Ben

Brown

The UDFA center will be a rotational cog along the middle of the Patriots line, probably mostly as a backup, for the two years to come. Brown has started just two games this year, but had a 10-game stretch as a starter in 2024. He qualifies as competent depth.

Peppers is out after being listed questionable for Week 17 due to a hamstring injury. Fellow safety Kyle Dugger (ankle/quad) is active. Center Ben Brown (concussion) will also miss Week 17 while Joe Milton serves as the Patriots’ emergency third quarterback.

Brown (6’5/310) was a four-year starter in the SEC after a redshirt year, bouncing between guard and center. His 2021 season was cleaved in half with a torn left biceps tendon, an injury that prevented him from testing during the pre-draft process. He’s a broadly-built interior player with strong hands and a stout base. Bull-rushers are stymied when he drops a heavy anchor. Brown is limited athletically, struggling to hit moving targets in the second level. He’s also given issues by the counter moves of quick-twitch defensive tackles. Because of this, Brown is a better fit for a gap-running system than a zone-blocking team. If everything breaks right, Brown could have a career similar to Dan Feeney.