The Eagles bolstered the linebacker position on Friday morning when the team signed Zach Brown to a one-year deal.
A Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro selection in 2016 with the Bills, the 29-year-old Brown spent the past two seasons with Washington. In his first seven NFL seasons, the 6-1, 250-pound linebacker has 631 tackles, 17.5 sacks, seven interceptions, and 20 pass deflections in 94 career games (74 starts) bringing production and experience to the linebacker corps.
This past season, Brown posted 96 tackles in 16 games (12 starts), including a season-high 11 in the Week 17 matchup against the Eagles. In 2017, Brown was the league's leader in tackles with 127 before missing the final three games of the season due to injury. He still led the team and also added 2.5 sacks and two pass deflections.
Brown joined Washington after a career year with the Buffalo Bills in 2016, when he paced the AFC with 149 tackles to go along with four passes defensed and an interception. He set a single-game career high with 17 tackles against the New England Patriots that year.
A second-round pick out of North Carolina in 2012, Brown played his first four NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He capped off a stellar rookie season by tying an NFL record with two interception returns for touchdowns in the season finale against Jacksonville. In 16 games (14 starts) that year, Brown had 92 tackles as well as 5.5 sacks and three interceptions, both personal bests.
Brown started 23 of the 47 games he played in college at outside linebacker. He finished with 230 tackles, 19 for loss, seven interceptions, 5.5 sacks, and four passes defensed.
Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Brown was a three-sport star at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland. He was undefeated as a wrestler and became the school's first state champion in track, winning titles in the 100- and 200-meter events.
Brown joins a position group that has Nigel Bradham, Nathan Gerry, and Kamu Grugier-Hill returning of the linebackers who saw time on the Eagles' defense in 2018. The Eagles also signed L.J. Fort from the Steelers in free agency. B.J. Bello chipped in last year for the Eagles on special teams, while veteran Paul Worrilow missed the season due to injury.
