That performance must have come as an unpleasant surprise for Brown, to judge from remarks he made on Friday.

“Cousins, I think every defense is going to want that guy to throw the ball,” Brown said then, via ESPN. “For me, that’s probably the weakest part of their offense is him. Everything else is good. They’ve got a good running game, probably one of the best in the league. They have real good receivers.

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“You just want them to pass the ball. You want Kirk Cousins to get it in his hands.”

Brown claimed Friday that he had insight into the quarterback’s tendencies from the 2017 season, when they were teammates with the Washington Redskins.

“I realized when I was in Washington, he was kind of careless with the ball. But at the same time, hey, you make the bed you sleep in,” Brown said.

Cousins had career highs with 13 fumbles and 13 interceptions in 2017, and he’s leading the league in fumbles this season with seven. However, the eighth-year quarterback has just three picks in six games, and his one interception Sunday was much more the fault of wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who let an accurate pass bounce off his hands.

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Diggs also racked up 167 receiving yards and three touchdowns, repeatedly hooking up with Cousins for long gains. Afterward, Brown said he was only interested in answering questions “about the game” and not about his pregame comments.

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Pressed on the topic, the veteran linebacker replied, “Any other questions, besides about Kirk Cousins?”

For his part, Cousins claimed after the game that he was unaware of what Brown had said.

“I really do stay ignorant, not read anything, and that’s for my best interest,” Cousins said, via CBS Sports. “Zach was a teammate in Washington. He’s one of the better linebackers I’ve played with or against. I have a lot of respect for him, and if you’re trying to write a story about how it was a motivator this week, it wasn’t because I didn’t know about it.”

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The Eagles did not specify whether Brown’s comments were the cause of, or played any role in, his release. A spokesman for the team did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

But a story about the release of Brown on the Eagles’ website mentioned the “weakest part” remarks. It also noted that another starting linebacker for Philadelphia, Nigel Bradham, left the Vikings game early with an ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day.

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That adds more intrigue to the timing of Brown’s release, as the Eagles could be thin at linebacker when they take on the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night in a crucial divisional showdown. Third-year player Nathan Gerry might have to take over for Bradham at middle linebacker, while Kamu Grugier-Hill, in his fourth year, is expected to get more playing time in Brown’s absence. Behind them on the depth chart are T.J. Edwards, an undrafted free agent rookie who has played mostly on special teams, and Duke Riley, a special teams standout acquired in a trade just two weeks ago.

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On-field issues could also have prompted Philadelphia’s decision to drop Brown, who notched 29 tackles in six games, with two tackles for a loss and two passes defended but no sacks or quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Reference. He was ranked 60th out of 88 linebackers by the game charters at Pro Football Focus, according to Bleeding Green Nation.

Brown was rated third among all linebackers by PFF last year, when he played for the Redskins, and he was a 2016 Pro Bowler for the Buffalo Bills. ESPN reported Monday that “multiple teams” are “expected to be interested” in Brown.

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