Tennessee Titans rookie cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. made his first career start in Monday Night Football's dominant 31-12 Week 4 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Brownlee Jr. started in place of injured cornerback Chido Awuzie, who was placed on IR earlier this week with a groin injury. The first-year cornerback looked like a long-term building block for Dennard Wilson's defense.
Let's acknowledge the obvious. The Dolphins offense was horrid with Tyler "Snoop" Huntley at quarterback, the third QB that has played for Miami in two weeks following a concussion injury to starter Tua Tagovailoa. Tennessee's defense was outstanding, holding Miami to a combined 3-of-15 on third and fourth downs. The Dolphins gained just 184 yards of offense.
Brownlee Jr. could only play against the competition in front of him, and bigger tests are coming. The Titans did a phenomenal job protecting the edges and preventing speedy playmakers like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Devon Achane from hurting them via designed plays and manufactured touches.
Pro Football Focus credited Brownlee Jr. with allowing three receptions on five targets for nine yards. The former Louisville standout played 50 snaps, accounting for 83% of all Titans defensive plays. PFF assigned 27 of those snaps as coverage ones.
Brownlee Jr. made four tackles, didn't miss any, and was credited with three stops. He scored a coverage grade of 79.2, and an overall defensive grade of 82.3, fifth-highest on the entire team. Most importantly, Brownlee Jr. never appeared overwhelmed while squaring off with one of football's best receiving duos.
Starts with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. then Kenneth Murray Jr. and Quandre Diggs sealed the deal for a TFL (-1 yd) on 4th down. #Titans speed on speed. https://t.co/QVQZ9ldebB pic.twitter.com/DALNlzYDm1
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) October 1, 2024
Brownlee Jr. started opposite L'Jarius Sneed, who played all 60 defensive snaps despite entering the game with a questionable tag due to a hamstring injury. Cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. occasionally spelled Brownlee Jr., playing nine defensive snaps. Practice squad call up Tre Avery did not earn a defensive snap.
Awuzie was placed on injured reserve late last week, meaning he'll miss a minimum of three more contests. The veteran cornerback isn't eligible to return until a Week 9 date with the New England Patriots. Upcoming receivers on Brownlee Jr.'s schedule include Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams. The high-flying Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions will certainly test Brownlee Jr.'s resolve.
The early returns on Ran Carthon's 2024 class have been extremely encouraging. Offensive tackle JC Latham and defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat played like future Pro Bowlers throughout Monday's victory. While they'll understandably garner the majority of attention, don't let Brownlee Jr.'s performance fly under the radar.