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Four reasons why the Titans front office views trading Jarvis Brownlee as the right move for the future

By A to Z Sports,Easton Freeze

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Four reasons why the Titans front office views trading Jarvis Brownlee as the right move for the future

You’ll be shocked to learn that the initial reaction from the internet was along the lines of “what?” and also “why?”. Brownlee was a starter on the outside for the Titans dating back to the middle of 2024 as a rookie. He finishes his Titans career with 16 starts, 1 interception and 10 passes defended. He was the Titans leading tackler through two games, before missing Week 3 with an ankle injury that put him in a boot. He’s still nursing that injury now as the Jets trade for him.

So what’s going on here? I see four possible reasons for why the Titans made this move:

Taking Action On Penalty Problems

One point of order before we talk penalties: I’m about to run down four explanations for why the front office saw this as the right move, but if you’re still really stuck on what in the world they were thinking in general, then there are only two options to choose from. These kinds of head-scratching trades can only mean one of two things, in my opinion:

The front office just made a mind-numbing value error, and they don’t know what they’re doing
Or, There’s a lot more to this player and/or their standing on the team than the public knows

You have to decide for yourself which of those two things you think is more likely before we can dig into what the specific things that we don’t know are. The rest of this article is based on the assumption that option number two is the reality here, which I’m inclined to believe based on the job GM Mike Borgonzi has done so far and my experience around the team during Brownlee’s time in Tennessee.

Now for explanation number one: this team is putting their foot down on sloppy players who commit penalties habitually. The fact of the matter is that during Brownlee’s time here, he was one of the most aggressive players on the football field at all times. That aggression was too sloppy too often, and it led to him getting flagged too often. In 2024, Brownlee had 9 penalties for 57 yards in 14 starts. That isn’t counting the penalties that were declined. This year, he had three painful flags in Tennessee’s Week 1 loss to Denver. It led to DC Dennard Wilson laying down the law for him in a press conference.

The 2025 Titans (still) lead the league in total penalties called with 39. It’s a big problem that they’ve done everything imaginable to reign in, including forcing violators in practice to watch their teammates be forced to do pushups as punishment for the mistake they made. At the end of the day, some players are just more prone to getting flagged than others. And this move could be a tone-setter for how those players will be regarded on this roster going forward.

Brownlee Wasn’t This Front Office’s Guy

Allow me to briefly eulogize Jarvis Brownlee Jr’s stint in Tennessee, because while he may not have been this front office’s guy, he sure was mine. I loved Brownlee’s game dating back to his time in Louisville, and was elated when the Titans took him on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. I thought they might’ve stolen a starting-caliber cornerback with a late round pick. For 16 games, I felt that they had. And now, I can’t help but think the Jets are getting one for cheap.

Clearly, this front office doesn’t see it that way. At 5’10″ and 3/8 tall, his 42nd percentile arm length didn’t constitute a very long cornerback. Chad Brinker in particular comes from a scouting background in Green Bay where physical thresholds are highly regarded, and the way I’ve been led to understand it, short cornerbacks are super not their cup of tea.

There’s also always something to be said about players who aren’t the current regime’s “guy” in general. In other words, they didn’t pick you. They inherited you. And you weren’t a part of their cultural or tactical philosophy for building a roster. That doesn’t always mean the player is bad, it can simply mean they aren’t a fit. But if that’s the case here, who is a fit for this vacant starting role?

Pushing Youth Up The Depth Chart

The Titans have seven cornerbacks on their roster, and claimed two of them off waivers. They’re a team embodying the word struggle at 0-3. They’re as clear a “seller” candidate at the deadline as you could possibly be, as this front office continues its stated goal of patiently transforming into a draft and develop operation.

But wouldn’t Brownlee be a textbook example of drafting and developing? A wise observation, reader! One would think that’s the case, wouldn’t they! I know I sure did. But if he simply wasn’t their kind of guy behind the scenes—and these kinds of trades can portend revealing stories we’ll probably never hear—then they’ll now turn to the young players they themselves have chosen.

That seems to start with 26 year old Jalyn Armour-Davis, who was the most sought-after man on waivers in the whole league this August. The Titans snagged him with their top spot, and in Week 3 he began working his way into the gameday rotation in Brownlee’s stead. This is a player who was on waivers as a result of his injury history and the Ravens having a deep room. He wasn’t cut for poor performance or a limited ceiling. This is why he was so popular on waivers, and the Titans may be hoping his injury luck won’t follow him to Tennessee. Now that’s a gamble if I’ve ever heard one…

The other player I’ll be keeping my eye on is 2025 sixth round pick Marcus Harris. He’s somebody this staff has been training as an outside cornerback so far. Moving Brownlee is liable to open up more opportunities for him this year too.

Selling Where There’s Value To Gain

The final potential reason is that the Titans front office is merely interested in stockpiling value in the 2026 draft class, and this was the first of a handful of dominoes coming before the trade deadline. This roster is built on a mix of cheap inexperience and expensive mercenaries. It’s a topsy-turvy roster that’s a direct result of Jon Robinson blowing three straight draft classes.

Anybody who has watched the 2025 Titans so far has probably said or thought to themselves at some point: “our rookies are our best players”. It’s definitely felt that way a lot of the time. And the Titans understand that too. The youth are the future of this team. That means getting young guys experience now, and it means preparing to bring in as many talented young guys in the upcoming draft too.

The reality of this situation, I’m sure, is that all four of these reasons contributed in some way. I’m sorry to see Jarvis go, my bias on him as a prospect makes me worry this was a big fat mistake, but my faith in Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker having a good reason for this makes me think there’s more to it than meets even my plugged-in eye.

It’s certainly the kind of bold move that will build up or break down that faith in a big way.