Buffalo Bills Still Have Excellent Chance to Re-sign Zach Brown
By Paul Taylor
Fresh off firing his agent and signing with new representation, Zach Brown is scheduled to visit the Buffalo Bills, giving them a golden opportunity to bring him back to Western New York.
A couple of months ago, we asked if Zach Brown was one-and-done with the Buffalo Bills? This questions was prompted by an Instagram post from his account, essentially thanking the Bills for having him in Buffalo and saying he would never forget the experience.
While this wasn’t a definitive good bye, it made sense to assume this, with Brown coming off a season which included the second-most tackles in the NFL. He was selected to his first ever Pro Bowl and was expected to receive substantial offers from around the league.
Unfortunately for the 27-year, things have not quite panned out as projected. Despite being ranked among the best available linebackers – and free agents in general — interest has been surprisingly low.
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As a result, Brown fired his agent, Carl Carey, earlier this week and signed with Michael and Jason Katz of CSE Talent. The news was confirmed by CSE Talents’ official Twitter account.
Making this sequence of events even more interesting from a Bills perspective, it may well have opened the door for them to re-sign the linebacker. As reported by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Brown is now slated to visit Buffalo after leaving a meeting with the Miami Dolphins.
Although Brown has not ruled out the Dolphins at this stage, the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson advised the two sides are not close on money. Regardless, it’s up to the Bills to take advantage of the situation.
Certainly, re-signing the 2012 second round draft pick would be a major win for a Bills’ franchise looking to recover from the failed Rex Ryan-regime. If the defense is to return to its prominent status prior to Ryan’s arrival, Brown would be a big step in the right direction.
Apart from setting a personal best in tackles, the Beaufort, South Carolina native showed his all round talent during a career year in 2016. This included fours sacks, four pass defenses, two forced fumbles and one interception.
If the Bills are smart, they won’t let Brown leave Western New York without agreeing a new contract. Jackson suggests the 2016 Second-team All-Pro is still open to signing with the Oakland Raiders, who he visited last week.
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In light of recent events, what’s your position on Brown? Do you believe there is now a better chance of him re-signing with the Bills, or is he one-and-done in Buffalo? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.