Tag: Jayon Brown

Titans’ ILBs ranked in middle of the pack by Pro Football Focus

The Titans might have one of the best inside linebacker duos in the NFL.

In its annual rankings of every inside linebacker group in the NFL, Pro Football Focus believes the Tennessee Titans’ unit is right in the middle of the pack.

PFF’s Steve Palazzolo places the Titans at No. 15 on the list, which is the worst ranking of any AFC team. The Houston Texans (No. 4), Indianapolis Colts (No. 5) and Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 12) were all ranked higher.

Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown took most of the Titans’ snaps at linebacker last season, and they both return this year. Evans continued his trend of making plays in the run game, putting together a 9.5% run stop percentage over the past two years that ranks 15th out of 112 linebackers. However, Evans had his struggles in coverage, where he left far too many routes open behind him in zone coverage and surrendered 13.1 yards per reception into his coverage. Tackling was also an issue — Evans missed 18 on the season when including the playoffs.

Brown has established himself as one of the better coverage linebackers in the NFL, ranking 17th during the regular season last year after finishing fourth in 2018. He’s been excellent at limiting big plays in zone coverage and has forced an incompletion on 7.4% of targets, ranking 18th over the past two years. There’s little experience beyond those two, as 2019 sixth-rounder David Long played just 155 snaps as a rookie and Nick Dzubnar, who spent his first five seasons with the Chargers, has 71 career snaps.

Keep an eye on undrafted free agent Cale Garrett, who had three straight years of 80.0-plus grades at Missouri. However, his 4.92-second 40-yard dash time at the scouting combine is worrisome for a linebacker. He’ll be yet another case to see if on-field production can overcome physical limitations.

The Titans have a solid unit, and a smoother year in coverage from Evans could vault them into the top 10.

Considering the Titans have one of the better inside linebacker duos in the NFL, they should be higher on this list.

Brown is criminally underrated, especially considering his status as an elite coverage linebacker. The former fifth-round pick has posted the fifth-highest PFF coverage grade among coverage linebackers since 2018.

While his coverage grade indeed took a hit in 2019, as Palazzolo noted, it’s important to point out that Brown wasn’t totally healthy. He was forced from multiple games early and missed three others as a result. Even with that, Brown finished third on the Titans in tackles during the regular season.

Despite needing to improve in coverage, Evans definitely took a step in the right direction last season. Not only did he finish second on the team in tackles, he was also a force against the run and made multiple huge goal line stops.

Tennessee is mostly solid in the depth department at inside linebacker, also. The team’s 2019 sixth-round pick, David Long, flashed serious potential in limited action and looks to have the chops to be an impact player.

The only concern at the position is who fills out the rest of the depth chart beyond Brown, Evans and Long with Wesley Woodyard unlikely to return.

Nick Dzubnar and Nigel Harris have been primarily  special teams players during their careers and have limited experience on defense.

Tennessee’s UDFA linebackers, Cale Garrett and Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, are total wild cards, although Palazzolo rightly points out that Garrett is an intriguing player.

Even with all that being the case, we’re talking about question marks at the fourth and fifth inside linebacker spots, which isn’t going to make-or-break the Titans’ season.

Perhaps the rest of the football world will finally wake up to just how good the Titans’ top-three linebackers are once the season gets underway.

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7 Tennessee Titans with the most to gain in 2020

Which Titans have the most to gain in 2020?

The Tennessee Titans will have big expectations going into the 2020 season after making it all the way to the AFC Championship in 2019, but on a smaller scale the team will have certain players with more to gain than others.

For the most part, the players who fall under that category are in a contract year and are trying to show they are worth big money in 2021 and beyond.

Here’s a look at seven Titans with the most to gain this coming season.

Corey Davis

After three years of lackluster production for a receiver who was taken with a top-five pick, there’s nowhere to go but up for Davis.

The Titans declined the Western Michigan product’s fifth-year option after his production took a step back in 2019 and he took a backseat to rookie standout, A.J. Brown

Davis is now in a contract year in 2020 and is auditioning for teams that will be in the market for a wide receiver in 2021. If Davis can have the breakout year we’ve all been waiting for, he could shed the bust label en route to securing a lucrative, long-term deal next offseason.

