Tennessee Titans snubbed by Adam Schein on top 9 NFL defenses list
By Ravi Konjeti
The Tennessee Titans defense was snubbed in Adam Schein’s top 9 defenses list for the 2019 season.
The Tennessee Titans were left out of the top 9 defensive rankings list for the 2019 NFL season by NFL.com’s Adam Schein. A surprising omission on the list, the Titans were snubbed for some interesting choices that included the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers.
Here’s the full list:
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Chicago Bears
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Buffalo Bills
- New England Patriots
- Minnesota Vikings
- Atlanta Falcons
- Green Bay Packers
It’s hard to make a case against the Titans. Last season, the Titans ranked 8th in total yards allowed and 6th in passing yards allowed. The stifling Titans defense finished as the No. 3 scoring defense, as well.
While the Titans finished as a top 10 defense in the league, the Falcons finished 28th in total yards allowed and 27th in passing yards allowed. The meek Falcons defense finished 25th in points allowed that led to the team finishing 7-9 on the season.
The Falcons’ secondary struggled with injuries last season with safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones missing majority of the season. However, a healthy Falcons defensive line couldn’t manage a pass rush and finished with 37 sacks, which was two sacks less than the Titans.
The Falcons took very few steps to add talent to their defense this offseason. Despite starting corner Robert Alford departing the team to join the Cardinals, the Falcons spent their two first round picks in the NFL draft on offensive linemen, and waited until the 4th round to pick up a replacement corner.
Meanwhile, the Packers finished 18th in total yards allowed and 12th against the pass. The Packers finished 22nd in points allowed, causing Aaron Rodgers and Co. to miss the playoffs.
The Packers lost their long time defensive leader in linebacker Clay Matthews to the Rams, and cut defensive tackle Mike Daniels, who signed with the Lions. While the Packers added linebacker Za’Darius Smith and defensive back Adrian Amos to the defensive backfield, the Packers last successful defensive season came in 2015 when they finished 12th in scoring.
The Titans clearly finished ahead of both teams last season, despite having a middle-of-the-pack pass-rush. Starters Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan contributed only 2 sacks combined last season. With Orakpo and Morgan both retiring, second-year pro Harold Landry has an opportunity to make a significant impact on the team as a starter. As a rotational player, Landry finished with 4.5 sacks last season, two of which came in three starts he made at the end of the season.
The Titans also added veterans Cameron Wake and Brent Urban to the defensive front. These additions should help bolster a defensive line and front seven that is already led by pro bowler, Jurrell Casey.
If first round defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is able to recover from his torn ACL fast enough to join the team, then the Titans could have one of the most threatening starting defensive lines — and front sevens — in the league.
The Titans secondary had a strong 2018 season behind the emergence of Adoree’ Jackson and the addition of Malcolm Butler. The Titans secondary got better as the season progressed, with the team forcing four of its 11 interceptions in the final three games. Jackson finished 23rd on PFF’s top 25 cornerbacks in 2018. Safety Kevin Byard was ranked as the 4th-best in safety in 2018, and holds the same ranking going into 2019 on PFF’s top-10 safeties for 2019.
It’s hard to imagine why a top-10 defense from last season with no significant gaps would not make the list. With Jayon Brown also making a massive improvement last year, this team is built to stop the pass-heavy offenses in today’s game. The additions to the pass-rush should have absolutely driven this team to a top-nine ranking. Hopefully by the end of the season, Schein will have the Tennessee Titans ranked first should he choose to do another list.