Looking back on the highlights of AJ Brown’s exceptional rookie year
Titans fans– we both know AJ Brown needs no introduction, but his rookie season deserves a bit of reflection and a lot of fanfare.
In just his rookie season alone, AJ Brown has shown a level of skill at the wide receiver position that the Titans haven’t seen since… well, it’s been a while. Before Brown did it in his first year as a pro, Tennessee hadn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since the great Kendall Wright (with the exception of Delanie Walker, who broke that mark as a tight end).
To find a receiver that broke that mark and didn’t immediately fizzle out with the team, you need to go back a bit further to the early 2000s, to the days of some truly great Derrick Mason seasons and a cameo appearance from Drew Bennett. Again, after all the mediocrity the Titans have faced at wide receiver, Brown broke the ever-illusive 1,000-yard mark in his first season.
But not only that, AJ Brown found the endzone time and time again in his rookie year. That’s what we’re here for. To look back on the big-time scoring plays, the ones that showed us hope that Tennessee might finally have their elite top wide receiver.
He ended 2019 with eight receiving touchdowns and one on the ground. So lean back, take a break for a bit, and let’s look back on some of the best plays of AJ Brown’s highlight reel– and try to rank them from great to ‘jaw-droppingly spectacular.’
Best of the Rest:
9. AJ Brown’s 4th Quarter Catch vs Buccaneers: Watch here
Situationally speaking, this might have been one of the most important touchdown grabs of Brown’s rookie campaign. Came late in the fourth quarter, gave the Titans a lead, and eventually proved to be the game-winning score. But stylistically, there’s not much to write home about. Easy catch on a good short throw, no signature run after the catch or broken tackles. But any Titans touchdown is a touchdown worth celebrating, even without the flair.
8. AJ Brown’s 1st Quarter Catch vs Texans (Week 17): Watch here
You look at this catch in the box score and think to yourself “damn, classic AJ Brown at it again.” A 51-yard touchdown grab off a short pass has all the makings on paper to be another stellar Brown highlight, but most of what happens after Brown secures the ball is just… kind of underwhelming. Brown does a great job to create separation on his route and to stay in bounds after getting shoved immediately after the catch, but he essentially only needs to jog the remaining 40 yards to the endzone. Blame the Texans soft defense for this touchdown being kind of boring.
7. AJ Brown’s Second 1st Quarter Catch vs Falcons: Watch here
Another play that lacks Brown’s after the catch spark, but here he makes up for it with some mastery before the catch. He’s not able to blow past the coverage on such a short route, but he is able to separate just enough at just the right moment with what I’ll call a “technically legal playful shove” of a Falcons defensive back. Brown caps off his before the catch skill with an impressive toe-drag in the corner of the endzone.
6. AJ Brown’s Second 2nd Quarter Catch vs Raiders: Watch here
The touchdowns are nothing but bangers from this point on, folks. Coming in a tied game with AFC Wild Card implications, Brown catches a short pass and breaks not one, but two tackles on his way to the goal line, where he drags another Raiders’ defender the rest of the way to give the Titans a 21-14 lead. Titans’ fans know well of Brown’s speed and elusiveness in the open field, but his strength his where the receiver truly stands apart.
5. AJ Brown’s 4th Quarter Catch vs Texans (Week 15): Watch here
We made it to the top five, and we’ll start with a highlight that shows just what a technically skilled player AJ Brown already is.
Second and goal at the top of the fourth quarter, Titans are down seven to the Houston Texans, and AJ Brown is about to tie the game up. While some tight coverage initially locks Brown up in the endzone, he’s able to shake off the Texans defender after the route breaks down to find just enough space for a touchdown grab.
A fair deal of credit here should go to the Titans offensive line for keeping the play alive for as long as they did, and to Ryan Tannehill for staying patient while his receivers fought for separation, but Brown’s ability to create space for himself is impressive in its own right.
Even more impressive is Brown’s footwork on this play. The receiver looks like a veteran on this play, being aware enough of where he is on the field to create separation from the defensive back while managing to stay in the endzone and in a spot where Tannehill can make an easy throw. He hauls the pass in, taps his toes at the edge of the endzone, and maintains the catch throw a hard hit immediately after.
This is why he’s OUR rookie of the year.
4. AJ Brown’s Third Quarter Catch vs Jaguars (Week 12): Watch here
AJ Brown didn’t light the NFL Combine on fire in 2019 with an official 4.49 40-yard dash time but plays like these show just how quick Brown actually is on the football field.
