The Oakland Raiders managed to shore up some depth to their linebacker corps with the addition of Preston Brown heading into their Week 12 matchup against the New York Jets.
Brown spent the 2019 NFL season as a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals before being was waived last week. It is safe to say that this is quite the reversal of fortunate to go from a winless Bengals team to a Raiders team that is in control of its own playoff destiny heading into the final stretch of the year.
Oakland has not hesitated to make quick use of its new arrivals as they did with safety D.J. Swearinger and defensive end Dion Jordan in Week 11, but it appears that will not be the case this time around.
Head coach Jon Gruden does not think Brown will be ready to play in New York, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
Gruden doesn't think new LB Preston Brown will be ready to go Sunday
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 22, 2019
Gruden’s comments indicate that he is content with how their personnel fits going into Week 12. Of course, it would be safe to take his word with a grain of salt considering how big of a role Swearinger played in the 17-10 win over Cincinnati.
Regardless, Brown is still happy to be joining former Buffalo Bills teammate and wide receiver Zay Jones for a fresh start in Oakland. The possibility of potentially etching out a role in some crucial games this year only provides an added bonus.
Brown’s best performance of the season came when he tallied a team-high 14 tackles for the Bengals against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2. Gruden may very well be keeping that in mind if the Raiders find themselves shorthanded at linebacker for any reason.
The fact that Brown is already familiar with defensive coordinator Paul Guenther‘s scheme that was leftover from his time in Cincinnati provides even more intrigue about his potential moving forward.
