Tennessee Titans Jurrell Casey recognized as elite DL he is

Tennessee Titans star Jurrell Casey ranked as the 10th-best interior defensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus.

Way too often I feel personally attacked by rankings. This is not one of those times. Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey is a perennial star, and it’s not debatable.

What makes the following so interesting is that the “PFF Analysis Team” wrote PFF’s rankings. Meaning, one, we don’t know how many analysts were involved, and two, Casey could have been higher on some lists than others. I think that’s entirely possible.

Here’s what they had to say:

"Casey was once again a force in the middle of the Titans’ defensive line, and he really made his mark as a run defender. He ended the year with 27 run stops – fifth-most among defensive tackles – and a run-defense grade of 91.1 that ranked seventh among all interior defenders. He’s also earned a spot on PFF’s top 101 list seven times in his career."

Speaking of consistency, Casey is one of four DTs with four-plus sacks in each of the past five seasons. The four-time pro bowler has been the anchor on the Titans defensive line since 2011, missing only three games in his entire career.

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The single most important trait to me in regards to a football player is his availability. Not only has Casey been available for 97.6 percent of his games, but he has also started in 98.4 percent of games since entering the league.

That includes his rookie year—and remember, he entered the league as a third-round pick with no guarantee to see the field immediately.

I did some digging.

Of the other players mentioned on PFF’s list, only two—Carolina Panthers DT Kawann Short and Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones—have been more available, but no one has started more of their potential games than Casey.

Despite his second-round draft pedigree, Short didn’t start a single game his rookie year in Carolina. And to date, Jones has only started 60.4 percent of his games in Kansas City.

All this to say: it’s simple.

To win in the NFL, you’ve got to stay healthy, and statistically, no one on this list “shows up” more than Jurrell Casey. In typical Titans form, the most consistently underrated DT in the league is also the most dependable.