After Tennessee Titans 2022 undrafted free agent signing and cornerback Tre Avery struggled mightily in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, we thought we might’ve seen the last of him.
After that game, Avery didn’t see a single snap until Week 9, but over the course of the last three weeks the rookie has seen increased opportunities thanks to injuries to the secondary.
And Avery has answered the bell, and so much so that head coach Mike Vrabel said he was the team’s best cornerback in Week 12.
“I’d say he was probably the best of the group of corners,” Vrabel said. “He did everything that he could do with the snaps that he got. He gets in there and does it the way that we coach — he challenges, plays square, he had a PBU.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Avery was targeted seven times in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals but allowed just two receptions for 28 yards while also notching a pair of passes defensed.
It was the second-straight game in which the rookie tallied the highest overall PFF grade on defense (minimum 10 snaps) and in coverage on the team. He was also called the “Rookie of the Week” by PFF for Week 11.
Our Tyler Rowland recently broke it all down by looking at the film of Avery’s play against the Bengals, which you can check out right here.
On Wednesday, Avery shared his thoughts on Vrabel’s high praise.
“It was pretty cool, just for him to notice just the efforts paying off,” Avery said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“I think I have a lot of work to do, a lot to learn from,” he said when asked how he thinks he’s playing. “Even that last game, gave up some things. I’d say I’m playing decent.”
As Tennessee’s secondary continues to get healthier, Avery is going to have a tougher and tougher time seeing the field. But if he continues playing like this, the rookie is going to keep getting snaps.