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Jatavis Antonio Brown (born February 18, 1994) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
. He attended Glades Central High School in
Belle Glade, Florida Belle Glade is a city in south-central Florida and it is the far western part of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. According to th ...
and played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Akron Zips The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level as a memb ...
. He was selected by the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft.


College career

Brown was a standout
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
at Akron, being named to All-
Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...
(MAC) First-team three years in a row. He received the MAC Defensive Player of the Year honor in his senior season after recording a single season record 12.5 sacks, and school single season record 20.5 tackles for loss, and 116 total
tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...
.


Statistics


Professional career


Pre-draft

On January 21, 2016, it was announced that Brown was selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. On January 23, 2016, Brown played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and had an impressive performance as part of Mike Holmgren's National team that defeated the American team 18–17. Brown was instrumental in the victory and was a candidate for NFLPA Collegiate Bowl MVP. Although his performance in the collegiate bowl potentially raised his draft stock, Brown was still unable to attain an invitation to the
NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
and was not one of 322 college prospects invited. It was speculated by media members that he was snubbed due to his small stature for the linebacker position, although two linebackers who were invited also measured in at 5'11" and the shortest was Utah's Gionni Paul at 5'10". On February 14, 2016, Brown attended the NFL's first Regional Scouting Combine in
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. He performed combine drills for scouts and impressed them by running a 4.47s in the 40-yard dash. On March 18, 2016, Brown attended Akron's
pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
, and decided to run all of the combine drills again for team representatives and scouts. He beat his time in the Regional Combine in the 40-yard dash, finishing with 4.44s, to and had 33 reps in the
bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...
, which would've finished first among all linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine. 30 team representatives from 22 NFL teams attended to scout Brown as the featured prospect. Brown also attended private workouts and visits with ten NFL teams, including the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
,
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
,
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
,
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
,
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
,
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
,
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, and
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Brown was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the ninth best linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock Sr. (born August 14, 1958) is an American former professional football executive and player in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a safety with the New York Giants. After his playing career, he was a draft ...
, was ranked the 13th best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, and was ranked the 13th best linebacker in the draft by Pro Football Focus.


San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers


2016

The Chargers selected Brown in the fifth round (175th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. He was the 22nd linebacker drafted and the second linebacker drafted by the Chargers in 2016 after they selected Ohio State's Joshua Perry in the fourth round. Brown was the first linebacker drafted from Akron in school history and was the first player drafted from Akron since Reggie Corner in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. He also became only the 15th player drafted from Akron since the inception of the
NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
in
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
. On May 5, 2016, the Chargers signed Brown to a four-year, $2.52 million contract that included a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $184,385. Throughout
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...
, Brown competed for a job as a backup inside linebacker against Nick Dzubnar, Perry, and James Ross. Brown fell behind in the competition and had his progress stunted after he sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Chargers' first three preseason games. Head coach Mike McCoy named Brown the backup inside linebacker behind Denzel Perryman and Manti Te'o to begin the regular season. He made his professional regular-season debut in the Chargers' season-opener at the Chiefs and recorded three combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 33–27 loss. He played 27% of the Chargers' defensive snaps in his debut. On September 25, 2016, Brown collected six combined tackles, two pass breakups, and made his first career sack on Colts quarterback Andrew Luck during the Chargers' 26–22 victory. On October 2, 2016, Brown earned his first career start after Manti Te'o suffered a torn
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
during the Chargers' win in
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
. He recorded a total of seven solo tackles as the Chargers were defeated 35–34 by the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
. In Week 6, he collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (13 solo), forced a
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...
, and made his third career sack in the Chargers' 21–13 win against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. In Week 8, Brown made ten combined tackles and defended a pass during the Chargers' 27–19 loss at the Denver Broncos, but left the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury when a Broncos' offensive lineman slammed into his leg. He was expected to miss two games, but ended up being sidelined for four consecutive games (Weeks 9–13). On December 24, 2016, he made ten combined tackles and also recorded a sack on Robert Griffin III with teammate Kyle Emanuel as the Chargers lost at the Browns 20–17. He finished his rookie season in with in 12 games with 79 combined tackles (64 solo), 3.5 sacks, six passes defensed, and two forced fumbles in 12 games and seven starts. He finished first on the team with 79 combined tackles in 2016. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.


2017

During the offseason, the Chargers officially relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and were renamed the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...
. Throughout training camp, new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley held an open competition after opting to switch the Chargers' defense to a base a 4–3 defense and a Cover 3 scheme. Brown competed against Korey Toomer and Emanuel for the job as the starting weakside linebacker. Head coach Anthony Lynn named Brown the starting weakside linebacker and Korey Toomer the starting middle linebacker after Perryman tore an ankle ligament in the Chargers' first preseason game. He started the Chargers' season-opener at the Broncos and recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles during a 24–21 loss. In Week 4, he suffered a high ankle sprain during a 26–24 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, but managed to play in 68 of the 75 defensive snaps. In Week 6, Brown was replaced as the starter by Korey Toomer, while Hayes Pullard was named the starting middle linebacker. Many analysts were confused by the demotion and speculated that Brown was still feeling the effects of his high ankle sprain as that was seen as the only logical conclusion of his demotion. Hayes Pullard and Korey Toomer had an advantage over the other linebackers as they both previously played under first year defensive coordinator Gus Bradley in
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
and Seattle Seahawks and also had an established relationship with him. Brown saw his defensive snap count decrease dramatically after Perryman returned and Week 10 and was moved to starting weakside linebacker. Brown was relegated to special teams and a reserve role on defense, playing dime linebacker in certain situations that needed a linebacker cover a tight end or running back. With his reduced role, Brown did not record a stat in Weeks 13–14. In Week 15, he recorded eight combined tackles during a 30–13 loss at the Chiefs. Brown finished the 2017 regular season with a total of 79 combined tackles (54 solo) and a pass deflection in 16 games and five starts. From Week 5–17, Brown averaged just 20 snaps on defense a week. He was also replaced as the dime linebacker, as defensive coordinator Gus Bradley opted to go with safety Adrian Phillips when the offense had three or more wide receivers on the field, which was 64% of the time. The Chargers' defense strived under Gus Bradley, finishing sixth in yards per play (5.1). Brown was given an overall grade of 70.8 by Pro Football Focus and ranked 46th among all linebackers in overall grade among linebackers in 2017.


2018

Brown entered the 2018 season as a starting outside linebacker alongside Emanuel and Perryman. He played in 15 games with 10 starts, finishing second on the team with 97 combined tackles, along with one sack, five passes defended, and a forced fumble. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 17, missed the Chargers wild-card win over the Baltimore Ravens, and was placed on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
on January 7, 2019.


Philadelphia Eagles

On March 27, 2020, Brown signed a one-year contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
. On August 9, 2020, Brown announced his retirement from the NFL.


References


External links


Akron Zips bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Jatavis 1994 births Living people American football linebackers Akron Zips football players Los Angeles Chargers players Players of American football from Belle Glade, Florida San Diego Chargers players Philadelphia Eagles players