Chad Brown, 36, will be playing his 15th season in the NFL. The 6-2, 245-pound linebacker entered the league in the second round of the 1993 NFL draft as a Steeler. After four seasons with the Steelers, he was picked up by the Seahawks where he stayed for eight years. Brown appeared in three Pro Bowls with his previous two teams. Until the Patriots picked him up last season, Brown had been a starter every year since he was a rookie. His experience makes him versitile enough to play both inside and outside linebacker.

In 2005, Brown started five of the Patriots first six games at inside linebacker. He played in 15 regular season games and both postseason games. Brown was a valuable contributor on special teams, recording 54 total tackles last season.

Boasting 78.0 career sacks, Brown is a self-proclaimed "shy and quiet" guy. He has 1097 career tackles, 813 of which were solos. Over the years, he's had five seasons of 100 tackles or better, and he once notched 4.5 sacks in a single game against Cincinnati (1996).

Brown played for the University of Colorado in college, teaming up with former Patriot and fellow linebacker Ted Johnson for two years on the Buffaloes defense.

A California native, Brown now resides in Colorado where he owns and operates "Pro Exotics," an exotic pet store specializing in non-venomous snakes. Hopefully, this snake-lover will be able to help put the squeeze on the Patriots concerns when it comes to depth at linebacker.

Brown was released by the Patriots on March 13, but the Patriots apparently kept in touch with him throughout the summer. According to Espn.com, Brown agreed to a one-year deal on July 26.