'Underrated' Canadian Brown looks to make mark, help Eagles to Super Bowl title
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was asked this Super Bowl week which players on the Eagles were the most underrated.
The first name from his mouth was Sydney Brown, the London, Ont. native and the only Canadian participating in Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown, a backup safety on this year’s team, has been under the radar for the Eagles in part because the trajectory of his career was interrupted at the end of his rookie season by a torn ACL, one week after he returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown.
The rehab took him all the way to October where his return to the field has been primarily on special teams, as he works his way back up to game speed.
“Sydney is an amazing athlete, an amazing talent, a smart football player … the impression he’s left on me is that he’s a high effort and energy guy who won’t quit on anything and is on the right track for developing into a starter,” said Eagles safeties coach Joe Kasper.
“The thing that stands out is he’s a violent football player and this is still a sport for violent people and he does not back away from a challenge or contact of any kind and I will continue to encourage him to do that.”
“If you look at his story, he takes opportunities and runs with them. It’s my job to push him to make sure he does that.”
Opportunities started coming quickly for Brown and his twin brother, Chase, during their teenage years in London. Their talents opened doors to move to Bradenton, Florida before grade 11 to increase their chances of making it to NCAA football and ultimately the NFL.
There they lived with a host family, Phil and Karen Yates, who are in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, as is Chase.
The pair wound up as teammates at the University of Illinois, with Sydney being selected in third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, one day before Chase, who was selected in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Bengals. Chase took on the starting tailback role in his second NFL season with the Bengals, and the ultra-competitive brothers faced each on the field for the first time in their careers during a game in October.
“It’s been a journey and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” Sydney said this week. “The lessons, the ups and downs, the ACL tear and the adversity of going through it, it’s been nothing but a blessing … it’s just crazy where this game can take you.”
Including to the Super Bowl, although it’s clear he wishes he could have been able to play a bigger role in getting his team here.
But for Sydney, this is just the beginning of what he expects to be a long road ahead in the NFL for himself.
“I didn’t enter the league with the mindset of just to get by,” Brown said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to become a star in this league. I tell myself every single day what I am and I’m always striving for that. No matter what type of success you have in this league, for me when you attain it the ceiling only gets higher. That moment of satisfaction is never there for me. I always want more.”