FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons acquired defensive back Sydney Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, pending a physical, and executed pick swaps in the fourth and sixth rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Atlanta sent picks Nos. 114 and 197 to Philadelphia in exchange for Brown and picks Nos. 122 and 215. This keeps the Falcons' total number of picks in the draft at five and helps them add depth to their safety room.
There were five safeties on the Falcons' roster prior to the addition of Brown, including starters Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts as well as DeMarcco Hellams, who has been a valuable special teams player and depth piece. Bates has been a team captain for Atlanta and is tied for the second-most interceptions in the NFL since joining the Falcons in 2023. Watts, who was a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2025, paced all rookies in interceptions last season and was named NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in September; he was also a finalist for Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Brown was drafted by the Eagles in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and has played safety for the team. The brother of Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown, he has appeared in 42 games with nine starts during his three-year career. Notably, Brown had a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 of the 2023 season.
In his three years in the league, Brown has 86 tackles, 5 pass defenses, 2 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions. Brown possesses the versatility to play multiple spots on the defense, including box safety, deep safety and in the slot. He has also proven to be a core special teamer, playing more than 750 snaps for the Eagles on special teams since joining the team.
Brown is not the first player from the Eagles' 2025 roster the Falcons have acquired this offseason. The team signed pass rusher Azeez Ojulari in free agency as part of a large group of new Falcons joining head coach Kevin Stefanski's squad.
After the pick swaps, the Falcons currently hold the following picks in the 2026 NFL Draft:
Pick No. 48 | Second round
Pick No. 79 | Third round
Pick No. 122 | Fourth round
Pick No. 215 | Sixth round
Pick No. 231 | Seventh round
