Buffalo Bills Prep for Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson By Signing Dual Threat Quarterback

Ahead of their playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills are relying on former Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown to their practice squad to help prepare for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the NFL Divisional Round.

Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown Jr. poses for a photo with he'd coach Mario Cristobal before the game against Oregon State at Autzen. Eug 111427 Uofb 11 / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The NFL's Divisional Round is upon us, with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Baltimore Ravens this weekend after a 31-7 win against the Denver Broncos. To prepare for the Ravens, the Bills have brought a new quarterback up to their active roster, and Oregon Duck fans might just recognize his familiar face.

Former Oregon Duck Anthony Brown (class of 2020-2021) has been signed to the Bills' practice squad as of Wednesday. Brown has a previous history with both the Ravens and Bills and it seems the Bills are using Brown as a practice week stand-in for the Raven's domineering force of a quarterback; Lamar Jackson.

In 2022, Brown signed as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens. After being juggled between the active roster and practice squad, Brown played in Week 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and started in Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals for the Ravens that season. Brown went 22-49 in passing with 302 yards, no touchdowns, and five sacks. He ended the season with a quarterback rating of 48.2.

Jan 8, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) pressures Baltimore Ravens quarterback Anthony Brown (12) in the third quarter during a Week 18 NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals won, 27-16. Nfl Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fast forward two seasons to 2024, and Brown was working with Buffalo during the preseason. He saw action in the Bills' final game of the preseason against the Carolina Panthers, where he put up 11-12 in the passing game with 102 yards and also exhibited a 13-yard rush. Brown was cut from the team shortly after the game, but it seems Buffalo kept him in mind as a foil for Jackson.

Besides being a former back-up for Jackson, Brown is also known to use his mobility in a similar way to the Ravens' great. Brown is also known for extending plays which mirrors Jackson's "long-winded" offensive strategy.

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In a recent media availability, Bills coach Sean McDermott explained how hard Jackson is to counter and why Brown is so essential to preparing for the Ravens at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.

“Anthony Brown helps with that. The full answer is if you just put a mobile person back there when you’re planning and working on the scrambles or the quarterback run game, the defensive players know this is one of those plays if you just have to sub out one of our normal quarterbacks for a mobile player like that," McDermott said, "In order to hide that, what Anthony brings to the table is both. He can throw it, he can run it, and so there’s a little bit more of a true, honest look down in and down out, whether he’s handing it off, dropping back, or doing some of the things, conceptually at least, that Lamar does.”

Brown was the final quarterback of the Mario Cristobal era at Oregon. A transfer from Boston College, Brown gained the starting position at Oregon after former starter Tyler Shough transferred to Texas Tech. As the 2021 starter for all 14 games, Brown helped the Ducks reach a 10-4 record with 64.1% completion percentage (leading Pac-12 quarterbacks that year), 2,989 yards, and 19 touchdowns.

Dec 29, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown (13) throws the ball against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half of the 2021 Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brown's time at Oregon was marred with controversy, as the quarterback was blamed by fans for the less-splashy and less-aggressive nature of Oregon's offense that year, with the quarterback often resulting to short screen passes to extend Oregon's drives along with offense play calling that simply didn't have Oregon's typical high-tempo feel. Many of Brown's Oregon teammates came to the quarterback's defense after fans booed Brown throughout a home game against the Cal Golden Bears in 2021, which the Ducks won 24-17.

“At the end of the day, it really motivated us. You want to say that you didn’t notice it, but I’m not going to lie to you, we all noticed it. You can’t sit there and be like ‘Oh well I didn’t notice it.’ Yea, you noticed it," said former Oregon Ducks' center and current Ducks' offense graduate assistant Ryan Walk. "It motivated us. The O-line went to AB and said ‘Hey, we’ve got your back, have our back.’ And that’s what we showed on those last two drives. We’ve got each other’s backs. AB is our guy, he’s our leader, and we’re rolling with him regardless.”

The Buffalo Bills take on the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m. PT.

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