Malcom Brown Recalls Reaction to Trade to the Jaguars: ‘I Was Ecstatic About Coming Here’

Malcom Brown is a new member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, something the veteran nose tackle is more than a little happy about.

Malcom Brown knows what it takes to win at the NFL level.

He has appeared in 14 postseason games and been a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams since entering the league in 2015, becoming a stalwart in the middle for two of the NFL's most consistently successful franchises -- the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints -- in the process.

Now, though, Brown is going from the top of the NFL's hierarchy to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that is hoping to one day get there with his help. But this isn't a challenge the veteran defensive tackle isn't appreciative of. It is one that has excited him since the Jaguars' trade for him became official this week.

“Like I said, I was ecstatic. I heard what coaches were here and what direction they were going in and like I said, I was happy," Brown said Friday when asked about his reaction to the Jaguars sending a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Saints for his services.

"Like I said, when the trade happened, I was on the phone, I was happy, I was running around the house. It doesn’t matter where the program was last year, it’s about what we do next year.”

Brown wasn't made available at such a low price by the Saints due to his play. The veteran defensive tackle was a quality run defender in New Orleans who played a huge part in the Saints' wildly successful run defenses in the last two seasons.

But Brown was one of several players around the league whose future was left hanging in the balance with their current team due to cap restrictions. No team had to overhaul their roster more to get under the cap than the Saints, and Brown knew this likely was going to include the Saints shedding his contract in its final year.

"I already knew the situation I was in over in New Orleans, I already knew they had to get under cap space, I already knew it was over," Brown said. "So, I mean, just doing that, keeping that mind. I just wanted to attack the offseason, wherever I’m going to be, I’ll be the best version of me."

The pick the Jaguars traded the Saints was No. 229 overall, the first pick in the seventh round. Using such a low pick to acquire a six-year veteran with 80 career starts and just seven missed games in his career is good business by the Jaguars, and a move that Jaguars' head coach Urban Meyer was clearly enthused about on Friday.

"Everything," Meyer responded quickly when asked what he likes about Brown.

"I like the fact that we know him, Charlie Strong recruited him in Texas, he played for Coach Strong. We’ve had some great dialogue with people who knew him. I like the fact that he’s a family man, just a high, high character guy. And when you see his size, 320 [pounds], his bend, his athleticism, he’s been well-coached already at New Orleans. And we’re not supposed to have favorites yet, but he’s one of my favorites, I look forward to meeting him.”

Just a few days into his Jaguars tenure, Brown is already a favorite of the head coach. His 11.5 career sacks may not seem like much of an indicator of a disruptive defensive tackle, but Brown is an ideal fit for nose tackle in the Jaguars' new defensive scheme under defensive coordinator Joe Cullen.

Considering the Jaguars finished in the bottom-five in the NFL in yards per carry allowed, rushes of 20+ yards allowed, rushing touchdowns allowed and rushing yards allowed, the addition of Brown is one of the more important ones the Jaguars made this week.

Entering the 2021 season, Brown should be penciled in as a starter in the middle of the Jaguars' defense. There will be an adjustment considering he is going from one of the league's best teams to its worst and will now be asked to help fuel the rebuild of an entire unit, but it is an challenge Brown is eager to take on.

"Like you said that Coach Meyer said, it starts at the line and I take that to heart. Being like a nose in this league, I’m always making contact first. Some of the most physical blocks happen in that position, so we’ve just got to come in and work hard at it," Brown said.

"I mean, that’s all it is. From program, to program, to program, that’s all it’s been, is that it starts right there, make contact first and everything happens right there.”