I’ve been focusing a lot on some of the all time greats in Titans history over the last three weeks. I imagine that archives list is looking pretty funny at the bottom of the article with names like Chris Henry sprinkled in with McNair, George, and Bulluck. But, that’s my ultimate vision of this piece that I run every Summer when there’s nothing else to write about. The interesting stories – good, bad, ugly, the whole nine. This isn’t a countdown of Titans legends. It’s a deep look at some of the men who have shaped this franchise for better or for worse. Today, we’re going to be looking at a guy who I thought was unfairly thrust into a #1 receiver role, Brandon Jones.
The former Oklahoma Sooner was selected by the Titans in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and would go on to play four seasons in Nashville.
His selection came at a time when the franchise was looking for a weapon at wide receiver. But, the strategy seemed to be to just throw some middle and late round draft picks at the wall to see what would stick. They didn’t invest the resources in the position that it takes to find a true #1. They hadn’t since Kevin Dyson in 1998, and they wouldn’t until Kenny Britt in 2009. Something about that regime just didn’t seem to know what to do at the position. And, because of that, guys like Jones and Roydell Williams had unreal expectations thrust upon them. Meanwhile, the Titans brought in guys like Bobby Wade, David Givens, and Eric Moulds in the twilight of the careers as patchwork players. If this team didn’t have the reliable Drew Bennett and Justin Gage, who knows what this receiving corps would’ve looked like?
It wasn’t good regardless, and there are a million what-ifs we can look at concerning that period in Titans history.
Jones was a talented guy with solid size (6’1″, 212), but for whatever reason, it never really amounted to production.
2005 – 23 rec., 299 yds, two touchdowns
2006 – 27 rec., 384 yds, four touchdowns
2007 – 21 rec., 248 yds, two touchdowns
2008 – 41 rec., 449 yds, one touchdown
That comes to an average 28 rec., 345 yds, and 2.25 touchdowns per year. Now, these were the days when the Titans were hell bent on running the ball, sure. But, there was still definitely an opportunity to step up in the receiving corps. He was 5th in receiving in 2005, 3rd in 2006, 5th in 2007, and 3rd in 2008.
Jones never really bottomed out – I mean…it’s not like he got worse over time. But, he never made that next step. Every Summer for four years, we started training camp wondering if it was going to be Jones’ year. Would he finally become a #1?!? That probably wasn’t fair, and Jones probably would’ve been better served in a receiving corps like Cincinnati’s at the time, where he could be a strong role player and not face inflated expectations every year. Playing in a different offense with a better quarterback may have changed things for Jones.
The Titans finally threw in the towel on him after the 2008 season. San Francisco signed him to a five-year $16.5 million deal for some reason. I guess we weren’t the only ones who kept believing Jones would take the next step. He caught one pass for 18 yards in 2009, and it ended up being his only season with the 49ers. He bounced around to the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens, but ultimately, that catch in San Francisco would be the last of his career. Jones called it quits in 2011.
He remains one of the big “what ifs” of the mid-2000s era Titans.
Tennessee Titans Throwback Thursday Archives
Drew Bennett
Keith Bulluck
Eddie George
Chris Henry
Steve McNair
Vince Young
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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