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Zach Brown may be lost in the shuffle for the Tennessee Titans

Why the third year riser may have an issue getting on the field.

One of the benefits of the 3-4 is that by its nature you get to emphasize linebacker talent and mask defensive line issues. However, one of the Tennessee Titans best linebackers may get lost in the shuffle thanks to a free agent signing.

Zach Brown projects best to a 3-4 WILB spot. That spot is the best fit for him because, despite his willingness to attack in the running game, his big issue is that he isn't going to be a stack-and-shed sort of 'backer. His strength is as a penetrating linebacker that knives in behind blocks.

However, now that the Titans have signed Wesley Woodyard (a WILB with history at that position) the outlook is not so good for the former Tar Heel. Woodyard isn't an outstanding linebacker, but he was a target that the Titans made a priority to sign which means he will likely win any tiebreakers with other linebackers.

The best hope I can see for Brown is that new DC Ray Horton may want to have two athletic linebackers at the ILB positions. That way it is harder to get a pre-snap read on who can do what and where the pressure is coming from. He has stated before that he likes to play his safeties closer to the L.O.S. for that same reason. If Brown can add a few pounds (get to a true 265) then maybe he will be thrown into the competition for the open SILB spot.