This Catch By Jets WR Jason Brownlee Is Brain-Breaking
Only fitting that Zach Wilson would put a basic go-ball so far out of reach that only someone with a freakish catch radius could haul it in! Just kidding, Zach. Rooting for you and hope that Aaron Rodgers' mentorship rubs off on you in all the best ways. More throwing bombs, less hitting on moms and all that good stuff.
No but seriously, Jason Brownlee. Undrafted rookie free agent out of Southern Mississippi. Apparent circus catch aficionado. Being 6-2 with a 39.5" vertical leap tends to yield such theatrics. Brownlee had no business catching this ball given how tight the coverage was. Didn't appear to bother him.
After a brief glimpse of the boots-on-the-ground Jets reporters who are re-sharing this video, the general consensus is that Brownlee has been making splash plays ever since he landed with Gang Green. This just so happens to be the biggest highlight of them all.
You can't expect much out of rookies more often than not, never mind guys who aren't even drafted. Every single year, however, we see somebody fall through the cracks of the draft, work their asses off to get opportunities and wind up either starting or contributing in a significant way. The first man who springs to mind in this category is from last year. Miami Dolphins corner Kader Kohou, the pride of Texas A&M University–Commerce. Yeah. They're the Lions, not the Aggies. Kohou came out of nowhere and will now be a big part of the Dolphins' efforts to cover for Jalen Ramsey's injury.
I'm not saying Jason Brownlee is going to be a starter. The Jets have a top-six roster in my opinion, and they're pretty well-stocked at wide receiver.
Beyond rising second-year stud Garrett Wilson, there are free-agent additions in Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb. Both Lazard and Cobb played with Rodgers in Green Bay. Tough to knock them off the final 53-man roster. Then there's Corey Davis, who's dynamic but has been hampered by injuries in two seasons with the team. In short, lots of competition for Brownlee to start commanding targets.
With how precise Rodgers is and how adept Wilson is at creating separation, it doesn't hurt to have a guy like Brownlee as a standby option when he can make contested catches like the one from Tuesday's practice. A story on Brownlee came out on Monday from the AP's Dennis Waszak Jr about Brownlee. That piece alludes to how Rodgers singled out Brownlee as having an impressive spring. The young man's own words about not shying away from competition seemed to spot-on foreshadow the subject of this blog:
"I’ve been through this type of situation before where I had to start all over and build from the ground up. So I know what it’s going to take — hard work and dedication — so I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. And real soon, you’re going to see something real special."
Yup. That catch was real special to be sure. Now I know which unheralded player I'm going to be tracking all preseason long. You can bet Brownlee will get plenty of opportunities to show out in the Jets' exhibition games. Even though those reps won't be with Rodgers, it's still a chance for Brownlee to proves he belongs on the 53-man roster. Honestly, his placement might come down to how well he fares on special teams.
In any event, regardless of how his current stint in New York plays out, if Brownlee lingers on the Jets' practice squad, there'll be more than several teams who try to poach him off of there as long as he continues on his current trajectory.