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The biggest winner in Titans' trade? It's A.J. Brown

2:06 PM ET

  • Turron DavenportESPN

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    • Covered Eagles for USA Today
    • Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times
    • Played college football at Cheyney University

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans were tied last season for the second-most-potent offense in the league, but Sunday’s trade with the Atlanta Falcons for wide receiver Julio Jones has the potential to take them to a different plane.

Jones, whom the Titans acquired for a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 fourth-round selection, brings career totals of 848 receptions for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns to the Titans after a decade in the league.

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Adding Julio Jones will open up more opportunities for A.J. Brown, who is already one of the NFL’s best young receivers. Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports

Dating back to his collegiate days at Ole Miss, Brown has studied Jones’ game intently. He even swapped jerseys with Jones after the Titans beat the Falcons 24-10 in Week 4 of Brown’s rookie season. The third-year receiver is delighted to have Jones as a teammate.

“He’s a big receiver just like me but the thing he does special is he runs routes just like a smaller guy,” Brown said. “The physical part of his game is crazy. He plays with dominance. He can beat you over the top and beat you underneath. He doesn’t have any flaws to his game. For me, in college, he was teaching me everything and didn’t even know it. That’s when I didn’t know him and was just watching him.”

The Titans’ depth chart now has Brown, Jones and Reynolds — all at least 6-foot — as the top three receivers. All three are capable of playing in the slot or outside. That gives Downing an opportunity to move guys across the formation to generate matchups that favor the Titans. Downing liked the versatility the Titans’ wide receiver room presented before adding Jones.

“The more you can do for our offense and the more jobs you can perform, the more opportunities you’ll get to play,” Downing said. “Our group really embodies and embraces the ‘where can you plug me and play me’ mentality. As you have more pieces that are versatile that you can use in different positions, it opens things up for everybody, and we’re excited about that.”