After releasing cornerback Marcus Roberson earlier today, the Bills have signed safety Sergio Brown to fill the 53-man roster.
We've signed safety Sergio Brown to the active roster: https://t.co/T2hYs1BKsL pic.twitter.com/3Xs4Nj2OIi
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) November 2, 2016
Brown, 28, was an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame when he caught on with the Patriots in 2010. He’s also played with the Colts, and spent last season with the Jaguars. He spent a week with the Falcons in the preseason this year, but was released during the cut-down to 53 players.
Brown has played in 86 games in his six seasons, starting 15, and recorded 138 tackles (105 solo) with 2.5 sacks and an interception. He experienced most of his success in 2014 with the Colts, starting eight games and recording 34 tackles (25 solo), six pass defenses, and a fumble recovery.
After placing Aaron Williams on injured reserve earlier this week, the Bills needed a player to fill his spot in a deep safety rotation. Brown seems to be more of the in-the-box, run-stuffer safety than the ball-hawking type that Williams seemed to be developing into this year, and he has yet to play in a Ryan-style defense, but he has played in at least 14 games in each of the past five seasons in defenses that place a fairly high value on the safety position. Ideally, he can fill that role while another member of the safety group assumes the center fielder role in the secondary.
At his Pro Day in 2010, Brown measured in at 6’0’’ and 210 pounds. He ran a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash and had a super-quick 6.59 in the three-cone drill. For perspective, Odell Beckham Jr.’s three-cone time at the 2014 combine was 6.69 at 198 pounds. Let's just say, Brown is quite the athlete.
He’ll will be eligible to play Monday night against the Seahawks, but even if he’s active it’s doubtful that he’ll see much time with the defense. The post-bye matchup against the Bengals is a better bet to see him compete for playing time.
And yes, the Bills now have yet another Brown on defense. He won’t be on the level that Preston and Zach have been at this year, but with any luck he can fill the role of their scrappy little brother.