And he has a great chance to do so, with opposing defenses likely to focus on stopping Brown, which should open things up for Davis. Adding to that, quarterback Ryan Tannehill has talked about improving his chemistry with Davis, and if successful it could lead to a huge season for the wideout.

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Titans GM admits NFL’s salary cap uncertainty could prevent contract extensions

The Titans have multiple players who could be in line for contract extensions before the 2020 season.

As much as the NFL has been flush with cash over the last decade, leading to annual increases in the salary caps of teams, the uncertainty of what the 2020 season will bring in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic could change things — and that change could impact the Tennessee Titans right away.

Should the league lose a significant amount of revenue because of Covid-19, the salary cap could decrease by anywhere from $30 to $80 million in 2021, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported back in May.

And that possibility isn’t lost on Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who says that the league’s uncertain future could stop the team from handing out contract extensions prior to the 2020 campaign, per Paul Kuharsky.

“I’m a big analogy guy. It’s no different than if I was if I was working for Pepsi or Coke, and I knew that we weren’t going to have as many sales. …You wouldn’t go out and buy a new house,” Robinson explained.

“I don’t know what that’s going to look like. It’s something that we will certainly talk about. You know, we’ve talked to the players and the reps. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now with everything, and I would say certainly with the salary cap too, because we’ve got to be mindful,” Robinson admitted. “What you don’t want to do is do something and then you’ve got to undo it or try to unpack it a year, two years from now, given the uncertainty of the salary cap.”

Right off the bat, the extension you think about being impacted first is that of Derrick Henry, which is still being negotiated and must happen before July 15 or else he’ll have to play the 2020 campaign on the franchise tag.

But there are other extension decisions looming for Tennessee, with tight end Jonnu Smith and inside linebacker Jayon Brown being the most important. Both players are in the final year of their rookie deals and will hit the open market in 2021 if no agreement is reached beforehand.

Last year, the Titans handed out a pair of extensions before the 2019 season to safety Kevin Byard and center Ben Jones.

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Titans’ Jayon Brown is elite when lined up against RBs and TEs since 2018

Another PFF stat shows just how good Jayon Brown has been in coverage.

Over the course of his three-year career with the Tennessee Titans, inside linebacker Jayon Brown has become a key cog in the team’s defense and one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL.

Another stat showing that comes from Pro Football Focus, who notes that Brown has compiled the best grade in the league since 2018 when lined up against running backs and tight ends.

Brown has also graded as the fifth-best coverage linebacker in the sport overall since 2018, also per PFF. It’s amazing to think the Titans have gotten that kind of performance out of a fifth-round pick.

Not only has Brown been excellent in coverage, he finished second on the team in tackles in 2018, and third in 2019 despite missing two games.

The Titans will have a decision to make on Brown, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

It’s possible Tennessee decides to extend him before the 2020 season begins, but if not he’ll hit the open market in 2021 and will be one of the more attractive defensive free agents available at just 26 years old.

General manager Jon Robinson would be wise to take care of Brown’s contract situation sooner rather than, just like he did with Kevin Byard and Ben Jones last offseason. Doing so would avoid a bidding war with other teams that would drive Brown’s price tag up.

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ESPN names 2 Titans who could get contract extensions this offseason

Two Titans cracked ESPN’s list of players who could get contract extensions before the 2020 season.

The Tennessee Titans have some key players entering contract years in 2020, but will any of those players get a contract extension prior to the season?

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there are two possibilities: inside linebacker Jayon Brown, who is in the last year of his rookie deal, and running back Derrick Henry, who is currently franchise tagged.

Here are Graziano’s write-ups on both players, and then we’ll follow that up with another player he didn’t mention but should have.

Henry:

“Another designated franchise player, Henry is locked in for one year and $10.3 million if he and the Titans don’t reach an extension deal by July 15. Henry could be a real test case for the RB market. He’s essential to the team’s offensive identity, but the way he runs lends itself to significant wear and tear, which is a big reason teams don’t like to pay running backs. Making $9 million more this year than the Cook/Mixon/Kamara group probably keeps Henry from being a holdout threat. But if no deal is done and they franchise him again next year for $12.36 million, he’ll find himself in the same position Le’Veon Bell was in with the Steelers in 2018. Remember, Bell sat out that entire year and became a free agent when it ended. Henry could go that route, but probably not until 2021.”

