Ten years ago, an undrafted free agent from Vicksburg, Mississippi rose from obscurity to become an NFL legend with the New England Patriots.

Ben Brown still has a long way to go to duplicate the path of Super Bowl champion Malcolm Butler, but he’s off to a good start in making history repeat itself.

Brown, who was signed by the Patriots last week from the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad, got his first NFL start last Sunday. He turned in a solid performance against the Houston Texans that has made him the team’s starting center moving forward and an immediate hit in Boston.

On Monday the Patriots released Nick Leverett, leaving Brown — a St. Aloysius High School and Ole Miss alum — as the only center on the roster going into their Week 7 game against Jacksonville in London, England.

“Crazy for sure,” Brown, speaking during the team’s media availability on Monday, said of his wild week. “Obviously very blessed to be here, very excited to be here. I just want to do my best to help this team win and ultimately to do my job at the best of my potential.”

Brown only had two practices with the Patriots before starting at center in last Sunday’s game against the Texans. Houston won, 41-21, but Brown did not allow a sack or pressure, and did not commit a penalty while protecting rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Maye was also making his first NFL start.

The Patriots (1-5) have used six different offensive line combinations in their first six games, but seem to have solidified at least one spot for the time being.

“Look, this is one of those things, I’ve never seen it before. A guy being able to come in here after four or five days and become the starting center. So, he did a great job,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said during his Monday media availability. “I would say he probably was our best lineman yesterday, and he did a good job for us. He did a good job all through the week during practice, and then went out there and performed pretty well.”

Jerod Mayo said Ben Brown was the #Patriots best OL yesterday

Not the fleetest of foot, but Brown was sturdy, was generally quick to ID line games, and played with good power, leverage, and toughness

Big reason for the pass pro's improvement and made plays in the run game https://t.co/LMySV3IdVf pic.twitter.com/nvKHCRXt0Q

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 14, 2024

Brown’s rapid ascension with the Patriots is the latest twist in his winding journey through the NFL. He originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He tore his biceps that preseason and spent the whole season on injured reserve.

The Bengals released him at the end of training camp in 2023. Brown signed with the Seattle Seahawks a couple days later, and played — for two offensive series and on special teams — in one game.

The Seahawks released him in November 2023, and he later spent a week on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad before signing with the Raiders. Las Vegas released him again at the end of training camp and re-signed him to its practice squad, where he stayed until the Patriots plucked him to fill a hole in their roster.

Although Brown has played in a number of preseason games the past two years, and was on Seattle’s 53-man roster for about six weeks in 2023, Sunday’s start with the Patriots was only the second time he’s been on the field in a regular-season game.

“I think it’s been one that’s had it’s had its ups and downs for sure,” Brown said of his career. “It’s been a long journey, but I think my faith and my family has really helped me to keep pushing and to keep fighting, so I’m very thankful for that.”

After Sunday’s game, Brown credited his journey through the NFL for part of his success. He said having been on so many teams had exposed him to a number of different concepts and terminology, which helped him learn the Patriots’ playbook at warp speed.

He also credited his coaches and teammates for helping with the rest.

“You know, the big thing for me was I didn’t want to go out there and just panic and being perfect,” Brown said. “Obviously we strive for perfection playing in the NFL, but I think the big thing for me was just to play free and to do my best, and rely on my teammates and coaches if I had any questions on anything. So that that’s what I did.”