Titans center Ben Jones knows his line with have their hands full Sunday. Photo by Chipermc (Wikipedia).

NASHVILLE: When the Eagles take to the field Sunday at Nissan Stadium, Tennessee Titans standout center Ben Jones will no doubt be watching his good friend, Eagles Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks while he is on the field.

The two were teammates, and linemates for several years with the Texans. In fact they were drafted back-to-back in the 2012 and left as free agents after their four-year rookie contracts expired.

Brooks was drafted in the third round of the draft and on March 9 2016, Brooks signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jones was drafted in the fourth round of the same draft. On March 10, 2016, Jones signed a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans.

Eagles Brandon Brooks was drafted by the Houston Texans the round before Ben Jones. The friends are opponents on Sunday.
Photo by Keith Allison (Wikipedia).

“When he came (into the NFL) he had all the tools,” Jones said. “It was a process for him.”
But when he is on the field, the guys on the other side of the line will not be anywhere near as friendly.

Jones talked about the challenges playing against the Eagles defensive line led by Fletcher Cox, Haloti Ngata, Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham.

The Titans run the ball well with Derrick Henry and veteran Dion Lewis leading the way.

“Every week you’ve got great players in this league,” Jones said at his locker after Friday’s practice. “I feel like every team’s got a good front. Those guys are special. Haloti Ngata’s been playing at a high level for multiple years now and Fletcher, he’s doing it, he’s a good player and you’ve go to be aware of guys like that. You have to put a hat on a hat.”

The Titans offensive line will be at full strength Sunday. Left tackle Taylor Lewan returned last week after sitting out the first two games with a concussion.

Right tackle Jack Conklin is making his 2018 debut after suffering a torn ACL last year during the Titans Divisional Round playoff loss to the New England Patriots.

In addition to stopping the run, the Eagles (2-1) get after the quarterback using mostly its front four. Last week’s starter Blaine Gabbert is out with a concussion. Markus Mariota is hurting with a bad elbow. He is likely to start but will need time to get in rhythm.

Mariota hurt his elbow in the Titans’ opener, a 27-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, and was replaced by Blaine Gabbert.

Gabbert started against the Houston Texans, a 20-17 victory. He also started against Jacksonville last week but left the game with a concussion.

Mariota finished the game, a 9-6 win on the road to lift Tennessee to a 2-1 record headed into their game against Philadelphia.

“We’ve got to hold up, we’ve got to open up holes,” Jones said. “Marcus is a heck of an athlete back there, and we know if we give him a time, he’s going to make plays. He can be them with his arm and his legs.”

Like the rest of the Titans, Jones is aware that Eagles fans will have a big presence at Nissan Stadium. For years, the Titans have not been a big draw their home games. A playoff team last year, Tennessee’s home opener filled about half the stadium.

“We’re used to it,” Jones said with a laugh. “We know (the Eagles) are one of those teams that travels well. We’ve just got to take care of business.” *

Some bio info from Wikipedia.

Follow Al Thompson on Twitter @thompsoniii