Tennessee Titans send AJ Brown to the Eagles in Draft night blockbuster

The Tennessee Titans shocked the NFL world by trading A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 18 and 101 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Tennessee Titans decided to give A.J. Brown his walking papers. After three years with the Titans, the former Ole Miss wideout dominated as a rookie, with over 1,000-receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

He followed that up with another 1,000-yard season with 11 touchdowns. Year three saw a dip in production with only 869-yards and five touchdowns in 13-games.

With players like Davante Adams, Christian Kirk, and Tyreek Hill getting paid, A.J. Brown wanted his check next. The Titans said no thanks.

They traded the fourth-year wide receiver to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 18 and 101 picks. With Julio Jones gone, the Titans’ wide receiver room looked horrible. Naturally, the Titans opted to replace A.J. Brown with a guy with a similar skill-set in Treylon Burks.

What the AJ Brown trade means for the Titans

The Arkansas wideout is a 6-2 225-pound yards after catch player. Burks is the type of player to take short plays and turn them into long gains. He does his best work on quick screens and working the short areas of the field.

However, he can do more.

A trending theme is the Percy Harvin, Deebo Samuel role, where a wide receiver is used as a back — Burks can do that. In addition to his 1,104 receiving yards, he rushed for 114.

There’s no doubt the Titans are leaning on Derrick Henry again with a move like this. Burks isn’t a No. 1, but he can be used as a volume target. Don’t be surprised if he catches 80 or more passes as a rookie.

The Titans believed they could get similar production for cheaper on a player with a 5th-year option. Only time will tell.

What does the AJ Brown trade mean for the Eagles?

A.J. Brown got his payday as well, signing a four-year, $100 million contract with $57 million guaranteed. The Eagles have arguably the best pair of wideouts in the NFC East with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. It’s obvious the Eagles want to give Jalen Hurts a chance to succeed next season.

Now that he has weapons at wide receiver, Hurts is expected to improve as a passer. Last season, he completed 61% of his passes with 16 touchdowns and a little over 3,100-yards. He’s in a make-or-break year given the expectations of the 2023 NFL Draft quarterback class.