Stephon Gilmore, Mike Gillislee and Chris Hogan have all become integral parts of the New England Patriots in recent seasons after previously playing for the Buffalo Bills.
Linebacker Preston Brown is set to be an unrestricted free agent in the coming weeks and he could envision himself making a similar move within the division if the opportunity presents itself.
“It’s a little weird,” Brown said of his former Buffalo teammates in New England, via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m not going to sit here and lie like, ‘Oh well.’ You’re happy for them, but you’re also like, all right, every time somebody goes to the Patriots, they’re going to the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl. It’s something you feel.
“But the Patriots, they definitely seem to get the best out of the Buffalo Bills.”
Brown has said he believes the Bills want to keep him around after he tied for the league lead in tackles last season. He’s also hasn’t missed a game in four years and has eclipsed 100 tackles in each of his four seasons.
The Patriots defense was horrendous for the first month of the season last year. The team managed to paste over the flaws of the unit to perform adequately the second half of the year as the team made it to the Super Bowl for an eighth time in the last 17 seasons. However, the defense was shredded again by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl as the flaws resurfaced on the biggest stage.
Brown would provide a capable defender at the linebacker position to complement Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts and Dont’a Hightower. However, the Bills could be just as keen to keep Brown in Buffalo instead of watching another player depart for their chief division rival.