Chargers 90-in-90: DL Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown is a native of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia where he starred for Indian River High School as both a freshman and sophomore. Prior to his junior year, he transferred to Oscar Smith High School where he went on to become one of the best high school prospects in the country. In his first season as Oscar Smith, Brown recorded 83 tackles and 11 sacks. That performance earned him First Team All-American honors by USA Today which is quite the feat for a non-senior prep player.

Somehow, some way, Brown had an even better senior season where he put up 93 total tackles, a whopping 30 tackles for loss, and 18 sacks with nine forced fumbles.

I mean, what a stat line.

He repeated the All-American honor with USA Today and was named the country’s Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year in 2013. After earning a five-star rating as a recruit, he committed to the University of Virginia as the highest-ranked defensive tackle in the entire class.

Brown’s time at VUVA started pretty slow compared to his sky-high expectations. Through his first two seasons, he played in just 11 total games where he recorded just 10 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Fortunately, his final two seasons were a different story.

As a junior, Brown played in 11 games, finishing with 38 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and six sacks. He followed that up with a career-high 46 tackles to go with 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his final year of eligibility. After showing plenty of talent to end his college career, Brown was then invited to participate in the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Just a couple months later, Brown would end up being a fifth-round pick of the Bengals as he was selected 158th overall.

Brown’s career in the NFL unfortunately started in a similar fashion to his college days. He spent the entire season on the practice squad. In 2019, Brown earned his first start while playing a role in 14 total contests. He ended the year with 14 tackles.

In 2020, brown earned his first NFL sack in week four. After seven games with the Bengals that year, Brown was signed off their practice squad by the Texans. He remained in Houston for the remainder of the year before being waived in March of 2021.

Brown went on to spend a stint with both the Colts and the Titans that year before signing on with the Chargers in October. He’s been a mainstay on the Bolts’ practice squad aside from two games in 2021 where he recorded a lone tackles across both weeks he was active.

Basic Info

Height: 6’3
Weight: 290
College: Virginia
Experience: 3
Years with team: 1

Contract Status

“Andrew Brown signed a 1 year, $895,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including an average annual salary of $895,000. In 2022, Brown will earn a base salary of $895,000, while carrying a cap hit of $895,000.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

At his size (6’3 290 pounds), Brown has the ideal build for the type of versatile defensive lineman that Brandon Staley likes in his players. He came out of Virginia with high reviews when it came to his ability to time snaps and motor. He’s a hard worker and lot of that effort can be seen leading to tackles and production from his college days.

The Bad

Brown is a limited athlete with a lack of ideal twitch in the middle. When he was entering the 2018 draft, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein noted that he’s very “easy to find” and offers very little as a pass rusher. He found most of his success when slanting against the offensive line but rarely did he find himself successful when winning his face-up one-on-ones.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2022?

Brown was pushed down, down, and down the depth chart this offseason with the team signing three players at his position on top of drafting another one in the fifth-round back in April. As it stands, he looks to be the first defensive lineman to be cut when that time comes.