NFL News: Former Lamar Jackson teammate joins Josh Allen’s Bills ahead of playoff game vs Ravens

The 2025 NFL playoffs will bring us a highly anticipated meeting early in the postseason, with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Needless to say, all eyes will be on quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, who lead the race for this year’s MVP award.

While the Bills head into this game with a slightly better record in the regular season, which gives them home-field advantage, it’s hard to tell who are favorites. Buffalo, therefore, has seemingly employed a special tactic to prepare for this opponent.

The AFC East champions decided to reunite with a player who’s also familiar with the Ravens just days before taking on Jackson and company. We’re talking about quarterback Anthony Brown.

On Wednesday, the Bills announced that they signed Brown to their practice squad, in a move that may help the team, especially the defensive unit, to prepare for Baltimore in the days prior to Sunday’s game.

Anthony Brown’s experience with Jackson’s Ravens

Brown, 26, spent his rookie season with the Ravens after going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. After months on the practice squad, he was elevated to the active roster to serve as Tyler Huntley’s backup, with Jackson on the sidelines.

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With Huntley also getting injured, the Oregon product ended up taking the field the same week he was activated, going three-of-five for 16 yards in the Ravens’ 16-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

John Harbaugh once again turned to Brown in Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season, since both Jackson and Huntley were out. With 286 yards and three turnovers from the quarterback, Baltimore lost 16-27 to the Cincinnati Bengals.

After being released by the team in 2023, Brown started to bounce around the league. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2024 NFL season, but was waived way before Week 1.

Returning to Buffalo to help the Bills prepare for Jackson

It didn’t take him long to find a new home in Buffalo, but the Bills cut him only a few days later. Brown eventually landed on the Arizona Cardinals, forming part of their scout team until the end of the regular season.

His practice squad deal expired as the Cardinals missed the playoffs, which came in great timing for the Bills. With Brown, Sean McDermott and company get a player who can mimick Jackson with the scout team in practice.

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“If you just put a mobile person back there planning on scrambles, the defense know it’s one of those plays. So in order to hide that, what Anthony brings is both. He can throw it and run it. A true, honest look, down in and down out,” McDermott said after adding Brown.

It’s safe to say that this is the only reason Brown is returning to the Bills, who already have Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White behind Allen on their 53-man roster. But if he can help them stop Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday, it will be more than worth it.