The Bills reinforced two positions in need of some quality depth on Monday. Buffalo signed linebacker Zach Brown and cornerback Corey White just hours after they completed free agent visits at One Bills Drive.
Brown, 26, is expected to compete for the starting inside linebacker role alongside Preston Brown in Buffalo's 3-4 defensive scheme. The Bills were on the lookout for a veteran option to potentially pair with their third-year linebacker. With 49 career games including 33 NFL starts, Brown offers the kind of experience and athleticism GM Doug Whaley was seeking.
A former second-round pick by Tennessee (2012), Brown had spent his entire career with the Titans. An inside linebacker by trade, Brown was productive in each of his first two seasons as a starter posting 90-plus tackles.
A torn pectoral muscle cost him almost all of the 2014 season, but Brown returned in 2015 to contribute 77 tackles, three pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.
Brown still has quality range as an inside linebacker possessing the athleticism to drop and cover. Buffalo was in the market for linebacker help after the free agent departure of Nigel Bradham.
Meanwhile White will provide experienced depth for Buffalo's cornerback contingent. The 25-year old is a former fifth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2012. White split last season between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals appearing in a combined 10 games.
The Samford product has played in 51 career games with 20 starts, totaling 123 tackles, one sack, four interceptions, 18 passes defensed, five quarterback hits, three tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
His most successful season came in 2014 when he started nine games and put up 53 tackles, six pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.
At 6-1 and 205 pounds, White is the long-limbed type of corner that Bills GM Doug Whaley covets for his defensive roster.
The Bills were in need of reinforcements at cornerback after both Ron Brooks and Leodis McKelvin signed with Philadelphia as free agents this offseason.
Buffalo now has young veterans at two need positions with solid experience to come in and compete for roles on the defensive side of the ball.
