- Best season: 2004
- 1,067 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns
- 147 receiving yards
It is interesting because if you ask the average Titans fan what they think about Chris Brown, you will likely run into a lot of confused faces. People don’t seem to remember Brown at all, which is strange considering how good he was for the franchise for half a decade.
In the 2004 NFL season, he tallied that stat line listed above, despite missing five games. Adjusting for that loss, he could have had 1,552 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. That would have been fantastic, and probably would have made him even more memorable to the Tennessee fanbase.
The two years where he was a fringe starter were in 2004 and 2005. He ended up 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns during that two-year window. That is a really solid stretch for a running back, but the problem is the context that Brown is viewed in.
He came to the Titans right in between Eddie George and Chris Johnson, which means that he was always going to be the valley between those peaks of undeniable running back talent in Tennessee football lore.
Despite the groupthink, when he was at his best in 2004, he was sixth in the NFL in rushing yards per game behind only Priest Holmes, Corey Dillon, Curtis Martin, Shaun Alexander, and Julius Jones.
Even more interesting is the list of names he finished ahead of in 2004:
- Edgerrin James (seventh)
- Tiki Barber (eighth)
- LaDainian Tomlinson (10th)
- Clinton Portis (11th)
- Fred Taylor (12th)
- Eddie George, during his final NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys (46th)
So the next time you hear someone talking about the biggest sleepers in NFL history, bring up Brown’s name and see if they know who he is. That person may not, but you will!