The Tennessee Titans passing attack has lacked a truly dominant number one receiver for as long as I’ve been a fan. But A.J. Brown is here to fix that for years to come.
After struggling through draft stumbles like Taywan Taylor and Dorial Green-Beckham while waiting for inconsistent players like Corey Davis and Tajae Sharpe to find their footing, the Tennessee Titans might have finally found their number one receiver in A.J. Brown.
Not only has Brown convincingly made his case as the top pass-catcher in Tennessee in just one season, but the Ole Miss product selected in the second round by the Titans showed potential through his first 19 games to be one of the top pass-catchers in the NFL.
While playing in a run-heavy offense like the Titans, Brown’s rookie year was slightly overshadowed in the national spotlight by the brilliance of Derrick Henry and the Tennessee rushing attack.
While Henry’s game stole the show, Brown was quietly showcasing his talent and compiling one of the better rookie seasons for a receiver in recent history.
Coming onto the scene immediately in Week 1 against the Browns, the rookie receiver flourished to the tune of 100 yards receiving, in addition to a couple of highlight-reel plays.
After slowing down in the early season, Brown started regularly putting up big numbers in the box score in the back-half of the year after the bye week.
Brown’s statement rookie season came about due to a number of factors. The receiver clearly had great chemistry with Ryan Tannehill, and Brown often had the benefit of playing against opposing teams number two cornerback while defenses focused their top pass defenders on stopping Corey Davis.
Even still, Brown has the potential to be a fixture of the NFL for years to come. His rookie stats are historic, and his skill set along with his role in Arthur Smith’s offense makes Brown a prime candidate to become a household name.
Rookie Stats
Brown’s rookie season performance asserted his position as the Titans top receiver in 2019, but his stats also put the first-year player up among the league’s already established stars.
While his reception numbers are relatively low at 52, the rest of the stats Brown was able to compile in 16 games more than made up for it. Because while he wasn’t catching passes as much as football’s best receivers, what he did when he got the ball in his hands was impressive.
Brown was able to break the elusive 1,000-yard mark in receiving at 1,051 yards, putting him at 24th in the NFL in receiving yards and 1st among the rookie class.
At 20.2 yards per catch, Brown’s explosive ability placed him at second in the NFL in that metric- and helped him break into the top ten league-wide in receiving touchdowns with eight.
But Brown’s rookie numbers weren’t just impressive for 2019. What Brown was able to accomplish in his first year has his name up there with some historic rookie pass-catchers.
Brown became just the 18th rookie in NFL history to record over 1,000 yards receiving, with his final numbers placing him ahead of current greats like Mike Thomas and Keenan Allen, and closely behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Michael Thomas for receiving yards in a rookie year. His eight touchdowns also have Brown tied for 17th for rookie receiving touchdowns in the league’s 100-year history.
Once Brown found his footing in the Titans offense, he was difficult to slow down, and has the numbers to prove it. But Brown’s role in Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme gives the receiver the potential to build on those numbers, and be more than a one-season wonder.
Offensive Scheme
Now that Brown has a rookie year impressive as his 2019 campaign was under his belt, he won’t have the benefit of flying under the radar against opposing defenses.
But for as good as Brown has been, the increased attention might not make much of a difference with how the Tennessee offense is structured. Because for as good as Brown is, defenses will still be forced to sell out to slow down the run when facing the Titans.
If the Titans do re-sign Derrick Henry (which in this humble writer’s opinion, they should), teams can expect Tennessee to stick closely to the run-heavy game plan that got them to an AFC Championship. But even if they don’t bring Henry back, it’s hard to imagine Arthur Smith adapting to an air-raid style offense overnight.
Despite a tremendous workload being expected for whoever the Titans starting running back is in 2020 meaning a de-emphasized passing game, this is great for Brown. He may never be a heavy volume pass-catcher with Tennessee, but the focus defenses will place on slowing down the run helped get Brown open down the field in 2019, leading to his inflated yards per catch numbers.
Brown especially shined in the play-action passing game, where the rookie receiver would repeatedly take advantage of weak coverage. But while scheme helped Brown put up big numbers in 2019, none of what Arthur Smith was doing from the sidelines mattered more than the skill AJ Brown brought to the field.
A.J. Brown Before The Catch:
Arthur Smith’s play-calling was able to get AJ Brown into favorable matchups, but Brown’s strong skill set before the catch gave him the chance to take advantage of those matchups.
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Time and time again, Brown was able to get open down the field before the ball was even in the air.
He’s shown great speed in his first year, but the biggest factor for his ability to get open was his route running ability, starting with his release off the line of scrimmage.
Brown oftentimes got an advantage the second the play began due to how fast he was able to break off the line of scrimmage, using his quick reaction time to get a step on the defender tasked with covering him.
Once he’s able to get that advantage at the line, Brown is able to further create separation with his agility and strength as a route runner.
His nimble cuts in open field while mid-route helped the first-year player beat man coverage and get open regularly, but it’s the talent he possesses after the catch that truly makes Brown such a strong player.
A.J. Brown After The Catch:
Brown’s ability to create separation has already made him a dangerous player in the NFL, but how he’s able to use his speed and vision to create yards after the catch are what is going to make him elite.
Turning on Brown’s highlight reel will show a player that has been able to make the most out of his limited receptions, and he has the numbers to prove it, ranking sixth in the NFL among wide receivers in yards after the catch.
Brown’s YAC numbers are more than just a fluke though. His speed, while not elite, gives the Titans receiver the ability to outrun defenders in open field.
That open field hasn’t been difficult for Brown to come by at this point in his career, either. Maybe the greatest weapon in Brown’s arsenal has been his vision. That ability he possesses to see openings down the field and get to those open spaces isn’t an easy thing to learn, and Brown already has it at an elite level.
When you put Brown’s yards after catch ability with his skills in getting open before the ball is thrown, you have the makings of an NFL receiver that is knocking on the door of being one of the best. That, plus the role Brown serves in the Tennessee offense, gives the young receiver the potential to grow into one of the league’s elite players. And at the level he played in his first season, Brown’s ascension might come sooner rather than later.