Raiders add linebacker Preston Brown
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Fresh off a victory over Cincinnati, the Raiders have added a former Bengals linebacker to their roster in Preston Brown.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden confirmed the move during his Monday press conference.
“We’re excited about adding Preston to our team,” Gruden said.
In his sixth pro season out of Louisville, Brown has played in 80 games, starting 77. He spent the first four years of his career with the Bills before signing with the Bengals as a free agent in 2017. Cincinnati cut Brown last Tuesday.
Originally entering the league as a third-round pick, Brown has 599 career tackles 21 tackles for loss, five interceptions and a sack.
Gruden first cited Brown’s age of 27 when describing what he likes about him. But Gruden added that Brown has the intangibles the club generally likes to see in a middle linebacker.
“He’s charismatic, he’s intelligent, physical guy, football junkie — and he’s been productive in the league,” Gruden said.
The Raiders have been looking for linebacker help throughout the season, particularly since Vontaze Burfict’s suspension after the Colts game in Week 4 and Marquel Lee’s ankle injury suffered against the Vikings the week prior.
While Tahir Whitehead and Nicholas Morrow have mainly held down the position, the club signed Dakota Allen off the Rams practice squad, but he was then cut after appearing in just two games on special teams. The Raiders also brought back veteran linebacker Brandon Marshall, but he was cut after being inactive for the one week he was on the 53-man roster.
Will Compton has been the one linebacker to stick. Signed on Oct. 30, he’s mostly played special teams in his three games in Silver and Black.
Gruden said defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and linebackers coach David Lippincott will do their best to get Brown up to speed quickly.
“We’ll try to fast-track him,” Gruden said.
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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.
