Eagles LB Jatavis Brown Unexpectedly Retires
The Eagles' recent history hasn't been great when trying to add low-cost linebacking help on the free-agent market.
You can now add Jatavis Brown to a list that includes Corey Nelson and L.J. Fort after the 26-year-old speedy LB unexpectedly called it a career on Sunday.
A modern, hybrid linebacker with starting experience during his stay with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Brown had signed a one-year deal back in March to compete as a position where Philadelphia needed help after parting ways with both Nigel Bradham and Kamu Grugier-Hill in the offseason.
Brown simply decided it was his time to step away from the game.
On the surface, Brown fit the mold of what the Eagles were looking for as a young, cost-effective player coming off his rookie deal after being chosen by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.
A bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 221 pounds, Brown took a step back in the 2019 season with the Chargers, however, starting only one game and amassing just 10 tackles.
Previously he had pitched in as a starter at both the middle and weakside LB position at times with the Chargers, topping out at 97 tackles in 2018, a number which was second on the team.
Right now Nate Gerry, who was just removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list after 10 days earlier Sunday, is penciled in as one of the Eagles' two three-down LBs with other options being second-year player T.J. Edwards, an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin in 2019, an in-season trade pickup from Atlanta in 2019, Duke Riley, and 2020 third-round pick Davion Taylor.
The depth chart also features special-teams standout Alex Singleton and two other rookies, sixth-round Temple product Shaun Bradley and undrafted rookie Donte Olson of Montana.
Brown would have actually offered position coach Ken Flajole the most experience of the entire group with 23 starts under his belt for the Chargers. As far as playmaking ability, Brown has 14 tackles for loss in his four-year NFL career with 12 passes defended, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 4.5 sacks.
In college at the University of Akron, the Florida native was the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year after an 11.5 sack season as a senior. Brown was also First-Team All-MAC for three consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2015 and a high-school teammate of Eagles' CB Cre'Von LeBlanc.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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