Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The Titans finished last season with one of the most physically imposing and productive defenses in the NFL.
From weeks 9-18, Tennessee’s defense ranked fourth in opposing points per game, 10th in opposing yards per play, and first in opposing yards per rush.
The entire unit saved their best performance for last, producing nine sacks and one interception in the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Due to the unfortunate ending, people tend to forget that the Titans’ defense mostly held the Bengals’ potent offense in check outside of when costly Titans turnovers put Cincinnati near scoring position.
In total, the Titans’ defense accounted for 52 sacks on the year, 39.5 of which came from the combination of Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Bud Dupree.
For those who need visual evidence of @GrindSimmons94 being THAT dude#FutureDPOY #Titans ⚔️ https://t.co/pXBupqcBWG pic.twitter.com/dopIP6a6EV
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) April 17, 2022
Led by All-Pro defenders Simmons and Kevin Byard, Tennessee is returning nearly the entire starting defense from a year ago.
Who had the highest PFF grade amongst safeties in the NFL this season? ⚔️@KevinByard – 90.4 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/rL1aL9nLQr
— PFF TEN Titans (@PFF_Titans) February 20, 2022
The only real revamp came at the cornerback position. The Titans are adding two corners to their secondary who were both recently selected with top-35 picks.
Caleb Farley was the 2021 first-round selection before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Meanwhile, Roger McCreary was the Titans’ second selection on draft weekend just a few weeks back.
The highest-graded corner in the country this season:
🔒 Roger McCreary🔒 pic.twitter.com/YzPuP7xa25
— PFF (@PFF) March 26, 2022
A full season of Farley and the addition of McCreary have the potential to take this already stout defense to an entirely different level. The Titans are also returning talented young cornerbacks in Kristian Fulton and Elijah Molden, both of whom showed plenty of promise throughout 2021.
-Every Kristian Fulton 3rd Down target-
Ranks among CB’s on 3rd Down
Success Rate: 21.4% (4th)
EPA/TGT: -0.54 (5th)
YDS/TGT: 3.9 (8th)
QBR Against: 24.4 (4th) pic.twitter.com/cP6Jrv0KqP— No Flags Film (@NoFlagsFilm) March 16, 2022
Should everything go as planned, a cornerback group that was once widely considered a liability could now go about four deep with former top-100 picks.
If the Titans are going to have any chance at reaching their Super Bowl aspirations, they’re likely going to have to heavily rely upon on this extremely talented defense to lead the way.
