Why the A.J. Brown trade might not be so bad after all.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve most likely
heard about the Titans trading star receiver A.J. Brown to the
Eagles. While it is easy to criticize the move, as players of
Brown’s caliber don’t often get moved, I believe there is a
deeper way of looking at things.

For example, the Titans not only traded A.J. brown, but they
essentially created around $25 million in cap space- cap space
that will hopefully be used to extend Jeffery Simmons. Also
worth noting, is the player(s) the Titans received in return for
Brown. In the 1st round, the Titans used the Eagles’ pick to
select Treylon Burks, the talented receiver out of Arkansas. The
Titans would also select Nicholas Petit-Frere, tackle out of Ohio
State with the Eagles’ 3rd rounder.

Interestingly, guess who Burks’ pro comparison is? A.J.
Brown. No kidding. Now, obviously this means nothing, and
there’s a much higher chance of Burks being average than there

is of his becoming A.J. Brown. But say Burks CAN become
Brown- he would be doing it for much cheaper, at least for the
next 4 years. If the Titans believe they are in a super bowl
window, then banking on Burks to produce at a much cheaper
clip than Brown makes some sense. Also keep in mind that the
Titans traded for Robert Woods this off-season. From 2018-
2020, Robert Woods had around 90 catches and 1,000 receiving
yards per season. For reference, Brown had two thousand-yard
seasons, with 70 being the largest season reception total.

For arguments sake, let’s say Robert Woods is healthy this
season but takes a step back due to being in a new, run-heavy
offense. I believe a fair number to expect from Woods would be
something like 55 catches for 745 yards. Well, Brown finished
2021 with 63 catches for 869 yards…