Bryan Allan Braman ('; May 4, 1987 – July 17, 2025) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Idaho Vandals The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of Idaho, located in Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Idaho Vandals football, footbal ...

Long Beach City College Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California, United States. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC) in Lakewood Village and the Trades, Technology, an ...

(LBCC), and

West Texas A&M Buffaloes The West Texas A&M Buffaloes, also known as the WTAMU Buffaloes or WT Buffaloes, and formerly West Texas State Buffaloes and WTSU Buffaloes, are the athletic teams that represent West Texas A&M University, located in Canyon, Texas, in NCAA Divis ...

before being signed by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2011. Braman was also a member of the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. Braman won

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. As a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX from 13 years earlier, the game was between the National Football Conferen ...

with the Eagles in 2018.

Early life and family

Braman was born and raised in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

. He was born in the Hillyard neighborhood, which was one of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods, and often moved around with his mother and younger sister. He and his sister were raised alone by his mother, Tina Braman-Fields, after his father abandoned them. His family spent significant portions of his childhood and teen years

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

. Braman attended Shadle Park High School, where he initially ran track before deciding to join the football team. Braman was known for his large size and athletic build. While still in high school he was already and . During his later professional career he was and the same height. Size and athleticism ran in his family, with his maternal grandfather Ivan Cecil Braman having weighed and stood . His mother had been a sprinting star while in high school.

College career

Braman accepted an offer to play football at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

, but quickly failed out. He would later recall that he had suffered depression while at Idaho. He stayed in the state of Idaho for some time, working as a concrete layer for a railroad tie company, earning slightly more than

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...

, homeless, and spending some of his nights sleeping beside his pet dog on park benches. Braman attended

(a two year

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

) and played with its football team the following year. Due to Braman having taken a year off from NCAA football after departing Idaho State, and limitations on his eligibility to play, Braman only received offers from Division II programs. He accepted an offer from

West Texas A&M West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Associat ...

over offers from

Central Washington Central Washington is a region of the U.S. state of Washington between the western and eastern parts of the state extending from the border with the Canadian province of British Columbia in the north to the border with the U.S. state of Oregon i ...

and Midwestern State. Braman played strongly during his senior career, during which the team won the 2009 Lone Star Conference South Championship. Braman only played five games of his senior season, as he was suspended after being charged for

psilocybin Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...

that had been found by police in a house to which he was connected. While Braman has said that he was living elsewhere at the time, his name was listed on the rental agreement, and he plead guilty in June 2011, being sentenced sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication and payment of a $2,000 fine. However, thirty days after sentencing, the prosecutor terminated his prohibition and dismissed his case.

Professional career

Braman went undrafted in the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

, but entered the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

the following season with the

, being signed as a rookie

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

Houston Texans

Braman became a fan favorite on the Texans'

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

unit during the 2011 season. In the season finale against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, he tackled punt returner Marc Mariani head-to-head without a helmet on. In 2012, Braman was a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

alternate. Braman also blocked multiple punts on special teams, including one for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts.

Philadelphia Eagles (first stint)

On March 12, 2014, Braman signed a two-year, $3.15 million contract with the

New Orleans Saints

On August 23, 2017, Braman signed with the

. He was placed on injured reserve 10 days later and was released on September 9.

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

On December 12, 2017, Braman re-signed with the Eagles. In the Divisional Round against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, Braman blocked a punt from Falcons punter Matt Bosher in the 15–10 victory. The Eagles reached

, where they defeated the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

41–33 with Braman recording one tackle.

Illness and death

On July 3, 2025, it was publicly reported that Braman was battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, and a

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campaign was launched with a goal of $25,000 to assist with medical expenses. The fundraiser ultimately raised over $88,000, including a $10,000 donation from his former teammate J. J. Watt. Braman died from his cancer on July 17, 2025, at the age of 38. He is survived by two daughters.

References

External links

*
West Texas A&M Buffaloes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braman, Bryan 1987 births 2025 deaths Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) American football linebackers Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Idaho Vandals football players Long Beach City Vikings football players New Orleans Saints players Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Spokane, Washington West Texas A&M Buffaloes football players