Jatavis Brown Eagles – Syndication Server

Former Chargers LB Jatavis Brown retires from NFL

The Chargers’ former fifth-round pick is calling it quits.

Former Chargers linebacker Jatavis Brown is stepping away from the football field.

The Eagles, who signed Brown earlier this offseason, placed him on the reserve/retired list on Sunday.

Brown was a fifth-round pick of the Bolts back in the 2016 NFL Draft out of the University of Akron. He played in 12 games with seven starts as a rookie, posting 79 total tackles with career-bests in both tackles-for-loss (8), sacks (3.5), forced fumbles (2), and passes defended (6).

After a phenomenal rookie campaign, Brown spent his final playing days in the blue and gold hampered by injuries, never really getting back to his original form.

As a senior at Akron in 2015, he led the Zips with 116 tackles, 19.5 tackles-for-loss, and 11.5 sacks with one interception.

LB deemed the biggest roster hole for the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2020 NFL draft

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The NFL draft is over and although the Eagles were able to fill several pressing needs, analysts and experts alike believe the Birds still have one pressing need.

ESPN+ and Football Outsiders took a look at each team’s biggest need coming out of the draft, and after the Eagles addressed the skill positions and offensive line, the linebacker position was once again deemed the Birds’ biggest need.

Philadelphia Eagles: Linebacker

Quarterback Jalen Hurts opens the door for some creative offensive playcalling, but with Carson Wentz on the roster, the Eagles’ selection of Hurts tends toward luxury. The team will likely feel the effects of that indulgence the most at linebacker in 2020. The Eagles addressed the position with their next pick in the third round, but in between, second-tier linebackers who could be immediate every-down players, Zack Baun and Logan Wilson, went off the board. The Eagles’ subsequent pick, Davion Taylor, has the athleticism to become a three-down player in time, but he is inexperienced. He did not play football before he turned 18 and played just two years in the FBS at Colorado. Presumed starters Nathan Gerry and T.J. Edwards have just 19 starts between them, the lion’s share by Gerry in 2019, when, according to Sports Info Solutions, he missed an alarming 29% of his attempted tackles, the highest rate among linebackers with 50 or more attempts. Should either Gerry or Edwards falter, Taylor likely will not be ready to fill in during his rookie season.

The Eagles added Jatavis Brown in free agency along with drafting Taylor who is a raw athlete but has the potential to be a three-down linebacker if he can figure out the nuances of the game quickly.

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3 things to know about new Eagles LB Jatavis Brown

Jatavis Brown could be a special teams ace for the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles interrupted a quiet Saturday to add former Chargers linebacker Jatavis Brown to the roster on a one-year deal.

Brown is a speedy, physical and undersized linebacker who could find a fit on the Eagles roster and definitely excel on special teams.

With Brown spending the bulk of his NFL career on the west coast, here are three things to know about the Eagles’ new linebacker.

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1. Brown was a MAC (Mid-American Conference) monster in college

Brown was a stud linebacker at Akron, earning All-MAC First-team honors three years in a row. In his senior year, Brown was the MAC Defensive Player of the year after logging 116 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and a team record 11.5 sacks.

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