First of all, this is an awesome route from Brown. Being shadowed by AJ Boye, Brown sells like he’s going to keep running up the field to perfection before cutting towards the middle at the right time to create a pocket of separation between Bouye and the covering linebackers.
But it’s after the catch where Brown’s elite game-speed shines. Bouye stays in pursuit of Brown as the receiver begins to cut upfield, only to get burned when Brown picks up speed.
But to Bouye’s credit, Brown outclassed an entire army of Jaguars defenders with his speed on his way to the endzone. The only Jacksonville player with the angle to potentially bring Brown down was safety Jarrod Wilson, who was taken down with a great downfield block from Corey Davis (huge shoutout to Corey Davis).
From there, Brown coasts into the endzone to celebrate a 65-yard touchdown.
3. AJ Brown’s First 1st Quarter Catch vs Falcons: Watch here
As far as career firsts go, there are few that are sweeter than AJ Brown’s first career touchdown as an NFL receiver.
Let’s break this one down step by step, starting with the route. I don’t know if this was blown coverage or if Brown simply fooled the defender or what exactly happened here, but the result ended with AJ Brown on the football equivalent of a deserted island. Not a defender anywhere near him.
As the Falcons would later find out, AJ Brown with open space is one of the most dangerous situations a football team can find themselves in. The NFL had got a taste of Brown’s after the catch skill in his Week One game against Cleveland, but here against the Falcons, he was able to put it to use for a touchdown. Brown begins to run right in an effort to follow his blocks, sees the wall of Falcons defenders begin to close in, and plants his foot in the ground to reverse field.
From there, it’s all AJ Brown. With FOUR Falcons defenders in pursuit, Brown is able to outrun them all. A diving tackle attempt at the six-yard line is Atlanta’s last hope at stopping the play, but Brown shows his strength once again, brushing off the ankle tackle to continue his stride and slide into the endzone. A 55-yard touchdown grab that showed advanced skill on multiple levels. It doesn’t get much better than that for your first career touchdown.
2. AJ Brown’s 1st Quarter RUN vs Saints: Watch here
One of the best plays of the receiver’s rookie campaign wasn’t a reception at all, but rather, a highlight-reel run that made the entire Saints defense look silly.
Until now, there have been mentions of Brown’s route running skill and after the catch speed and elusiveness, but this play showcased another element of Brown’s game that might already be elite: his vision as a ball carrier.
Brown grabs the pitch from Tannehill behind the line of scrimmage, and almost immediately, he’s swarmed by a group of New Orleans defenders in a position to stop the play for a loss of yards. The end result of this play came together with some great blocking, but also because of how well Brown was able to spot the narrow open-lane in the defense and hit it in stride.
From there, it was all strength and speed. Saints safety Marcus Williams almost has a chance to stop the play for a modest gain, but can’t get in a good enough position to take him down, and is forced to settle for an attempted arm tackle which Brown blows through like a turnstile.
Brown kicks on the jets and scores from there, with the help of a good block from Tajae Sharpe down near the goal line (huge shoutout to Tajae Sharpe).
1. AJ Brown’s First 2nd Quarter Catch vs Raiders: Watch here
This is where all of the greatest elements of AJ Brown’s game come together to form one beautiful, Shakespearean sonnet of a football play. The Saints run and the Falcons catch are great, but this is the only play that could be number one.
This, in all fairness, is as much a Ryan Tannehill highlight as it is an AJ Brown one. The quarterback takes a huge hit but delivers a perfect downfield throw. But despite the great ball placement, the only reason this play is able to come together at all is because of how dominant Brown was.
You can see it in the broadcast highlight, Brown makes the Raiders defender look out of place in the NFL right from the start. The cornerback tries to play tight coverage, and Brown remains unphased, pushing through some contact and ending up two steps ahead of any Raiders defender by the time he hauls in the pass.
The Raider defensive back actually gets a good tackle attempt in, as Brown is forced to slow down slightly to catch the pass comfortably. But Brown breaks off the attempt effortlessly, barely even breaking stride on his way to the endzone.
From there, Brown has enough separation to completely disregard the last-ditch effort from a trailing Raider to bring him down. Everything that makes AJ Brown a great receiver with elite potential can be seen here. And it’s beautiful to watch.