Getty Former Dallas Cowboys defensive back Anthony Brown reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
The New York Jets have added some experience to its secondary.
On Tuesday, November 28 the green and white announced on X previously Twitter that they have signed veteran cornerback Anthony Brown to the practice squad. In a corresponding move, the Jets cut bait with cornerback Craig James.
Practice squad move: We’ve signed CB Anthony Brown and released CB Craig James.
Back in late August the Jets brought in Brown for a workout, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. The tryout didn’t result in a deal, but the Jets kept tabs with Brown over the following months and have now brought him into the fold.
Brown Brings Versatility and Experience to Jets Secondary
The 29-year-old spent the majority of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. Brown entered the league back in 2016 as the No. 189 overall pick in the sixth round.
He spent the first seven years of his career in Dallas and most recently had a cup of coffee with the San Francisco 49ers for two games here in 2023.
Brown has appeared 96 games and has made 69 starts since entering the league. During that run, he has recorded nine interceptions, 59 pass deflections, and has registered over 324 total tackles.
He has experience both in the slot (over 1,000 snaps) and on the outside (over 2,000 snaps) at the cornerback position in the pros, per The Buffalo Jet Fan.
#Jets workout veteran CB Anthony Brown. The 29 year old veteran has 69 career starts (nice). He’s taken over 2,000 snaps outside and over 1,000 in the slot. I think Guidry would have cracked the 53 due to this exact versatility, maybe Brown will…
He will start off on the expanded 16-man practice squad, but could have a chance to bump up to the active roster over the coming weeks.
Rich Cimini of ESPN labeled the move as an “interesting practice-squad addition by the Jets.”
Pro Bowl Voting Has Opened up for 2023-24
The Jets secondary was already one of the team’s strengths, but as former head coach Rex Ryan used to tell the media, “You can never have enough cornerbacks.”
It all starts on the top of the Jets’ depth chart with Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed. Both players reside in the top-six among all NFL cornerbacks in PFF’s coverage grade this season.
The next closest pair of teammates in those same rankings are the San Francisco 49ers. Charvarius Ward and Ambry Thomas are ranked No. 13 and No. 14 respectively by PFF coverage grade in 2023.
On X previously Twitter, the Jets attempted to manifest the Jets starting cornerbacks also becoming the AFC Pro Bowl starting cornerbacks this season. They advocated fans to “vote for” Gardner and Reed through the online Pro Bowl ballots to make that dream a reality.
Jets Starting CBs 🤝 AFC Pro Bowl Starting CBs
Vote for @iamSauceGardner & @D7_Reed! t.co/oxqxffHOuc
The Pro Bowl voting process is broken down into three categories. The players themselves vote, the coaches participate, and the fans can get in on the action as well. Each slice of the pie represents 33% of the voting equally.
According to the NFL’s operations guide, “Player selections will be determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches, with each group’s vote counting as one-third toward determining the players who will be selected to this year’s The Pro Bowl Games.”
Last year the Jets were well represented with four selections. Those included defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, Gardner, linebacker CJ Mosley, and cornerback/special teamer Justin Hardee.