The Cleveland Browns signed cornerback Tony Brown on Tuesday, the NFL franchise announced.
The former Alabama defensive back has been an NFL free agent since January 9, when he was waived by the Indianapolis Colts.
Brown will rejoin Bubba Ventrone, the Cleveland special-teams coach who was with the Colts in 2022, when Brown had 303 special-teams plays.
Three Browns players made at least 350 special-teams plays in 2023. While safety D’Anthony Bell returns in 2024, cornerback Mike Ford signed with the Houston Texans in free agency, and linebacker Matthew Adams remains unsigned.
Brown recorded ten tackles, his first interception, and a forced fumble in 12 games during the 2023 season. He played 56 defensive snaps and 252 special teams plays for the Colts.
On December 19, Indianapolis banned Brown and wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie for the last three games of the season “for conduct detrimental to the team.”
Colts coach Shane Steichen declined to explain the cause for the suspensions, saying the following day: “It’s a matter that we’re dealing with internally, and I have nothing to add on that.” There are standards around here, and we need to hold individuals accountable. “That’s it.”
On January 8, Indianapolis lifted Brown’s suspension and waived the cornerback. The Colts also dropped McKenzie’s suspension, but the wide receiver was not released. McKenzie has signed with the New York Giants after becoming a free agency last week.
Brown, an undrafted rookie from Alabama’s 2017 CFP national championship team, has played 61 NFL regular-season games and has more special-teams plays than defensive snaps.
Brown played on two CFP national championship teams at Alabama, and he recorded an interception in his final game with the Crimson Tide, a 26-23 overtime triumph over Georgia in the 2017 national championship game.
Brown attended training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018. After the Chargers waived Brown at the end of the preseason, he joined the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad before being added to the active roster in the fourth week of the 2018 season.
Brown played 287 defensive snaps in 11 games for Green Bay, recording 34 tackles, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one tackle for loss. Brown has 207 defensive snaps in 50 NFL regular season games since then.
Brown appeared in nine games for Green Bay in 2019, but did not play beyond November 24. He was listed on the Packers’ injury report with a heel condition for the first three weeks of December.
On December 30, 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals claimed Brown off waivers after Green Bay released him the day before the team’s final regular-season game.
Brown played 13 games for Cincinnati in 2020. But he did not survive the cut to the regular-season roster limit following the 2021 preseason and spent time on the practice squads of the Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders without getting into a game that season.
Brown signed with the Colts in 2022. He began the season on the practice squad but made the main roster in the second week, appearing in a career-high 16 games.
Brown re-signed with the Colts last summer.
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