Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown was a revelation for the team in 2019, posting 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and nine total touchdowns (eight receiving) in his rookie campaign.
Can Brown not only match that production, but better it in his second year? Former wide receiver and NFL Network analyst James Jones believes so.
He chose Brown as a player who will have a breakout season in 2020 and made the bold prediction that the Ole Miss product will lead the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns.
“With the ball in his [Brown’s] hands, he is dynamic. He gets YAC, he breaks tackles, he makes the tough catch, he’s a dangerous guy. But the best thing about him is he has Derrick Henry in the backfield and he is going to demand that box to be loaded up or you are going to get the ball ran down your throat,” Jones explained. “So, what does that mean? A.J. Brown is going to have one-on-one coverage. He does not get tackled by the first guy, he showed that time and time and time again last season. This dude is going to lead the league in receiving yards and touchdowns, I truly believe that, in his second season as an NFL wide receiver. He is that talented, he is that strong, he is that big, he is that fast. He’s a monster out there on the football field.”
If you take his average yards (100.8) and touchdowns per game (0.8) from from Week 12 on and average that out over a 16-game season, Brown would have finished with 1,612 receiving yards and 13 scores, which would have been good enough for second and first in the NFL, respectively.
That clearly shows Brown has the upside to produce the kind of numbers that Jones is predicting he will, so this isn’t an outlandish statement by any stretch.
Of course, Brown figures to get more attention from opposing defenses, but that will be no easy task considering teams will have to stack the box to stop Henry, as Jones pointed out.
With a full 16-game slate with quarterback Ryan Tannehill at the helm, Brown should at least see better production in his second season with him likely to see more targets and receptions, but he certainly has the potential to do even more than that.
