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Best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 93 was cut by a rival as a rookie

Our selection at No. 93 was a run-stopping machine who helped the Packers to a title and two Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.
ByLuke Norris
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown in 1998 against the Oakland Raiders; USA TODAY Sports
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown in 1998 against the Oakland Raiders; USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Welcome back to our series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

As we inch ever closer to the end of our journey, we roll on here at No. 93 with a player who helped the Packers have one of the top defenses in the NFL after being cut by a rival as a rookie. But before we break all that down, of course, let's first run through our usual process of looking at every player to don the digit for the Green & Gold over the years.

  • Conrad Bolston, DT
  • Josh Boyd, DE
  • Gilbert Brown, DT
  • Robert Brown, DE
  • Anthony Campbell, DT
  • Reggie Gilbert, DE
  • B.J. Goodson, LB
  • Johnny Jolly, DT/DE
  • Dom Moselle, DB
  • Kenneth Pettway, DE
  • Tedarrell Slaton, DT
  • Nazir Stackhouse, DT
  • Anthony Toribio, DT
  • Erik Walden, LB
  • Cal Wallace, DE
  • Billy Winn, DT

This was a close race, as we took a long look at defensive end Robert Brown, who was a good player on some not-so-good Packers teams in the 1980s and into the early 1990s. A fourth-round pick of the Packers in 1982, the Virginia Tech alum tallied 25.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions during his 11-year run with the team but experienced just three winning seasons.

In the end, though, we opted to roll with the other Brown on the list, that being Gilbert Brown, who also had plenty of individual success but also got to experience the team success Robert never did.

Gilbert Brown was cut by the Minnesota Vikings before enjoying a solid career with the Green Bay Packers

After a solid collegiate career at the University of Kansas, where he started all but two games for the Jayhawks from 1989 to 1992, Brown was taken in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft with the 79th overall selection by the Minnesota Vikings.

But after showing up to training camp at 355 pounds, 40 pounds over his normal playing weight of 315, he was released as part of final cutdowns, at which point the Packers picked him up, as they were in need of defensive linemen.

Brown started just one game for Green Bay in his first two seasons, but in 1995, he started seven, only to have his season cut short by an elbow injury.

Finally fully healthy for the first time in 1996, Brown, who was called "The Gravedigger" due to his unique celebration of mimicking digging a grave when he made a big play, of which he made many as one of the best in the league against the run, was a big piece of the Packers' defense that allowed just 19 touchdowns during the regular season. Green Bay, of course, went on to win the Super Bowl that season.

While Brown had a lucrative offer to join the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 1997 offseason, he opted to take less money to return to the Packers, tying a career high with 3.0 sacks and helping the team to a second straight Super Bowl appearance, which resulted in a loss to the Denver Broncos.

He ultimately played five more seasons in Green Bay (he sat out the 2000 campaign but returned in 2001) before being released in 2004. Brown was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2008.

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so be sure to check back in with Lombardi Ave for updates.

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