Steelers Sign former Cowboys Starting CB to Practice Squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Dallas Cowboys starting cornerback Anthony Brown to the team’s practice squad, the club announced on Wednesday.

Brown, 29, was is returning from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in Week 13 last year, that cost him the end of the 2022 season and has prevented him from working with a team throughout this summer.

He had been the starting cornerback in Dallas at the time of his injury. In his seven-year NFL career, Brown has played in 94 games and started 69, including 28 over the last two seasons for Dallas.

His best season was in 2021, when he made 16 starts and recored career highs in interceptions (three), passes defended (17) and tackles (59). Brown played alongside fellow Steelers DBs Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal in that season when they were all in Dallas.

The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Brown has played both slot and outside corner in his career, though most of his recent work was outside. He played 591 of his 728 snaps outside in 2022 and 804 of his 1,046 there in 2021.

Brown’s health and ability to return to full capabilities after a serious injury are obviously question marks, but if he is healthy enough to return to form, he could represent a serious upgrade to the team’s outside cornerback depth, which took a major hit when rookie seventh-round pick Cory Trice was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Brown is the third player brought into the Steelers practice squad from outside the organization, and the first veteran signed to the Steelers practice squad. The team has also added former Chicago Bears tackle Kellen Diesch and former San Francisco 49ers guard Joey Fisher from outside the team, along with eight players that were with the club in training camp: CB Luq Barcoo, NT Breiden Fehoko, NT Jonathan Marshall, OLB David Perales, RB Greg Bell, S Trenton Thompson, TE Rodney Williams and WR Dez Fitzpatrick.