The 1951 Dons featured Ollie Matson and Burl Toler, both superb players who happened to be African-American.

Besides Matson, Toler, and Brown, the Dons had Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair, Dick Stanfel, and five other players who made the NFL.

Brown began playing in the NFL in 1954 as the third string quarterback for the Bears, behind George Blanda and Zeke Bratkowski.

In 1955, with Bratkowski in the military, Brown beat out Blanda for the starting job and led the Bears to an 8–4 record and a very close second-place finish to the Los Angeles Rams.

Brown developed a reputation as a longball-throwing, shot-and-a-beer quarterback, connecting often with Harlon Hill, who led the league with nine touchdown receptions.

In 1957, the Bears appeared to still be affected by the 1956 title game, slumping to 5–7 with an anemic running attack and a mediocre year by Ed Brown.

By 1960, Brown began to decline on the field while his many late nights did not sit well with Halas, so Bratkowski got more and more playing time.

Before the 1962 season, Brown was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he remained a back-up, now to future Hall of Famer Bobby Layne.

To the surprise of many, the Steelers stayed in contention for the East title until the final game of the season, in which Brown played poorly in a 33–17 loss to the Giants in New York.

Brown played in the season finale behind running back Tom Matte who was filling in at quarterback after injuries to both Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo.

Because of his arrival so late in the season, he was ineligible for the Colts' playoff loss to the eventual champion Green Bay.