Skip to main content

What Titans Miss Without A.J. Brown

Second-year wide receiver has been ruled out of Sunday's game with Jacksonville due to a knee injury.

NASHVILLE – So A.J. Brown won’t play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Now what?

The Tennessee Titans’ second-year wide receiver and their top pass catcher in 2019 was ruled out Friday because of a knee injury that kept him off the practice field Thursday and Friday after he was limited on Wednesday.

A look at what the Titans will be missing and how they might overcome his absence.

• Big Plays: Brown did not have a lot of catches last season against the Jaguars – five of them, to be exact – but four gained 15 yards or more. One went for 36 yards and another for 65 yards a little more than six minutes apart the last time Jacksonville visited Nissan Stadium. Brown averaged 27.8 yards per catch against the Jaguars, his best versus any opponent against which he has at least five career receptions.

• A Big Body: At 6-foot, 226 pounds, Brown is one of the bulkiest of the Titans’ wide receivers and one of their better – and more willing – run blockers on the outside. The next guy on the depth chart is Kalif Raymond, who is 5-foot-8, 182 pounds. Raymond has the speed that makes him a potential big play threat in the deep passing game. The decision to promote undrafted rookie Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who is 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, makes more sense now. Westbrook-Ikhine is likely to get a lot of snaps on running downs.

• A Primary Target: In Monday’s season-opener at Denver, Brown was targeted eight times, tied with Corey Davis for the team lead. That was consistent with what happened last season after Ryan Tannehill became the starting quarterback. In the 10 games Tannehill started last season, Brown was the intended receiver on 61 passes, 19 more than any other player on roster. With him out of action, expect Tannehill to look to Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith a little more often.

• A Scoring Threat: Five different Tennessee players had multi-touchdown games in 2019 but only two – Brown and running back Derrick Henry – had more than one. Brown scored two each in victories over Atlanta and Oakland, which accounted for half of his team-high eight receiving touchdowns. No one else among the Titans had more than four receiving touchdowns for the season. Brown did not get to the end zone against Denver, which means he is due. The last time he went back-to-back games in the regular season without a touchdown was last November (Weeks 9 and 10).

• A Dual Threat: Brown was the only NFL wide receiver to average at least 20 yards per reception and per rush. He got the ball three times on handoffs and gained 60 yards during his rookie season, the most by a wide receiver during the franchise’s Titans era (1999-present). His 49-yard reverse against New Orleans was Tennessee’s third-longest touchdown run of the season. Davis, who had 55 yards rushing on six attempts in 2018, is the only wide receiver on the roster likely to be able to contribute in the run game.

• A Consistent Presence: Among last season’s wide receivers, Brown was the only one who appeared in all 16 games during the regular season. He also played all three postseason contests and this year’s opener against the Broncos. His 678 snaps on offense in 2019 were second to Davis among Tennessee’s wide receivers, but in the second half of the year, Brown was the one who got more playing time. Brown and Davis each were on the field for 66 of 81 snaps against the Broncos. In other words, the Titans have become accustomed to having Brown on the field. Now, they will have to do without him.