Isle of Wight product finishing season on a high note with the struggling Jets
You won’t see tight end Daniel Brown’s face on a State Farm commercial or his name on a fan’s NFL jersey. But thanks to his play on special teams, he is about to finish his sixth year in America’s most popular sports league despite going undrafted.
It has been a bad-news, goodnews saga in 2020 for Brown, 28, who was born in Windsor and grew up there, becoming one of the greatest athletes in Isle of Wight Academy history before developing into a key contributor for FCS powerhouse James Madison.
The bad news? Brown had no role in the offense for the first 10 games. His Jets infamously began the season 0-13, and when they finally won a game, stunning the host Los Angeles Rams, many of their fans weren’t happy because they lost the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, probably Clemson uber-quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
The good news? The 6-foot-5, 247-pounder played well enough in 2019 to lead New York on special-teams snaps and earn a $910,000 contract extension from the Jets for this year, according to Pro Football Reference. Brown has shown why, appearing in every game this year and playing 314 snaps on special teams. He has made four tackles.
Finally, with the Jets at 0-10, embattled coach Adam Gase and his staff began to use Brown a little bit on offense. In the last five games, Brown has taken part in 25
offensive plays, and one of those Sunday brought his first reception of the season.
With Cleveland leading 3-0, Brown caught a 13-yard pass from Sam Darnold on third-and-9 to extend the Jets’ first drive. New York had to punt on its next series, but the Jets took the lead to stay on their next possession.
For his career, Brown has appeared in 73 regular-season games, starting 12. He has grabbed 43 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns — one in a 34-17 victory at Washington last year and one in 2016 for the Chicago Bears. He also has made 13 tackles, primarily by covering kicks.
Brown first came to attention in Hampton Roads by helping IWA to three consecutive lower-division Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association championships and frequently earning all-state honors while being an honor-roll student. He also was a key basketball and baseball player for the Chargers, but football helped him earn his spot with JMU in the last years of coach Mickey Matthews’ tenure.
He redshirted upon arriving in Harrisonburg in 2010 but was a key blocker and target for various JMU quarterbacks over the subsequent four years, finishing with 91 catches for 1,450 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Dukes.
Brown entered the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie free agent in the summer of 2015, catching a 28-yard preseason touchdown pass against Philadelphia. The Ravens called him up from the practice squad that November but eventually waived him on Oct. 22, 2016.
Two days later, the Bears claimed him, and he stayed with Chicago through the 2018 season. Statistically, his best stretch came in ‘16, when he made 16 catches for 124 yards in six games, including three starts, as a Bear.
This season started forgettably, but Brown has found his special niche.