When the Buffalo Bills acquired Philly Brown this off season, many looked at the move as bringing in a guy who would be able to compete for reps with the starters. The emergence of some lesser known names and some poor showings by Brown has him on the roster bubble.
Name: Corey “Philly” Brown
# 10
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 5’11”, 190 lbs
Experience: 4
College: Ohio State
Draft: UDFA (2014)
Financial Situation (per Spotrac): Brown signed as a free agent and agreed to a one-year deal for $690,000, all of which will go against the salary cap.
2016 Recap: Last year, although Brown was able to play in three more games than he did in 2015, he saw his production dip drastically. He had nearly 200 less receiving yards and three less touchdowns than his career-best season of 2015.
Positional Outlook: When the Bills signed Anquan Boldin last week, many thought that would be the writing on the wall that Brown would be one of the odd men out in the receivers room, especially with the emergence of Rod Streater this training camp. However, once the Bills traded Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams, a real opportunity is available for Brown to stick around with the team.
2017 Offseason: Brown signed with the Bills on March 12th. At one point Brown found himself lining up opposite Watkins working with the first team offense. Brown has had a below average camp so far, falling as far down as the third team wide receiver some practices. The veteran is showing signs of life though, he saw time with the 2’s in the first preseason game and caught all three passes thrown his way for 23 yards.
2017 Season Outlook: I don’t anticipate Brown being a player that will get a lot of playing time during the regular season, but I do believe he will make the final roster and will be a reliable receiver if any of the leading men go down with an injury and have to sit out a prolonged period of time.