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Washington Football Team: 5 dark horses that could make the team

By Jonathan Eig

May 25, 2021; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Football Team wide receiver Tony Brown (12) carries the ball during an OTA at Inova Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2021; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Football Team wide receiver Tony Brown (12) carries the ball during an OTA at Inova Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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South Dakota State’s Jordan Brown laughs in a conversation on the field during the second quarter of the match up with Missouri State for Military Appreciatin Day Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.Img 0446South Dakota States Jordan Brown laughs in a conversation on the field during the second quarter of the match up with Missouri State for Military Appreciatin Day Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
South Dakota State’s Jordan Brown laughs in a conversation on the field during the second quarter of the match up with Missouri State for Military Appreciatin Day Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.Img 0446South Dakota States Jordan Brown laughs in a conversation on the field during the second quarter of the match up with Missouri State for Military Appreciatin Day Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings. /

CB Jordan Brown

Some of the players on this list have a physical limitation that allows them to excel in college but not in the pros. But a few of them are victims of circumstance. That would describe Jordan Brown.

Brown was a wide receiver coming out of high school who transitioned to defense while in college at South Dakota State. Athletically, he offers a lot of what you want in a boundary corner. At 6-0 and about 200 pounds, he has the size to stand up to most receivers. And he has excellent speed and agility for his size.

The knock on Brown’s physical profile is that he doesn’t have enough strength to stay with bigger receivers. But strength can be improved.

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Brown’s bigger challenge is that he came to the position late. Boundary corner may be the single most difficult position to learn on defense. It is hard to come up with a position that requires the same level of physical agility and mental toughness. Corners get beaten a lot and when they do, everyone sees it. That is not an easy thing to deal with.

Brown’s physical talent resulted in him being a seventh-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2019, and he has bounced around from the Bengals to the Jaguars to the Raiders before arriving in Washington.

Out of the five players profiled here, I think Brown may have the best chance of surprising people. That’s partly due to the fact that he will probably continue to grow into his position as he gets more reps, and partly due to the fact that teams always need cornerbacks.

The Washington Football Team has six or seven players who would appear to be ahead of him right now, but it is not all that unusual for an NFL team to need to rely on their seventh corner at some point during the season. If Jordan Brown’s technique can continue to improve in 2021, he might be one of those guys.

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