The Buffalo Bills know what they have in Spencer Brown.
That is why the team is taking it slow with their veteran right tackle as he recovers from a back injury that kept him out of the early part of training camp. That included Saturday鈥檚 preseason opener against the New York Giants at Highmark Stadium. Brown was the team鈥檚 only projected starter on the offensive line who did not see action in the 34-25 loss.
鈥淚鈥檇 rather him out there. I wish he was out there the whole time. But he knows his body,鈥 offensive coordinator Joe Brady said last week at training camp. 鈥淗e knows what he needs to work on. It鈥檚 great getting him out there, doing some of these (individual drills), right now, and him knowing, 鈥楬ey, I need to work a little more on this,鈥 but I think he鈥檚 in a really good place, feels good. I鈥檓 excited to be able to get him to kind of keep ramping up.鈥
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Brady鈥檚 excitement is for good reason. Brown blossomed into one of the NFL鈥檚 best right tackles in 2024. Analytics website Pro Football Focus charged Brown with just one sack and three quarterback hits last season. His overall grade of 73.6 ranked 28th out of 60 offensive tackles to play at least 592 snaps.
That number misrepresents Brown鈥檚 importance to the Bills鈥 offensive line, and quarterback Josh Allen. While he has been there to support backup offensive tackles Ryan Van Demark and Tylan Grable while he鈥檚 been out, Brown knows that the real work comes on the grass. Watching from the sideline this summer has been tough.
鈥淪pencer is one of the guys in the locker room that everybody looks to for his mentality,鈥 Allen said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a dog. To have him back out there and just kind of, like, the quiet meanness that he has 鈭 he plays with a real chip on his shoulder, and you see it when he plays.鈥
Bills right tackle Spencer Brown let offensive line coach Aaron Kromer know he was good to take more reps in practice in his own special way.
Brown鈥檚 mentality was on display Wednesday. In his first practice back participating in full-team drills, he was supposed to take only between 12 and 15 reps. Feeling good, however, he decided to change that plan, which he communicated to offensive line coach Aaron Kromer in his own special way.
鈥淚 gave Kromer the finger because he wanted to take me out,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going out, man. I feel fine! So I got a little cardio in, but it was awesome to get back in there and just be in the huddle again.鈥
Brown even managed to get into a brief shoving match with rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders during the practice, although nothing more came of it. Allen had a theory on where Brown鈥檚 anger may have come from.
鈥淲e played our final Catan game last night, and he wasn鈥檛 first, second or third 鈭 I鈥檒l tell you that,鈥 Allen said. 鈥淗e was a little angry today about it, and I鈥檓 sure he threw around a few guys that didn鈥檛 warrant it, but he had to get some anger out.鈥
Brown, 27, had back surgery after the 2022 season, his second in the league. Back injuries are usually bad news for offensive linemen, but the surgery was a success, even if having it worried Brown. He said he鈥檚 had occasional flare-ups since that time, the latest of which came from varying his workout routine prior to training camp. In an effort to add some bulk, the 6-foot-8, 311-pounder started to do a new lift that is a variation of a squat.
His back did not agree with the exercise. And because he pushed the envelope a bit too far, the muscles were overworked and tensed up. When that happens, Brown said, inflammation builds up around his disks, which needs to subside before the muscles can release.
The Bills鈥 strength and conditioning staff has treated Brown for the flare-ups before, so he is confident in the plan to get him back to 100%.
鈥淩eally, all it is is mobility, strength and stability,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淪o, working on those three things, our training staff does a super-good job, here. That helps me out, and we鈥檝e already been through it before, so it鈥檚 not really, like, 鈥極h, what鈥檚 going on?鈥 It鈥檚 like, 鈥楤ack to these seven exercises for the next three weeks,鈥 and that鈥檚 what we鈥檝e been doing. It鈥檚 gotten better every single week.鈥
Earlier in his career, Brown would have been worried about missing practice time during training camp. When you鈥檙e trying to find your way in the NFL, one missed rep can feel like you鈥檙e opening the door for someone else to take your job.
Now, Brown is more secure in his role. That is not to say he approaches rehab with any less urgency. It just means that he has proven himself to be a key part of an offensive line that in 2024 was the best of the Allen era.
The coaching staff has full trust in Brown, and that, in turn, builds confidence in the player.
鈥淵ears ago, I was worried about (the) locker room, how I鈥檓 being portrayed or what they think I can do and the confidence that my teammates have in me,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淣ow, everybody knows what I can do, and coaches know that. It was more comforting. I was more relaxed going into this little flare-up.鈥
