Cardinals Release OL Evan Brown

Brown was attached to a cap hit of $6.41MM in 2026, and the Cardinals will now be left with only $1.5MM in dead money. Brown was set to enter the final season of the two-year, $11.5MM deal he inked with Arizona last offseason.

The lineman bounced around the NFL as a reserve offensive lineman to begin his career, but he found a starting gig with the Lions in 2021. He started 24 games for Detroit between 2021 and 2022 before catching on with the Seahawks during the 2023 offseason. He proceeded to start 16 games at center in Seattle.

He joined the Cardinals ahead of the 2024 season and started a career-high 17 games during his first year in Arizona. That prompted the Cardinals to hand him a two-year contract last offseason, and Brown added another 11 starts to his resume in 2025. While Pro Football Focus generally ranked Brown as a middle-of-the-road lineman throughout his career as a starter, he bottomed out with a 60th-place showing among 79 qualifying guards in 2025.

Still, Brown’s ability to play both guard and center should make him a commodity in free agency. He may be hard pressed to garner a definitive starting gig, but he’ll surely be attractive as a key backup.