ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have signed right tackle Spencer Brown to a four-year extension, linking him to the team through the 2028 season, two days before the team's first game of the year.
Signing Brown -- a 2021 third-round pick out of Northern Iowa -- continues the team's trend of re-signing its own draft picks, notably before or early into their fourth year with the team.
"It's one thing to get drafted, it's another thing to get to a second contract," Brown said on Friday. "There's a lot of stepping-stones and learning, you have to go through that, especially in younger years, and then just doing the same thing day in, day out and hopefully it pays off. ... Then [general manager Brandon] Beane and the front office showing belief in me that I was doing the right things, and I told Beane I went from proving everybody wrong and now I got to start proving everybody right. So, I look forward to that."
Brown's journey to the NFL included playing eight-man football in high school in Lenox, Iowa.
He'll join left tackle Dion Dawkins as the team's starting tackles for the foreseeable future, protecting quarterback Josh Allen, as the 2017 second-round pick signed a three-year extension this offseason that goes through 2027. Right guard O'Cyrus Torrence is entering his second year (signed through 2026), while new center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards are with the team through 2025.
Brown, 26, is coming off the best and healthiest season of his career. He and the rest of the Bills' starting offensive line started every game last season. Brown has dealt with a variety of injuries during his time with the Bills, including shoulder surgery this offseason and back surgery in 2022, and staying healthy has been an issue at times.
"There was some tough summers there, especially with the back. I didn't really know what was going to happen really," Brown said. "That was kind of like the rock bottom of your physical for me is, I mean, I could barely even like get out of bed and stuff like that ... and then, fast forward 'til now, it probably hasn't hit me quite yet, but, just like the day in, day out that I was talking about just carried over."
In 17 regular-season games last year, Brown had the highest run block win rate of his career (76.4%) and allowed four sacks (compared with seven in 14 games in 2022). He has averaged over a 90% pass block win rate in each of the past two seasons (91.4% and 90.7%).
In 2023, the Bills allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL (24).
"It's been a long process. Just a lot of conversations been happening," Brown said. "But happy it's concluded and just getting ready to look forward to Sunday."