Patriots scouting report: Ben Brown is an important piece of the O-line puzzle

Jerod Mayo’s one-year stint as New England Patriots head coach was mostly forgettable, but there are a few exceptions. One, of course, is selecting Drake Maye third overall in the draft. And while that decision will shape the franchise for years to come, it is not the only one still impacting the roster to this day.

The Patriots’ top interior offensive line backup, for example, was also acquired under Mayo.

Hard facts

Name: Ben Brown

Position: Interior offensive line

Jersey number: 77

Opening day age: 28 (5/19/1998)

Measurements: 6’5 1/8”, 313 lbs, 10 1/4” hand size, 34 3/8” arm length, 81 3/4” wingspan, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals (2022), Seattle Seahawks (2023), Arizona Cardinals (2023), Las Vegas Raiders (2024), New England Patriots (2024-) | College: Ole Miss (2017-21)

A three-star recruit out of St. Aloysius High School in Vicksburg, MS, Brown spent his college career in his home state: he joined Ole Miss in 2017, and over the course of his five seasons as a Rebel started all 40 games he appeared in; he lined up at right guard for 30 of those games, and at center for the remaining 10.

Despite his versatile experience, he did not hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft. Instead, Brown entered the league as a rookie free agent signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. After spending his rookie campaign on the Bengals’ injured reserve with a biceps issue, he joined the Seahawks’ and Cardinals’ practice squads as a sophomore, playing one game in Seattle along the way.

He was not retained by Arizona following the 2023 season, and joined the Raiders in 2024. However, he was later signed off Las Vegas’ practice squad by the Patriots. Since joining New England, he has added 31 more games and his first 14 career starts to his NFL résumé.

Scouting report

Strengths: The 6-foot-5, 313-pound Brown combines good size and length with a proper athletic foundation. He is a fluid mover who has the agility to mirror in the pass game and the speed to climb to the second level or to execute as a pull and reach blocker. His spatial awareness and processing are quite solid, allowing him to recognize his targets even with moving parts around him. He generally is capable of rendering speed rushers and loopers ineffective, in part due to his vision and lateral movement skills, and also because of his active hand usage. Furthermore, his versatility is a plus.

Weaknesses: Despite a good athletic makeup, Brown is not the most explosive of blockers. He can be thrown off from a timing perspective on screen and zone plays, and takes time to disengage from double-team blocks to get upfield. He is a competitive player and good mover, who will fight for the dirty yards but also occasionally runs into trouble against power. He does not have the strongest overall makeup extending from his base and anchor in pass protection, to his leg drive in the run game, to his upper body, to his general hand power and grip strength.

2025 review

Stats: 21 games (4 starts) | 331 offensive snaps (24.4%), 100 special teams snaps (18.2%) | 10 QB pressures surrendered (2 hits, 8 hurries) | 3 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)

Season recap: Despite joining the Patriots midway through the regular season, Brown started 10 games for them in 2024. However, heading into 2025, the circumstances had changed drastically: with a new coaching staff in town and a different offensive system to be installed, his outlook was unclear entering exclusive rights free agency. Nonetheless, the team decided to tender him and thus allowed him to compete for a roster spot again.

Brown did just that, and more. Not only did he make the 53-man roster out of camp as the top interior backup behind starters Jared Wilson, Garrett Bradbury and Mike Onwenu, he also ended up seeing some meaningful playing time in six games — mostly as a replacement for Wilson.

The first such game came in Week 3 against Carolina, when the rookie left guard was out with an ankle injury. Brown reentered the lineup in Week 11 versus the Jets as a blocking tight end to help replace an injured Austin Hooper, and again the following week in Cincinnati after Wilson hurt his ankle once more (an injury that also kept him out in Week 13 against the Giants).

With a concussion then forcing Wilson out of the Patriots’ final two regular season games against the Jets and Dolphins, Brown was able to add two more starts and his final 125 offensive snaps to his season totals. He did not see the field on offense in the playoffs but continued playing his regular role as a member of New England’s field goal and extra point protection unit.

Despite his backup status and resulting uneven playing time, the Patriots’ new staff apparently liked what it saw from Brown in their first few months together. As a consequence, he was signed to a two-year, $5 million contract extension in December.

2026 preview

Position: Center/Left guard/Right guard | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2027 (2028 UFA)

What will be his role? Brown was the next man up along the Patriots’ interior offensive line in 2025, and he looks like the frontrunner to earn that role again in 2026. This means that he will serve as the backup behind the starting left guard (Alijah Vera-Tucker), center (Jared Wilson) and right guard (Mike Onwenu). While that job ideally comes with no meaningful snaps, the reality of NFL offensive line play is a different one.

What is his growth potential? Although some minor strides are within the realm of possibility, Brown making any significant jumps or pushing for a starting role this season is unlikely to happen. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though: a 53-man NFL roster cannot go “Oops! All Starters” and there is a definitive need for readily-available super subs such as Brown.

Does he have positional versatility? Brown has the versatility the Patriots are long for from their interior O-linemen. He can play all three spots in the middle of the offensive line, and was even given a handful of reps as a jumbo tight end on both the left and the right side of the line in 2025. Additionally, he saw special teams action as a field goal/extra point protector in all 21 games last year and should be expected to keep playing that role.

What is his salary cap situation? As part of last December’s contract extension, Brown is carrying a $1.97 million salary cap hit into the 2026 season. That number consists of a $1.2 million base salary and a $366,666 signing bonus proration, both of which are fully guaranteed, as well as $340,000 in likely-to-be-earned roster bonuses and a $60,000 workout bonus.

How safe is his roster spot? Despite not being a starter, Brown’s spot on the Patriots’ roster this year seems fairly secure. After all, he appears to be the next man up at three positions and has not been seriously challenged in a while now. New England does have some young talent along its interior O-line, but the 28-year-old is still the clear frontrunner to win any potential competition.

Summary: Brown is not a household name, and likely never will be. What he is, however, is a reliable and versatile player who checks plenty of the boxes the Patriots are looking for. He therefore is an important piece of the puzzle even though his name never getting mentioned would be the best-case outlook for the team’s offensive line.

What do you think about Ben Brown heading into the 2026 season? Will the Patriots require his services yet again? And will he remain as the top interior backup? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.