Zach Brown made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week. Now the veteran linebacker is a free agent.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles have decided to cut ties with Brown. The Eagles officially confirmed the move shortly after ESPN’s report. It’s a mildly head-scratching move considering the Eagles’ weakness at the linebacker position.
Eagles are releasing LB Zach Brown, per source. Multiple teams expected to be interested.
It wasn’t a good week for Brown after giving the Vikings free bulletin board material. The former Redskins player openly trashed Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the days leading up to the Minnesota game. The two had been teammates for one season in Washington. All Cousins did was torch the Eagles’ defense for 333 yards through the air and four touchdowns.
Roster Move: #Eagles have released LB Zach Brown.
After the game, a surly Brown stood at his locker stall and refused to answer any questions about Cousins. His oddly-timed comments weren’t the only factor involved with the Eagles’ decision to cut him but they certainly played a factor.
Brown had been largely underwhelming on the field, too. He looked lost in coverage and missed a few tackles in run defense. Brown’s tenure in Philadelphia will end with 31 combined tackles in six games.
Taking Look at Eagles Linebacker Depth Chart
The Eagles were already pretty thin at linebacker, so now they’ll have to rotate some of the youngsters in. The team will roll out a starting unit of Nate Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nigel Bradham, with Duke Riley and rookie T.J. Edwards playing reserve roles. They also have former Canadian star Alex Singleton on the practice squad.
Since the Eagles do have two open roster spots, they could make a move to add another linebacker. Veteran Paul Worrilow seems like a logical choice since he spent the past two offseasons with the team. Worrilow was cut after training camp and didn’t make the final 53-man roster.
There is cause for concern at the position, though. Bradham, arguably the best of the linebackers bunch, has been nursing an ankle injury and left Sunday’s game early. He’s their starting middle linebacker and calls the signals in the defensive huddle.
Nigel Bradham left US Bank Stadium with his foot in a boot
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson called him “day-to-day” and said he’ll have additional tests this week before the team updates his status. Bradham is also getting a second opinion on his hurt ankle.
“They want second opinions, obviously, so we grant that for them,” Pederson said of Braham and left tackle Jason Peters. “I’m getting more information. Looks like it’s a little more day-to-day with these two guys. We’ll see later today and for sure on Wednesday.”
Zach Brown Ripped Kirk Cousins Last Week
Zach Brown had something to say and he wanted everyone to hear it. Especially Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Eagles linebacker served as Cousins’ teammate for one year (2017) in Washington before the signal-caller cashed in on a bank-breaking contract with Minnesota. He’s been off to a shaky start this season, even drawing doubt from his own wide receivers. Brown, who inked a one-year deal with the Eagles in the offseason, was quick to pile on the hate.
On Friday, he gave a scathing review of Cousins’ quarterbacking skills. It wasn’t complimentary, at all. He called Cousins the “weakest part of their offense.”
“Cousins, I think every defense is going to want that guy to throw the ball,” Brown said after Friday’s practice, via ESPN. “For me, that’s probably the weakest part of their offense is him. Everything else is good.
“They’ve got a good running game, probably one of the best in the league. They’ve got real good receivers. You just want them to pass the ball. You want Kirk Cousins to get it in his hands.”
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Philadelphia Eagles Release Trash-Talking Linebacker