Brown:

“The 2017 fifth-round pick has developed into a critical part of the Titans’ defense and should get a nice extension as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal.”

Graziano nailed both of those on the head.

Henry has become the heart and soul of the Titans’ offense, and while no contract extension has been reached yet, talks remain positive and there is optimism for a deal to get done before the July 15 deadline.

Brown remains one of the biggest steals of the 2017 NFL Draft. Selected in the fifth round, the UCLA product has become one of the most important players on the team’s defense and is an elite coverage linebacker.

I’d also add tight end Jonnu Smith to the mix of players who could receive an extension prior to 2020.

Like Brown, Smith is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is primed to have his best season as a pro now that Delanie Walker is no longer soaking up a large portion of snaps after he was cut this offseason.

Adding to that, Smith has been working out with quarterback Ryan Tannehill during the offseason down in South Florida, which should help their chemistry and lead to more looks for the young tight end.

The Titans might be better off inking Smith to an extension before the season, as a breakout campaign would make him far more expensive and could set up a bidding war on the open market.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson has shown impressive foresight in the past, so we’ll have to see if he displays that once again by inking one, two, or all of these players at some point during the summer.

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Titans’ 2017 Draft ranks in the middle of the NFL

How do the Titans’ selections in the 2017 NFL Draft compare to the rest of the league?

The Tennessee Titans have put together what seems to be a winning team that can be a regular playoff contender — if it can maintain consistency.

There’s a lot that went into building the product we see on the field now, between multiple staff changes, trades, signings and draft selections.

One class that factored into it all was the 2017 NFL Draft class, which saw the Titans select wide receiver Corey Davis, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, wide receiver Taywan Taylor, tight end Jonnu Smith, linebacker Jayon Brown, offensive guard Corey Levin, linebacker Josh Carraway, offensive tackle Brad Seaton and running back Khalfani Muhammad.

Obviously, some of those players are no longer on the team, and some have made a much more significant impact than others.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Tennessee’s 2017 draft haul at No. 17 compared to rest of the NFL, behind the New York Jets, and ahead of the Green Bay Packers.

He listed Jackson as the team’s best overall player, and Brown as the best value pick.

“While I don’t know that Jackson has necessarily lived up to being a top-20 pick, he deserves credit for consistently improving in coverage,” he wrote of Jackson. “He has only two career interceptions but has become more of a cornerback than just an athlete playing the position. Still only 24, Jackson has yet to reach his ceiling.”

Brugler consider Davis to be the Titans’ biggest miss from that year.

“Davis has been productive, averaging 47 catches for 622 yards and two touchdowns per season as a pro,”he wrote. “But as a top-five pick, there come certain expectations (fair or unfair) that he has been unable to reach. While he has the talent to carve out a decade-long career, it seems unlikely Davis will ever live up to his draft spot.”

Davis will have a chance to prove whether or not Brugler is right or wrong about that last bit when the Titans return to the field this fall.

7 Tennessee Titans who could cash in big with huge 2020 season

Several Titans players have an opportunity to cash in big with a huge season in 2020.

As we outlined in a separate article, the Tennessee Titans have 28 notable players who are in a contract year, but there are seven players in particular who could have a huge 2020 campaign en route to getting a big payday in 2021.

While some of these players are likely to be moving on after 2020, others could see a contract extension offer from the Titans prior to the start of the season, or at the latest, next offseason.

Regardless of what the Titans decide to do with each individual player, let’s see which players on Tennessee’s roster could land themselves a big payday with a huge season in 2020.

TE Jonnu Smith

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

After Delanie Walker was cut earlier this offseason, Smith will be the official No. 1 tight end in Tennessee in 2020 — and it comes at the perfect time for him.

