Colts Elevate Tony Brown to Active Roster for Week 1

The Colts have elevated cornerback Tony Brown to the active roster from the practice squad for Week 1 vs. the Texans.

The Indianapolis Colts will have some reinforcements in the secondary on Sunday in their season opener against the Houston Texans, as they have elevated cornerback Tony Brown to the active roster from the practice squad.

This move makes sense, as the Colts are rather thin at the cornerback position given their group's recent history of injuries.

Starters Stephon Gilmore and Kenny Moore II have seen their fair share of ailments over the last couple of seasons while Isaiah Rodgers just recently recovered from a concussion.

Brown joins Gilmore, Moore, Rodgers, Brandon Facyson, and Dallis Flowers as the Colts' cornerbacks. We could see the Colts list Flowers as inactive before the game on Sunday, as it would be the undrafted rookie's first game action and the Colts aren't presently dealing with injuries to their cornerbacks or return specialists.

Brown simply gives the Colts' defense a more reliable player on the boundary and in the slot. He can also contribute on special teams.

"Love Tony, just love his aggressiveness. I love his competitiveness," Colts head coach Frank Reich said about Brown during training camp. "It’s interesting, Tony, when he got here – just getting to know him, I really have just appreciated and respected him more and more as time has gone on. You can just see his tenacity. He’s a valuable special teams contributor and really his corner play and nickel play has been noteworthy. I think he’s done a good job. It’s been a competitive battle in there amongst those guys, but Tony has done a nice job. 

An undrafted free agent out of Alabama, Brown (6'0", 199, 27 years old) initially signed with the Los Angeles Chargers following the 2018 NFL Draft. He has also spent time with the Green Bay Packers (2018-19), Cincinnati Bengals (2020-21), and Las Vegas Raiders (2021).

After spending much of last season on Las Vegas' practice squad, Brown last saw action for Cincinnati in 2020 when he started 1-of-13 games and totaled 13 tackles (2 for loss) and 1 pass breakup. Brown has started 4-of-33 career games, compiling 58 tackles (3 for loss), 2 forced fumbles, and 6 pass breakups.

What do you expect from Brown on Sunday? Drop them below in the comment section!

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