Giants’ UDFA Troy Brown faces steep uphill battle to make roster

Signing in the NFL as an undrafted free agent takes a certain amount of nerve and grit, but also, perhaps, naïveté. The chances of sticking with a team are small, while the effort involved is massive. Troy Brown is trying to become one of those to beat the odds, as he signed with the New York Giants to compete for a linebacker spot.

By the numbers

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 220
Age: 24
Position: Inside linebacker
Experience: Rookie
Contract: three years, $2,695,000 | 2023 cap hit: $753,333

Career to date

Brown played four years at Central Michigan before transferring to Ole Miss last season as a fifth-year senior. As a freshman, he played 133 defensive snaps and saw a quarterback rating when targeted of just 34.2. As a sophomore, he recorded 80 tackles, two pass breakups, three interceptions, and a quarterback rating against of 67.7. In his junior year, that rating ballooned to 124.4. His senior year saw 64 combined tackles and 34 defensive stops.

In 2022, Brown had 93 total tackles, 44 defensive stops, and a targeted passer rating of 108.7. He added 11 quarterback pressures and no sacks. He had a 72.1 overall Pro Football Focus grade, including 77.9 in run defense and 63.5 in coverage.

2023 outlook

Brown is undersized for a linebacker at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. His pro day 40 time of 4.74 doesn’t stand out, either. The Giants’ inside linebacker room is crowded, and the team already has Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin as linebackers who primarily play special teams. Therefore, Brown is most likely seeking to make the practice squad, either for the Giants or another team.