Smith is in the final year of his rookie deal, and while it’s possible the Titans could ink him to an extension before the upcoming season, chances are he’ll play out the year and hit free agency next offseason.

The former third-round pick had his best season as a pro in 2019, finishing with career-highs in receiving yards (439) and touchdowns (three), and he also had a clutch, one-handed touchdown grab in the playoffs.

While the coronavirus has restricted much of everything this offseason, it hasn’t stopped Smith from working on his chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as the pair has been getting together multiple times per week.

That should help Smith garner more trust and more targets, and ultimately, more production in his fourth season, which could lead to a nice payday in 2021.

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PFF confirms Tennessee Titans’ Jayon Brown as elite coverage linebacker

While we’ve known this for a few years now, PFF has confirmed that Jayon Brown is an elite coverage linebacker.

The Tennessee Titans had a solid 2019 season, capping off their most impressive 9-7 finish with an AFC Championship Game appearance.

The Titans did fall 35-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs in that contest, coming up just a single win away from a Super Bowl LIV appearance.

But the team has all the pieces in place to make another run for the big game, and former UCLA linebacker Jayon Brown will be a major part of the Titans continuing on that level of success.

While we already knew this to be true, Pro Football Focus has confirmed that Brown has been an elite coverage linebacker since 2018, the season in which he became a starter.

The former fifth-round pick has become one of the team’s best defenders during his three-year career and the Titans would be wise to secure his future in Nashville with a contract extension before he hits free agency in 2021.

Brown racked up 105 tackles (69 solo), one sack, one fumble recovery, one interception and eight passes defensed in 2019. Despite missing two games, Brown finished third on the team in tackles one season after he was second  on the Titans in the same category in 2018.

Over three seasons with the Titans, Brown has recorded 254 tackles (171 solo), two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, 18 passes defensed and one touchdown.

Expect Brown to only continue growing in his role with the team and establishing himself as one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL today.

Watch: Tennessee Titans’ best mic’d up moments of 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best mic’d up moments from the 2019 season.

The Tennessee Titans may have finished 9-7 yet again last year, but the 2019 season was different.

The team looked more put together than we’ve seen it in a long time, and if Ryan Tannehill can stay consistent, the Titans have finally found their guy at quarterback — something they’ve really been after since Steve McNair.

The team made a complete turnaround from a slow, 2-4 start that had many thinking they would be picking in the top five of the 2020 NFL Draft, and went all the way to the AFC Championship Game.

They fell just one game short of a Super Bowl LIV appearance, falling 35-24 to a Kansas City Chiefs team they had defeated, 35-32, in the regular season.

Here’s a look at some of the best mic’d up plays the Titans released on Twitter this week — featuring Jayon Brown, Kevin Byard, Mike Vrabel and a host of others — from a historical season the team will hope to build off of in 2020.

Tennessee has the essential pieces in place with Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, and has the 2020 NFL Draft remaining to address some of the team’s remaining needs as they look to go all the way this time.

Watch: How Titans’ Jayon Brown is passing the time while social distancing

Jayon Brown is picking up some new skills.

The self-quarantine nearly the entire population is participating in amid the COVID-19 outbreak isn’t much fun for, well, much of anyone.

The effects and restrictions of the virus spare no one, including the nation’s most well-known athletes.

But we’re all slowly learning to make do in these unprecedented circumstances — Tennessee Titans linebacker Jayon Brown included.

The Titans posted this video of Brown to the team’s Twitter account on Wednesday, with the defensive star stressing social distancing, while also explaining what he’s doing to pass the time.

“Just because we’re stuck in the house doesn’t mean we can’t have fun,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of fun things to do in the house. I’ve been taking up cooking… chef boy Jayon coming to you soon. Also, don’t be afraid to go outside and get your exercise in the pool or in the backyard… kick around a soccer ball and work on your skills. I’ve been working on my soccer skills.”

And if you’re not the best at Madden, this is your time to “catch up.”

Brown has been and will continue to be a force for the Titans defense in 2020 — after life returns to some degree of normalcy and sports return, of course.

The former UCLA linebacker posted 105 tackles (69 solo), three quarterback hits, one fumble recovery, one interception and one touchdown in 2019.