive guard Ben Brown off the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad, per KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, via SportsTrust Advisors.

Brown joins a Patriots’ 53-man roster hurting for talent along the offensive front. The former undrafted lineman out of Ole Miss spent the 2023 season on the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals’ practice squads.

After his contract expired with the Cardinals, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Raiders. He didn’t make the final roster, but the team liked him enough to stash him on their practice squad after the roster cuts.

The Patriots need depth both on the outside and interior line. They’ve especially taken hits in the interior with David Andrews suffering a season-ending injury and Cole Strange still sidelined with a knee injury.

Brown doesn’t have much on-field experience in the NFL considering he’s only appeared in one game during his run with the Seahawks. However, the shortage of options has paved the way for a major opportunity for the 26-year-old in New England.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 1 vs Vikings

Raiders who didn’t make a great impression in their Preseason opener vs Vikings

There were many standout performances for the Raiders in their preseason opener in Minnesota. These are the wrong kind of standouts.

Busters

T Andrus Peat 

The nice looking first drive was ended when Peat couldn’t keep Dallas Turner out of the backfield. First Turner laid a hard hit on O’Connell just after he released the ball. Then in third and goal from the three, Turner beat Peat again to sack O’Connell.

DT Byron Young

Young was abused on the first three plays he was in the game. He gave up a seven-yard run, then was blocked into the ground to give up the first down run, and then gave up a 16-yard run that only saved from being much worse because of a Tre’von Moehrig ankle tackle.

S Jaydon Grant

The defense bent but didn’t break on their first two drives. They broke on the third one. Grant was late getting over to give up a 48-yard touchdown run. The next drive, Grant gave up a 21-yard catch.

LB Luke Masterson

Grant was the last line of defense on that 48-yard TD run. Masterson was the first. That was his gap and he wasn’t there. The next drive, he came on the blitz on third and five but missed the sack to give up a nine-yard scramble.

RB Dylan Laube

Laube was twice needed to keep an oncoming rusher from getting to the QB, and both times failed to do so. He gave up two sacks on Brown. The second time, Laube was sent into a backward somersault. Laube had a total of eight yards rushing in the game and that came on a 13-yard run on third and 19. So, it was a give up play. On the other three runs, he had a total of -5 yards. His one return went for 16 yards and was stopped at the 19-yard-line.

QB Anthony Brown

From the moment he took the field, he looked out of his depth. He looked paralyzed, second guessing everything. Nothing looked smooth and he was unable to make corrections when things broke down. And they were breaking down. The first six plays featured no completions, two sacks and a delay of game penalty. In his four possessions, he had one completion for 24 yards, five scrambles for 13 yards, was sacked four times, and fumbled a snap.

S Trey Taylor

The Vikings scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter. The first saw Taylor give up a 15-yard catch on third and nine. The second, Taylor was caught peeking in the backfield as his man ran by him for a wide open 33-yard touchdown.

G Corey Luciano

Luciano gave up the second sack on Brown when he didn’t switch on a stunt. Then he gave up the third sack in the same fashion.

C Ben Brown

After the Raiders went down 21-20 in the third quarter, they failed to answer because Brown was flagged for holding and then on third and 21, while Luciano was not switching up on the stunt, Brown was literally ran right by the guy, blocking no one.

TE Zach Gentry

Twice in the third quarter Gentry was tasked with run blocking and gave up the stuff. The first for no gain. The second for a loss of four on third and goal from the one.

Also see the BALLERS…

Seahawks 2023 practice squad tracker: DE Hamilcar Rashed signs

 Our practice squad tracker is updated.

The Seattle Seahawks lost their second-year outside linebacker Tyreke Smith this week when he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals off their practice squad. The team has just announced that they’ve signed former Oregon State defensive end Hamilcar Rashed to take Smith’s place.

Our practice squad tracker is updated (Dec. 15).

Seahawks 53-man roster tracker: Leonard Williams in, Cody Thompson out

Here’s the updated 53-man roster by jersey number going into tomorrow’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

The Seahawks are serious about making a deep postseason run this year. Just hours after their home win over the Browns, Seattle pulled off a trade that should help them get there. The front office has sent a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Giants in exchange for Leonard Williams, one of the top interior pass rushers in the league.

To make room for Wiliams, the Seahawks have waived wide receiver Cody Thompson. Our roster tracker is now updated (Oct. 31).

Bengals UDFA sleeper Ben Brown sent to IR

A potential member of the final roster heads to IR.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz-3ec0f433478cb46a844a339f334ef3d7.jpg]

The Cincinnati Bengals had something of a potential sleeper hit on their hands with former Ole Miss offensive lineman Ben Brown when he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent this year.

But that idea pauses for at least one season with the team announcing Monday that Brown will head to injured reserve with an arm injury.

At the time Brown signed, most analysts agreed he would have been drafted were it not for his injury history. That idea only got another boost during Week 1 of the preseason when he looked solid while others ahead of him on the depth chart (Trey Hill, Lamont Gaillard) struggled.

Brown will likely get another shot next season, though in the immediate future, the Bengals will want to see more from their other backup centers soon.

[listicle id=151664]

Bengals undrafted free agent profile: Ole Miss G/C Ben Brown

A look at Cincinnati Bengals undrafted free agent Ben Brown.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1yc256yn39q1m6paf playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1yc256yn39q1m6paf/01g1yc256yn39q1m6paf-a232440145eb59fc62f9844a355c3e21.jpg]

The Cincinnati Bengals addressed the offensive line once during the 2022 NFL draft in what was otherwise a defensive-minded class for the team.

But that only seemed to guarantee the Bengals would go after the unit again once undrafted free agency started. Sure enough, one of the first names reported to the Bengals was Ole Miss G/C Ben Brown.

Brown, 6’5″ and 312 pounds, was commonly projected as a fifth or sixth-round pick but a biceps injury that cost him half of 2021 potentially played a role in his falling out of the draft.

Either way, as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down, he’s got some traits the Bengals will really like:

“Backup-caliber prospect with good size and two-position roster flexibility. Brown plays with a firm anchor against face-up rushers and uses his length and strength effectively to redirect rushers who find his edge. However, he lacks the foot quickness to recover quickly against twists or sudden, backside blitzers. Brown can neutralize average players at the point of attack, but he doesn’t improve his positioning often enough and lacks the skill to consistently hold his own against above-average defenders.”

Brown will get to come in and compete with the likes of Trey Hill and Hakeem Adeniji for a final roster spot at an interior position. Based on what evaluators see, there’s a good chance he can make the 53 — and the fact he chose the Bengals out of all teams says he knows it, too.

Media:

[listicle id=149710]