Drafted by the Rams, former Northwestern star Earnest Brown has seen the club bring in a ton of DE depth ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Cowboys went out of their way to augment their defensive end rotation this offseason. With mutiple-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence moving on to Seattle in free agency and All-World performer Micah Parsons entering the final year of his rookie deal, reinforcements were needed. The team brought in a ton of help in free agency, signing three former first-round picks, and used their second-round pick on an edge for the second year in a row.
So where does that leave a young veteran like Earnest Brown, entering his fifth year in the league with only three starts to his name? Needing to show off during training camp to even hope of cracking the practice squad, much less the 53-man roster.
Rundown
Position: Defensive End
Age: 26
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 270 pounds
Hometown: Aubrey, TX
High School: Billy Riley (Denton, TX)
College: Northwestern (Film Study Video)
Draft: 2021 Fifth Round (Rams, No 174 overall)
Acquired: 2024 poached from Bucs' practice squad
Contract: Three-year contract (2024), $3.3 million
2025 Base Salary: $1.1 million, no guarantees
Career Earnings: $2.5 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
Brown spent his rookie year on the Rams practice squad, then saw action in Year 2, starting three games and appearing in five. He has bounced around the league, additionally playing for Tampa Bay and San Francisco before landing with the Cowboys in 2024. He didn't appear in any games for Dallas, despite their chaotic injury situation.
Now Sam Williams has worked his way back from an ACL tear, Dante Fowler, Payton Turner and Solomon Thomas have been added as veteran free agents and Donovan Ezeiruaku has joined Marshawn Kneeland as pedigreed picks on rookie deals expected to see major playing time. The line of compliments to Parsons is long and Brown is going to have an uphill battle to make a name for himself once the pads come on in the second week of camp.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Dallas Cowboys player profile: No. 51 DE Earnest Brown
Category: Football
