All-22 analysis: Tennessee Titans linebacker Jayon Brown

A common refrain following the Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Green Bay Packers is that the offense and Josh Allen need to take what the defense gives them. What this often suggests is taking advantage of soft spots on shorter range throws with favorable match-ups, often on linebackers. For this week’s opponent preview we’ll look at linebacker Jayon Brown and get into the Titan’s linebacker philosophy just a little bit.

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Play 1

Jayon Brown is coming in fast and looks to have an advantage as a result of a head of steam and only Kenyan Drake looking to stop him. Low position from Drake and poor push from Brown result in Ryan Tannehill being able to get the ball off with only minimal pressure. Brown is the lightest Titans linebacker to see significant reps and his lack of push is not limited to this play.

Play 2

Brown can be pretty agile though and shows off a good bend from the edge rush here. What’s most impressive is his ability to turn around at the end while maintaining balance. What’s most important to note here is that the Titans love to move their linebackers all over and mix and match players. Including Brown, six linebackers have seen 20% or more of the total defensive snaps this year for the Titans. The Bills have only four, and in that group Lorenzo Alexander has seen significant time as a defensive tackle rather than linebacker.

Play 3

This play is a great summary of what Jayon Brown brings to the table. He’s stopped in his tracks initially, but wiggles away just enough to make the tackle. A subtle reason Brown is in position is that he tries to cut back to the inside at the last second, forcing right guard Brandon Linder to twist and lose a significant amount of leverage.

Play 4

A lot of what Jayon Brown is asked to do should look familiar to Bills fans after watching Preston Brown. Jayon is frequently in the “read and react” role in the middle of the field. On this pass, he both reads and reacts quite well. The tackle isn’t textbook but the Titans as a team lock down the play immediately.

Play 5

Against the Eagles, Wesley Woodyard left the game early with an injured shoulder. Woodyard is their every down linebacker. With Woodyard out, the Titans turned to Jayon Brown. Like above he’s covering the middle and reacts to the running play. Brown shows good discipline and is where he should be if he was needed to clean up the run.

Play 6

Brown is caught head on which allows the lineman to have good leverage. As a result, Brown is a non-factor on the stop. Brown’s presence still requires someone to block him though, which put his linemen in better position.

Play 7

For coverage, when asked to go man to man it’s typically against a running back. Brown’s sideline to sideline speed keeps him in good position for this play.

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In Conclusion

Jayon Brown will be a prominent part of the Titans’ defense when the Bills host Tennessee this week. Brown himself is a solid player that should be expected to have an impact on the game. Beyond Brown, the Bills will need to focus on linebacker preparation this week as a result of the mix and match approach that Mike Vrabel and Dean Pees have taken so far with their linebackers. Knowing who is on the field provides less clues as to what to expect.