Monday, the NFL's legal tampering period officially kicked off before free agency contracts can become set in stone. The Arizona Cardinals began this period with a more savvy free agent signing, but it was highly necessary.
Arizona reached an agreement to re-sign guard Evan Brown on a two-year deal worth $11.5 million.
The 28-year-old started all 17 games for the Cardinals in 2024.
The Cardinals made a free agency move everyone should be talking about, but isn't
With some other big names on the free agent market this offseason, Brown's name rarely came up in talks of the "top" guys.
However, Arizona was able to get an absolute steal in bringing him back.
Last season, Brown gave up just two sacks on 644 pass blocking snaps per Pro Football Focus. Other than those two sacks, Brown did not give up a single quarterback hit.
For folks who might not have caught that, read the above statement again.
Everybody is talking about Trey Smith, Joe Thuney and other top guards who are either being signed, traded for or are entering free agency. Yet, Brown had a strong season in 2024 and should be given credit.
Adding to his impressive campaign, Brown was only penalized twice last season, too.
While he is a better pass blocker than he is in the run game, Brown still earned a solid overall grade of 65.9 via PFF. His number in the pass protecting department, though, stood at 73.5.