Feb. 17, 2026, 4:54 p.m. CT

The Dallas Cowboys hoped to be able to turn a project into a player when they signed defensive lineman Earnest Brown in 2024. After spending three years in Los Angeles with the Rams, he spent time in 2024 on the practice squads of both the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the end of a lost season for both teams, the Cowboys signed Brown off the Bucs practice squad to the main roster.

He ended up sticking with the Cowboys into training camp, and although he was released after the preseason, the team re-signed him and kept him on the practice squad for the entirety of the 2025 campaign. He was never called into action, though, as the team remade their defensive tackle rotation on the fly. Brown seemingly made an impression on his coaching staff, as his former defensive line coach has brought him with him to his new team.

Brown has signed with the Tennessee TItans, where he will reunite with DL coach Aaron Whitecotton.

The Cowboys ended up with a rather deep cadre of defensive tackles by the end of the 2025 season. A position that started the offseason with a ton of question marks, added Perrion Winfrey early in the spring, Kenny Clark late in the summer and Quinnen Williams mid-season to completely revamp the depth chart. The additions revamped what many thought would be a porous unit and made them rather competitive up the middle of their defensive line.

Brown has appeared in 15 games across his career, and will be looking to notch his first sack if he is able to suit up in a regular season game under new head coach Robert Saleh.

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