Jayon Brown Deemed Healthy as Free Agency Nears
Jayon Brown won’t have any problem signing his next contract, whether it is from the Tennessee Titans or another team.
The inside linebacker has received a clean bill of health, according to an NFL.com report Tuesday, following an elbow injury that caused him to miss the final six games of the regular season and the playoff loss to Baltimore.
It is good news for one of the most high-profile members of the 2020 set to become free agents next week. A full-time starter for two years who has elite speed at his position, Brown is expected to attract significant interest on the open market. Pro Football Focus recently ranked him No. 54 among all of this year’s potential free agents and projected that he could get a deal worth close to $12 million per season.
The NFL’s free agency signing period is set to start on March 17 with the legal tampering period to commence two days earlier. Until then, the Titans have exclusive rights to negotiate with him.
Brown, 26, was the Titans’ leading tackler and defensive signal-caller when he sustained a fracture of and dislocation to his left elbow in a Nov. 22 victory over the Ravens. He was placed on injured reserve two days later and underwent season-ending surgery.
A fifth-round pick in 2017, he missed just two games (plus one in the postseason) in his first three seasons as he evolved from a situation specialist to an every-down performer. He set a career-high with 117 tackles in 2019 and was on pace to surpass that number in 2020 before he got hurt.
For his career, he has averaged 91.8 tackles and has intercepted three passes (one in each of the last three years), forced four fumbles, recovered three fumbles and registered nine and a half sacks, including a career-high six in 2018.
“I think that he’s a really instinctive player,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said recently. “He’s good in zone coverage. He’s good in man coverage. He’s been disruptive as a blitzer for us. He’s kind of this – I don’t want to say new age of linebacker – but just kind of this undersized, productive player who relies on his instincts, his speed, and his ability to match players.
“… He’s been a good player for us. Unfortunate, we certainly could have used him down the stretch there when he got hurt, but we’ll see kind of how that goes moving forward.”
Now, he is back to full health. It remains to be seen whether the Titans can bring him back.
