1. NT DaQuan Jones
The nose tackle position has been a revolving door for the Titans’ switch to a 3-4 defense in 2014, but it seems they have finally found their man in the middle.
A defensive end for the majority of his time with the Titans, Jones became the starting nose tackle this season, and has done his job admirably, though, just like with Casey, that is unfortunately not reflected in his statistics. He currently has 17 tackles and one sack on the season.
If you look beyond the statistics, however, Jones being the top defender on the team so far this season makes a lot of sense.
On Jeffery Simmons’ sack on Sunday against the Chargers, he drew a double team block that freed Simmons up to get to Philip Rivers.
Jones isn’t very well known league-wide, but offensive lines and coordinators alike definitely have respect for him. He consistently causes issues on the interior, eating up double team blocks, and freeing up his teammates to make plays.
A lot of people may question having Jones as the top defensive player through seven games, but he definitely has played a huge role in the success of the defense, and his contributions deserve to be highlighted much more than they have been.