Titans’ reasons for optimism going into 2022 season

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports activities

The Titans completed final season with one of the vital bodily imposing and productive defenses within the NFL.

From weeks 9-18, Tennessee’s protection ranked fourth in opposing factors per recreation, tenth in opposing yards per play, and first in opposing yards per rush.

The whole unit saved their greatest efficiency for final, producing 9 sacks and one interception within the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

As a result of unlucky ending, folks are likely to neglect that the Titans’ protection largely held the Bengals’ potent offense in examine exterior of when pricey Titans turnovers put Cincinnati close to scoring place.

In complete, the Titans’ protection accounted for 52 sacks on the yr, 39.5 of which got here from the mixture of Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Bud Dupree.

Led by All-Professional defenders Simmons and Kevin Byard, Tennessee is returning almost the whole beginning protection from a yr in the past.

The one actual revamp got here on the cornerback place. The Titans are including two corners to their secondary who had been each just lately chosen with top-35 picks.

Caleb Farley was the 2021 first-round choice earlier than struggling a season-ending knee damage. In the meantime, Roger McCreary was the Titans’ second choice on draft weekend just some weeks again.

A full season of Farley and the addition of McCreary have the potential to take this already stout protection to a completely completely different degree. The Titans are additionally returning gifted younger cornerbacks in Kristian Fulton and Elijah Molden, each of whom confirmed loads of promise all through 2021.

Ought to the whole lot go as deliberate, a cornerback group that was as soon as extensively thought of a legal responsibility may now go about 4 deep with former top-100 picks.

If the Titans are going to have any probability at reaching their Tremendous Bowl aspirations, they’re probably going to must closely depend on on this extraordinarily gifted protection to cleared the path.