Jaguars DL Malcolm Brown ‘ecstatic’ to reunite with Coach Strong

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a concerted effort to upgrade its defensive line last week, and one of the marquee names it acquired was former New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Malcom Brown, a former Texas product, coached by Jaguars assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong for one season.

Brown, Meyer indicated, was perhaps his favorite signing of the bunch, and the Jaguars’ No. 1 priority was to acquire some of the best defensive line talents the franchise could, to position itself to become one of the eight best defensive lines in the NFL.

The team’s idea to build off of the defensive line is something that excites Brown, too, noting that the “big guys set the tone of the game.”

“Defense has got to go through the offensive line and go stop them,” Brown said on Friday.

“We always make contact first, so we just—it feels good that we’re building something strong on the defensive line and I just hope we continue to grow and get better together.”

Brown, 27, has played six years in the NFL for two teams — the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots, the team that originally selected him 32nd overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. He has started 80 games, playing in 89 total, and has missed just eight games in his career.

In his career, Brown has tallied 247 tackles (130 solos), 23 tackles-for-loss, 23 quarterback hits and 11.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Brown ranked No. 6 in the NFL in run-stop-percentage at 11.5% among defensive linemen who played at least 100 run-stop snaps last season.

The Jaguars know Brown well, at least Strong does, and that connection is something that Brown looks forward to reigniting while in Jacksonville.

“I was excited,” Brown said regarding the prospect of reuniting with coach Strong. # It just brought back flashbacks of college and how we were, and I got very excited once I heard that and just to see him again.”

The process for Brown was different this go around. While he has been a free agent in the past, the 6-foot-2, 320-pound defensive tackle took a different approach to what he was going through, whether it be a trade or being released, able to sign with any team.

Regardless, Brown was excited about coming to Jacksonville, read to be part of what Meyer is building.

“I was ecstatic about coming here with the direction the program is going, but the process was like—once I heard about me being traded, or potentially cut, I kind of just focused on working out and things like that,” said Brown.

“Because the first time I went through free agency, I kind of sat there and worried about everything, what’s going to happen and this and that, and I just kind of worried myself to death. So, I just kind of worked out, stuck to the family, just kept my mind busy all day and then whatever happened after that, would happen.”

The newest Jaguars defensive tackle officially met with Meyer for the first time on Friday, able to get even more clarity on his expectations and the direction the franchise is going. That much gets Brown even more excited to join the team this year.

“It really gives you a clear picture of what he wants to put out or create from this program. So, hearing him talk about that, just even more got me more excited about the whole process and where we’re going forward,” he said.

“Those conversations have been going good. And d-line, he thinks that much of the d-line—that also made me happy.”