How JuJu Brents gained Colts coaches' trust with one play vs. the Titans

INDIANAPOLIS - JuJu Brents needed two weeks of sitting out to earn the trust of his coaches, but the rookie's growth to now can be summed up in one play.

The Colts were defending the Titans on a 2nd-and-18 from the Colts' 22-yard line. It was the third quarter, and with Anthony Richardson out of the game, the Titans were trailing by four and looking to take the lead.

But as Brents lined up as the outside cornerback to the left and got ready to press the receiver, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, he could feel something happening.

"We were in a Cover-2 scheme, and when you're in the higher red zone, you know you could potentially get a shot," said Brents, a second-round pick out of Kansas State. "I'm pretty much a flat corner on that play, just trying to give a jam for my safety over the top. But just the way they were playing, DeAndre Hopkins was being a little bit aggressive in that area."

As he pressed Westbrook-Ikhine to an outside release, Brents kept his eyes on Hopkins, who ran a deep in from the slot. Hopkins was the Titans' clear top target, finishing the day with eight catches for 140 yards, and Brents knew he would draw the attention of Colts free safety Rodney Thomas II, who was lined up deep and over him.

"Then, hell, the ball might come your way,” Brents said.

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"With two verts, if I'm jamming him and seeing that (the slot) is going vertical, it's a good bet that (the outside receiver) is going vertical as well if he's not crossing my face. Seeing that, feeling that and continuing to keep sinking.”

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill spotted the double coverage on Hopkins and immediately looked to Westbrook-Ikhine, who was open up the left sideline with no safety in sight. But Brents was lurking within a few yards, and he sprinted toward the end zone before spinning back around to reach his hands up to the ball, which flew off his fingertips and incomplete.

"You've gotta finish," Brents said. "That's the main goal is to get the ball back for our offense. It was tough. It was an OK play, but it could have been a great play."

Brents didn't come down with the interception, but he did prevent a touchdown to bring up a 3rd-and-18. The Titans settled for a field goal and still trailed by a point. Those were the last points they scored in a 23-16 defeat.

The play didn't make many highlight reels outside the building, but it had Brents' coaches raving.

"That was a key play in the game," Milus said.

Added defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, "For every maybe bust, there was a cover that he made."

This is the situational awareness the Colts have been waiting to see in the rookies they have playing one of the most difficult positions in a passing league. They drafted Brents in the second round because of his athletic potential, which ranked in the top 0.01% of cornerback prospects in the history of the NFL Combine; as well as his fit in their Seattle-style scheme at 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds.

But they were patient to play him after he spent the spring recovering from wrist surgery and then pulled his hamstring twice, giving him only a handful of practices by the start of the regular season. Indianapolis made him a healthy scratch the first two games, which was a hard pill to swallow for a Warren Central graduate.

But Brents has shown confidence and an ability to get to the ball since that Week 3 activation in Baltimore. He punched a ball out from Kenyan Drake and recovered it in that game and then had the play to save a touchdown against the Titans. In that time, he's ascended to the Colts' top outside cornerback option following Dallis Flowers' Achilles tear.

The ups come with some downs, too, like the game-winning touchdown he allowed to Puka Nacua and the Rams. But the Colts are fine with that. It's the trust in situations they're looking for, and they're starting to see it in him.

"It's all about improvement and growth," Brents said. "Every single day. Every single rep."

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: How one pass play vs. Titans shows where JuJu Brents has come