One A.J. Brown trend for Titans to watch moving forward
Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown has already established himself as one of the NFL’s most talented receivers after just three years in the league. After putting up back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons in his first two years in the NFL, Brown’s production tapered off a bit this time around. After dealing with a chest injury […]
Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown has already established himself as one of the NFL’s most talented receivers after just three years in the league. After putting up back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons in his first two years in the NFL, Brown’s production tapered off a bit this time around.
After dealing with a chest injury early in the season that forced him to miss time, Brown tallied 869 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns in just 13 games in 2021. However, Brown’s biggest strength – his ability after the catch – was rarely on display this year, his first season under Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing.
After putting the league on notice with his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, it was no surprise to see teams begin to adapt and match their best cornerbacks up against Brown this season. Whether it was tougher coverage, or growing pains in a new offense, Brown was limited after the catch. Brown followed up his rookie year, when he finished seventh amongst all wide receivers in YAC with 465 yards, with a sophomore season that saw Brown record 432 YAC yards – good for 13th in the league.
Heading into year three with the Titans, Brown’s name was already popping up in conversations with some of the game’s best pass catchers. However, for whatever reason, his production after the catch fell off a cliff this season. Not only did Brown see his YAC yards hit a career low (248), but his average yards after the catch has been dropping steadily with each year he’s been in the league. Brown’s 8.9 yards after the catch per reception in his rookie season was undoubtedly a difficult pace to sustain. But after dropping to 6.2 YAC/R in 2020, Brown averaged just 3.9 yards after the catch per reception in 2021.
Lately, Downing has been under fire for questionable play calling in high leverage situations, but it is important to shine a light on the steady declination of Brown’s production after the catch. To be a successful offensive coordinator in the NFL, it is imperative to know your players’ strengths. But when looking at Brown’s lack of an impact after the catch this season, it’s fair to question if Brown was being put in spots set up for him to succeed throughout the course of this season.
Featured image courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel – USA TODAY Sports
