One day after the Tennessee Titans surprised fans by trading second-year cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., to the New York Jets, Titans coach Brian Callahan shared his perspective on why the deal was made but did not give many specifics.
“Those are conversations that we have, and Mike (Borgonzi, the Titans GM) and I have all those conversations,” Callahan said. “We’re in lock step with those decisions that get made. Those are things that are made for the short-term and the long-term interest of the football team.
“That’s ultimately what it was. There’s short term there that’s part of it, and there’s a long-term part of it too that —those are the conversations that we have.”
Callahan declined to specify what those long and short-term benefits are for the team. The lone specific detail Callahan did share was that Brownlee did not request to be traded.
Brownlee was the Titans’ fifth-round pick in 2024 out of Louisville. As a rookie, Brownlee started 14 games and generally drew impressive reviews. He entered the 2025 season as one of the Titans’ unquestioned starters at cornerback and took the field for the first two games before an ankle injury kept him off the field for Week 3.
Across 19 games as a Titan, Brownlee had 10 pass breakups, one interception, 92 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He also battled through penalty issues, logging nine in 2024 and three more in 2025.
In exchange for Brownlee and a 2026 seventh-round pick, the Titans received a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft from New York. This haul pales compared to the fourth-round pick the Titans received in exchange for linebacker Ernest Jones IV and the fifth-round pick the Titans received for receiver DeAndre Hopkins last fall. In both of those cases, the Titans were trading veterans who were pending free agents. Brownlee has two more years of cheap club control in front of him.
Brownlee felt like one of the least-likely trade candidates on this team as the Titans strive for draft capital amid a season that looks like it can quickly turn into a slog. Players like Arden Key, Roger McCreary, Dre’Mont Jones and Chig Okonkwo are on the final years of their contracts, and stalwart veterans like Jeffery Simmons, Calvin Ridley and L’Jarius Sneed could command big hauls on the market by virtue of their talents that could help boost contenders.
The Titans (0-3) visit the Houston Texans (0-3) at NRG Stadium on Sept. 28 (noon CT, CBS).
Without Brownlee, the Titans’ options at cornerback opposite Sneed and McCreary include Darrell Baker Jr., Jalyn Armour-Davis, Marcus Harris and Samuel Womack III.
Sneed and McCreary are the most experienced players and returning starters in the room. McCreary generally plays in the slot, though some of the slot responsibilities this season have fallen upon safety Amani Hooker. Rookie Kevin Winston Jr., also spent a little bit of time in the slot during preseason practices, but Winston has yet to debut in 2025 as he’s working back from offseason ACL surgery and hamstring soreness.
Baker and Armour-Davis seem the likeliest candidates to replace Brownlee in the starting lineup. Baker filled in for Sneed during the preseason and at the start of the season, and has been on the Titans’ active roster for more than a year now. Armour-Davis, who the Titans acquired off waivers from Baltimore in August, started in Brownlee’s place in Week 3, but was replaced by Baker after a few series. Week 3 marked the first time Armour-Davis was active with the Titans.
Harris, a rookie sixth-round pick out of California, has only played two defensive snaps this season. Womack, who the Titans also claimed off waivers in August, hasn’t been active for the Titans through three weeks.
“I think we’ve got some other players that are playing pretty good, and guys that we’re excited about and think that they can help us,” Callahan said.
Winston and Hooker become intriguing options as the Titans can further manipulate how multiple their secondary is. Hooker has primarily played safety throughout his seven-year tenure with the Titans, but he’s taken regular reps in the slot his entire career, including this season. Winston, similarly, played 5-10 snaps in the slot per game in 2023, his last full college season.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.