The Tennessee Titans are 1-6 following Sunday's 31-13 beatdown by Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots in Week 7. With the team struggling so badly, every move made by general manager Mike Borgonzi during the offseason and season is understandably being scrutinized. In a year littered with misses, arguably the most peculiar was the in-season trade of cornerback Jarvis Brownlee.
The Titans are a rebuilding roster that requires young talent. That made their decision to trade a starting-caliber sophomore cornerback in exchange for a late-round pick swap more puzzling. Making matters worse, his replacement Jalyn Armour-Davis is playing terribly.
Armour-Davis was acquired by Borgonzi when the Titans claimed him off waivers. Borgonzi inherited Brownlee from the previous regime and promptly traded away a good-performing player for nothing. It raises questions about the Titans' priorities when attempting to build out this roster.
Titans CB Jalyn Armour-Davis keeps exposing Mike Borgonzi's Jarvis Brownlee mistake
Armour-Davis was a liability against the Patriots both as a coverage defender and as a tackler. Pro Football Focus credited Armour-Davis with two missed tackles on Sunday. There's plenty of blame to go around as the Patriots rushed for nearly 200 yards, with Rhamondre Stevenson and Drake Maye torching the defense on the ground.
It was Armour-Davis who immediately stepped into the starting lineup following Brownlee's dismissal. He's allowed nine receptions on 12 targets for a catch-rate allowed percentage of 75%. Armour-Davis is allowing an explosive 15.9 yards per catch as opposing quarterbacks enjoy a passer rating of 114.2 when targeting him.
Making matters worse, the struggling L'Jarius Sneed exited Sunday's defeat with a familiar quad injury that derailed his 2024 season. A more telling health update on Sneed hasn't arrived yet, but Armour-Davis functioned as the CB1 following his departure, with Darrell Baker Jr. entering the lineup.
Armour-Davis is playing terribly. Every lackluster snap he takes further exposes the Titans' decision to trade Brownlee. Borgonzi and Chad Brinker shouldn't live down that error in judgment anytime soon.