Earnest Brown IV
Earnest Brown IV is an American professional football defensive end. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats.
College career
Brown was ranked as a fourstar recruit by 247Sports.com coming out of high school. He committed to Northwestern on March 22, 2016.Professional career
Los Angeles Rams
Brown was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the 174th pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft on May 1, 2021. On May 16, 2021, he signed his four-year rookie contract with Los Angeles. He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He appeared in 5 games. Brown won Super Bowl LVI when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.On February 15, 2022, Brown signed a reserve/future contract with the Rams. He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 24. He appeared in 7 games.
Brown was released on January 8, 2024 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent when his practice squad contract expired.
San Francisco 49ers
On February 15, 2024, Brown signed with the San Francisco 49ers. He was waived on May 14.Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On May 22, 2024, Brown signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was placed on injured reserve on September 6. Brown was activated on October 20. On December 31, the Buccaneers re-signed Brown to their practice squad. He appeared in three games.Dallas Cowboys
On January 1, 2025, Brown was signed by the Dallas Cowboys off the Buccaneers practice squad.On August 26, 2025, Brown was released by the Cowboys as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.