Free agent defensive end Courtney Brown underwent a physical during his visit to Redskins Park on Thursday. The team remains interested in signing the 6-4, 290-pound lineman, released by the Cleveland Browns earlier this week.
Brown, 6-4 and 290 pounds, flew into Ashburn, Va., from Cleveland on Thursday morning and spent most of the day with team officials. He was expected to fly back to Cleveland on Friday morning.
"We brought Courtney in and we gave him a physical so that we understand everything about his situation," head coach Joe Gibbs said on Thursday evening. "Right now we're just working through the process."
Asked if the visit was productive, Gibbs said: "The best way for me to say it is we had a good visit."
Brown was expected to visit with several NFL teams before deciding on where he'll play next season.
It was the second visit that Gibbs had with Brown this week. Gibbs and defensive coordinator-defensive line coach Greg Blache flew to Cleveland on Monday night to meet with Brown.
"We wanted to be one of the teams that had a chance to talk with him," Gibbs said earlier this week. "We wanted to make sure we made him aware of our interest. And anytime you get a chance to talk with someone, you'd rather do it face to face."
Brown has played five seasons in Cleveland and has recorded 207 tackles (134 solo) and 17 sacks. His NFL career has been marred by injuries, including a torn foot ligament last season that cost him 14 games. He has also had a torn knee ligament, a ruptured biceps tendon and a high ankle sprain.
Asked about how concerned the Redskins are about Brown's health, Gibbs replied: "I think anybody who is dealing with Courtney knows that he would not have been released if it had not been for the physical part. This guy is a very talented player, but he's had a number of injuries and he's been on injured reserve. So anybody interested in him is going to have to check all of the physical stuff and evaluate that."
On Wednesday, the Redskins signed safety Pierson Prioleau, who is a second cousin of Brown. They grew up in the same hometown of Alvin, S.C.
Brown is also a close friend of Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington. The two played on the same Penn State defense from 1996-99. Coincidentally, Arrington was the second overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, behind Brown. Left tackle Chris Samuels was the third overall pick that year.
At Penn State, Brown established a collegiate record with 33 sacks, topping the previous mark of 30 held by Larry Kubin (1977-80). In his junior and senior seasons, he started every game at left defensive end and was named an All-Big Ten Conference first-team choice and the Defensive Player of the Year.
