Former Cowboys Starting CB Signs Deal With 49ers: Report

Getty Ex-Cowboys CB Anthony Brown is signing with the 49ers.

A former longtime Dallas Cowboys starter is signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

“Former Cowboys’ CB Anthony Brown, who tore his Achilles while with Dallas last season and was on Pittsburgh’s practice squad until this week, signed today with the 49ers’ 53-man roster, per source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted Tuesday, September 19, on X, formerly Twitter.

Anthony Brown Started 69 Games for Cowboys

Brown is best known for his seven-year tenure with the Cowboys, initially getting selected by Dallas in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Brown quickly emerged as a viable cornerback, starting nine of his 16 appearances during his rookie season and playing time on 68% of the team’s defensive snaps.

During his seven years with the Cowboys, Brown started 69 of his 94 appearances. Outside of an injury-plagued 2019 campaign that limited him to just nine games, Brown had appeared in at least 73% of the defensive snaps since the 2017 season.

However, his tenure with Dallas came to a close after he suffered an Achilles tear in Week 13 of the 2022 season. The Cowboys opted to not re-sign him after acquiring former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore via trade.

Brown had latched on with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the conclusion of the preseason. However, his stint with the Steelers was very short as he was released on September 14.

Brown’s signing isn’t just notable because he’s a former longtime Cowboys cornerback; it’s also notable because he’s signing with one of Dallas’ biggest rivals. The Cowboys have lost to the 49ers in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

The two teams will meet in Week 5 in a Sunday Night Football game on October 8.

“While Brown might not be ready to see much action in Thursday’s game against the New York Giants, he could get caught up in time for a seismic Week 5 clash with the Cowboys,” Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Gould wrote on September 19.

Why the 49ers Are Signing Anthony Brown

Brown’s signing comes on the heels of San Francisco losing cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas to injury in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, according to Kyle Posey of SB Nation.

Brown now projects as the 49ers’ fourth cornerback if both cornerbacks are sidelined for an extended period of time.

“On Sunday against the Rams, once Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas went down with an injury, the 49ers only had Tre Swilling as an option at cornerback,” Posey wrote. “Brown’s signing changes that.”

Posey also pointed out that Brown is one of the better slot cornerbacks in the league when healthy.

“Primarily a slot cornerback, Brown had an impressive 2021 season, where he ranked ninth among all cornerbacks in pass defense, per Sports info Solutions,” he wrote. “Drafted out of Purdue in the sixth round in 2016, Brown appeared in double-digit games in every season outside of 2019. Brown has impressive stats the past two years. He’s allowed 45 and 46 percent of his targets to be completed. He also has 20 pass breakups during that span. Now, the question is whether Brown still has the same athleticism after an Achilles injury.”

With the 49ers due to play on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Brown were to suit up. Thomas is questionable for the Niners’ Week 3 tilt against the Giants, which could clear Brown’s path to the lineup.