What Can Brown Do? Among Other Things, Provide Real Leadership
NASHVILLE – When the subject of locker room leaders is raised, there are several names among the Tennessee Titans that immediately come to mind.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is one because of the position he plays and the level at which he plays it. Safety Kevin Byard has been a team captain for each of the last two years. Running back Derrick Henry has become an indomitable presence on and off the field.
One that almost never is mentioned – but should be, according to his position coach – is inside linebacker Jayon Brown. Now in his fifth NFL season, Brown has become an important presence among his position group in a way that suggests he is capable of guiding the entire roster.
“Jayon is kind of the leader,” inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett said. “All of those guys [at inside linebacker] have good leadership skills, but Jayon kind of takes over. He’s a natural leader.”
A fifth-round draft pick in 2017, Brown has become one of the most versatile and productive players on the Titans’ defense. In each of the last three years, he has registered at least one sack and one interception, and twice in the span he forced multiple fumbles. He was Tennessee’s leading tackler through the first nine games of 2020 before an injury forced him to spend the rest of the year on injured reserve.
That level of play on its own gives him a degree of credibility that allows him to speak up if and when he feels the need. Plus, he has a willingness to do so and a message that he wants to send with his words and his actions.
“I just lead by example,” Brown said. “… We’ve got (Byard) as a vocal leader and leads by example also. [I] just [try to] be a guy that can be counted on, hold my teammates, and they hold me accountable as well.”
A possible reason for Brown’s exclusion from the team’s formal leadership group thus far is that when he became a full-time starter weeks into the 2018 season, he replaced Wesley Woodyard in the defense. However, Woodyard, a captain every year of his college and professional career, remained on the roster and was a special teams captain in the later years of his career.
Woodyard, therefore, remained a leading voice in the locker room throughout 2019, his last year with the Titans. Brown, and the rest of the inside linebackers, remained in his vast leadership shadow. Before Woodyard, the last inside linebacker to be a team captain was Colin McCarthy back in 2012.
Plus, when Brown does feel the need to speak up, the message does not necessarily reach the entire roster at once.
“We all have our own ways,” he said. “I mean, I’m not much of a yeller. There’s no need to embarrass somebody. You just talk to somebody on the side. Everybody has their own little ways.
“… It’s just nothing personal. We all want the best for each other. We’ve all got the same goals that we want to hit. It’s just keeping everybody accountable at a high level so we get to be the best we can be.”
