The New Orleans Saints reinforced their defensive line by adding former New England Patriots starter Malcom Brown, a big-time nose tackle. Here’s everything to know about the newest Saint:
5. Brown is an NFL iron man
Brown has missed just four games in four years in the NFL, while logging a high number of snaps for a nose tackle: he took the field for 2,097 defensive snaps in regular season games during his Patriots career. He’s been a fixture in the middle of the New England defensive line, anchoring several top defenses.
4. His name is Malcom, not Malcolm, and he’s a Longhorn
Brown spells his first name with one ‘L’, not two. Beware of typos. Incidentally, he was a teammate on the Texas Longhorns with running back Malcolm Brown, who now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. They were both recruited in the same class out of high school and entered the 2015 NFL Draft together. This is a long-running point of confusion, it seems.
3. The Saints nearly drafted Brown in 2015
This one hurts a bit. The Saints selected former Clemson Tigers linebacker Stephone Anthony at 31 in the 2015 NFL Draft, using a pick they received from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for tight end Jimmy Graham. The Patriots added Brown at 32. Later on down the road, Anthony was traded away to the Miami Dolphins, and the Saints ended up signing Brown away from the Patriots. It’s funny how things work out in the NFL.
2. Brown was won two Super Bowl rings
Brown was a starter on the Patriots’ 2016 squad, which overcame a 28-3 deficit in the second half to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. He also played a big part in Super Bowl LIII, helping contain the supposedly-prolific Los Angeles Rams offense to win a second championship ring. In total, Brown has made appearances in 11 postseason games (starting 10 of them) during his four-year career, and should provide a wealth of experience for the young Saints defensive line.
1. Brown is very productive for a nose tackle
Nose tackle is not a glamorous position, rarely picking up notice on the box score. But Brown has willed himself into the spotlight anyway. Per Deuce Windham of the Athletic, Brown has logged a tackle every 11.27 snaps in his Patriots career. For comparison, former Saints starting nose tackle Tyeler Davison made a tackle every 20.77 snaps. On top of that, Brown has 27 tackles for loss of yards or no gain in his four years in the league. Davison has 20. Not only is Brown making more tackles, he’s making them more impactful.
