Bobby Brown has the same name as a ’90s pop artist, and that shouldn’t be among the 100 most interesting things that come to mind when people mention the Rams defensive tackle entering his fourth year. His name is the same as that of a famous (though how long has it been since Bobby Brown, the artist When someone (actually “famous”?) has this name, it happens to a lot of people.

No, the interesting thing about Brown is that he’s entering a contract year and, if he has a good season, has a chance to make big money as a free agent in 2025. Unless the Rams have a lot of faith in Brown and think he’s worth the risk of extending his contract now when it would be much cheaper than it could be next offseason.

But is it worth the risk?

Brown, a fourth-round pick in 2021, played just 22 snaps as a rookie and then was suspended for the first six games of 2022. After returning, he still didn’t play much this season, 164 snaps, and recorded just eight tackles. But last year, when the Rams really needed players to step in around Aaron Donald, Brown had a career-high 313 snaps and finished with 31 tackles, including four for loss.

Brown isn’t as present in the pass rush as AD, but the Rams knew that when they drafted him, and every defensive coordinator wants a run-stopping player like Bobby Brown. If the Rams don’t re-sign Bobby Brown, they’ll still have to replace him with an equivalent player; should they take the risk of doing that in the draft, hoping someone like Tyler Davis or Cory Durden can fill the role next year, or just extend him “now,” as in in 2024?

For those saying don’t extend his contract, that’s a perfectly reasonable position. It’s actually the most reasonable one, especially because the Rams should have no problem extending Brown next year if they want to before free agency, although it could be more expensive because the player is sure to get the best snaps of his career in year four.

With Kobie Turner and now Braden Fiske at his side, Brown becomes the de facto veteran leader of LA’s defensive line. If he takes on that role, he’ll be doing himself a huge favor with his next contract, which may not be nearly as expensive as you might fear.

Since he’s neither Aaron Donald nor Grover Stewart, Brown should command a “keep me so I can extend my evaluation” amount for a defensive tackle, which I would put at around $7-8 million per season.

Let’s consider former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw. Is Kinlaw better than Brown? I see no reason why the former 49ers defensive tackle, who is a bit of a bust, should be considered better than Brown. Kinlaw is certainly a different type of defensive tackle, but San Francisco didn’t keep him because they weren’t impressed enough to double down, not because the 49ers are salary cap tight. Even though they are salary cap tight, the 49ers would never have secured Javon Hargrave if they hadn’t disappointed with Kinlaw.

Still, the Jets signed Kinlaw to a one-year, $7.25 million deal in the offseason. He’s more of a pass rush presence than a run defense.

Another example would be Shy Tuttle. With four sacks in four years before entering free agency in 2023, Shuttle signed a three-year, $19 million contract with the Panthers.

If Brown successfully completes 500 snaps this year, continues to be LA’s best run defender and takes on a leadership role for a young defense, why would not He would demand $8 million a year? And where else are the Rams going to get the next Bobby Brown if they let him go? Maybe the Rams could even get Brown to sign a deal that keeps him under contract at least through 2025 and give the team an extra year to evaluate since his first two seasons in the league were a washout? Maybe that would only take $5-7 million.

And Brown just turned 24 this month. What kind of defensive tackle could he be at 27?

At this point, someone else might point to pop artist Bobby Brown. But I’m the type of guy who does weirder things.