Nov 17, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots center Ben Brown (77) in action during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Patriots Get Unexpected Star After Position Change

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 11:00 AM ET

After arriving and immediately starting at center in his first game last year, Ben Brown is used to making starts on quick turnarounds. In the New England Patriots' 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers last week, Brown did it again.

After rookie left guard Jared Wilson was unable to suit up, Brown — who worked at all three interior offensive line spots during the summer — slotted into the starting lineup and helped the Patriots offensive line allow just one sack on the day (a sack that was officially credited as a coverage sack).

"It’s not too new for me because I played it a lot more in college than I did center, so I already had a lot of experience there prior to," Brown said. "And coming into the NFL, being able to play all three interior spots is so important. I feel like I’ve had that experience before and it’s not something that’s completely new to me."

Brown held his own in the team's second win of the year. The 27-year-old recorded a 68.3 grade, according to Pro Football Focus, and found familiarity in between Will Campbell and Garrett Bradbury at left tackle and center, respectively.

"It was great," Brown said. "They’re both really great players, really smart players, and being able to play in between both of those guys definitely makes my job easier."

While Wilson, who was dealing with both a knee and ankle injury en route to missing his first-career game, may return for the team's Sunday Night Football matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Brown was happy to contribute to the win in any way possible.

"I thought it was great," Brown said. "(I) think there’s some things to clean up, technique wise and some other stuff like that, but man, it was a lot of fun being out there. Felt like a team win (Sunday) and feel like we really played some complementary football. … It was fun to be able to contribute."

Now that the game is over, the Patriots are getting two off days of practices. Brown told reporters that as a group, the offensive line will lift and get treatment, before diving into the game film. There will be some stuff to clean up, Brown reiterated, but made sure to give the Patriots credit on what was their most impressive victory of the last few seasons.

“It’s fun, but also at the same time, there’s always things to be fixed and things to improve on — opportunities we see that we could have capitalized better on. So we’re always trying to learn and always trying to improve," Brown said.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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