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ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Buffalo Bills have acquired running back Bryce Brown in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. In exchange, the Bills have sent the Eagles a conditional 2015 fourth-round pick that can become a 2016 third-rounder based on not-yet-defined playing escalators.
The deal involves the draft pick that the Bills acquired from San Francisco on Friday in exchange for receiver Stevie Johnson. That pick is a conditional fourth-rounder that can become a third-rounder. If it stays a fourth-rounder, the Eagles will get it in 2015. If it becomes a third-rounder, the Bills will keep that 2015 fourth-rounder, and the Eagles will receive the Bills' fourth-round pick in 2016.
Brown, who turns 23 this week, is a former 2012 seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, is the brother of Baltimore linebacker Arthur Brown. He transferred from Tennessee to Kansas State during his college career, and rocky situations in his recruitment, and then in an illegal benefits probe, helped the talented Brown plummet to the seventh round. His 5'11", 223-pound frame with 4.48-second 40-yard dash speed, plus natural running talent that made him a top-level recruit to begin with, got him drafted two years ago.
In two years with the Eagles, Brown flashed when given an opportunity to play behind All-Pro tailback LeSean McCoy. He leaves the Eagles with 190 carries for 878 yards and six touchdowns, made expendable by the ascent of backup runner Chris Polk and an offseason trade for veteran spark plug Darren Sproles. The Bills assume the remainder of Brown's very cheap rookie deal; he is under contract through the end of the 2015 season.
With Buffalo, Brown adds athleticism and depth to the Bills' running back position. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are both entering the final year of their respective contracts, and Buffalo's trade for Brown gives them a viable long-term option at the position in the event that they can't (or don't want to) retain Spiller for the long haul.