The Pittsburgh Steelers added another veteran option to their cornerbacks corps Wednesday, signing 30-year-old Anthony Brown to their practice squad.
Brown played the past eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys but joins the Steelers nine months after suffering a torn Achilles injury that ended his 2022 season. Brown has been a starter for roughly three-quarters of the 94 NFL games he has played, and he has the versatility to play on the outside or in the nickel/slot.
Brown (5-foot-11, 196 pounds) has nine career interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 59 pass breakups along with four sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He has had stretches both as Dallas’ primary slot corner and as a starter on the outside.
Brown was not with an NFL team throughout the summer or training camp. Typically, rehabilitation from a torn Achilles is measured in months.
Brown was a popular player among the Cowboys, as both owner Jerry Jones and quarterback Dak Prescott were visibly upset when Brown suffered his season-ending injury Dec. 4.
“I’m sick for him,” Jones told reporters after their win that day in Indianapolis.
“He’s a guy that has fought his (expletive) off year-in and year-out to earn the respect, let alone his starting position and playing time,” Prescott said. “I know he knows how much he means to this team and that we’re all there for him. But very unfortunate and just hate to see it.”
Brown’s profile is similar to another player that the Steelers are on the verge of signing to their active roster, Desmond King. Between the two additions, it’s clear the Steelers were unsatisfied with their depth at cornerback, where Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr., Patrick Peterson and James Pierre made the initial roster as outside corners and Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley were atop the depth chart for the nickel spot.
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