Tennessee Titans: Where Mike Daniels could fit on defense

If the Tennessee Titans signed former Green Bay Packers DT Mike Daniels, where would he fit?

Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson should be on the phone with former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels immediately. While most people might view this potential move as a Jeffrey Simmons stopgap, I see it as a possible upgrade to the Titans’ D-line.

Daniels is an all-purpose 3-Technique who has spent time as a NT and 5T. Titans first-rounder Jeffrey Simmons is going to come in as primarily a 0 or 1T, and I don’t think that’s Daniels’ role.

To me, this move could put DaQuan Jones—who has spent most of his time as a 3 or 4-Tech—or even Austin Johnson on the bubble.

Of his 582 DL snaps in 2018, Jones lined up the most in the left DT gap. While that was also Titans DL Jurrell Casey’s primary position and has been Daniels’ as well, the former Packer could shift to the right DT slot. In fact, Daniels saw most of his 2018 snaps in Green Bay on the right side.

Robinson loves versatility, and Daniels can disrupt from all over the field. If signed, this could mean a hypothetical Casey-Austin Johnson-Daniels front that would give opposing QBs some severe problems. Especially when Simmons becomes available, things could get real nasty—Daniels is one of four DTs with four-plus sacks in each of the last five seasons. Jurrell Casey is another.

Despite missing the final month of the 2018 season, Daniels graded out as the eighth-best pass rusher among qualifying DT’s, according to PFF. For the Titans, getting after the quarterback has been a point of concern for far too long.

Adding Daniels would instantly improve the defensive front and inject the Titans with a little personality boost. Signing Daniels makes sense on so many levels, now all that’s left is for Robinson to get it done.