What Brandon Browner Brings to the New England Patriots Defense

It took until Week 5 for New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to unleash the man-coverage beast lying dormant in the heart of Darrelle Revis. One would think that Brandon Browner—who spent the first four weeks on suspension—will be able to show off his strengths in a more truncated timeline.

Per Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe, some of Browner's fellow defensive backs weighed in on his impending arrival in the defensive backfield:

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“Having Brandon out there will be nice,” McCourty said of his 6-foot-4-inch teammate. “He’s a bigger guy, a physical guy who lets his presence be known as soon as he steps on the field. You guys saw that in training camp and in preseason when he was out there, and it will be a big plus having him out there.

“He’s a veteran football player who’s been in tough situations. He’ll be ready to go when he’s out there.”

“We’re excited to have him back, man, it’s been too long,” Revis said. “He brings a lot of physicality to our defense, and we’re looking forward to that, for him to be aggressive and bring that physicality to our D.”

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Browner's physicality is exactly what New England's defense needs to assuage some fears brought on by the sudden influx of injuries. Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty and Alfonzo Dennard could be playing at less than 100 percent.

Browner's ability to play press man at the line, disrupting the timing of routes and delaying the quarterback's delivery helps in multiple ways. Defensive linemen who may not rush as well as Jones will have another quarter of a second to get home. Safeties such as Duron Harmon who may not have the range of McCourty have an extra beat to close the sideline window.

In an ideal situation, Revis and Browner lock down the perimeter receivers in man coverage. A single-high safety can play on top of Browner to account for his less-than-stellar long speed. That leaves eight players to account for the interior receivers and to stop the run. Versatile players such as Hightower, Jamie Collins and Pat Chung will thrive in their roles inside.

If Browner sees time, who does that remove from the equation? Revis isn't going anywhere. Kyle Arrington is the top-ranked corner on the team, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Logan Ryan has done well matched up against No. 2 and No. 3 receivers. 

Reductions in playing time could be in store for the likes of Alfonzo Dennard and Malcolm Butler. If Browner or Arrington can fill more of a safety role, Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner could be the ones losing snaps on game day.

Whether Browner plays five snaps or 50 against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, his mere presence should have an unnerving effect on the Bills receivers. When pass-catchers start thinking instead of reacting, the defense starts to smile. Look for Browner to bring a lot of smiles to the Patriots sideline this Sunday.