2 Tennessee Titans make the cut for Dane Brugler’s All-Rookie team
By Will Lomas
Tennessee Titans rookie class receives more accolades.
In another testament to how great the offseason was for Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson, two rookies made Dane Brugler’s 2019 All-Rookie team.
I know we have all been jaded by compliments to the Titans rookie class, but let me remind you that heading into the 2019 NFL Draft people were upset that the team didn’t have a lot of draft picks.
They may deny it now, but there were several people trying to diminish Jon Robinson’s job as a GM and using the lack of draft picks as an excuse for why the 2018/2019 drafts were going to turn out poorly.
The misconception that you need draft picks to build the depth of your team, just isn’t always true. What you actually need to do, is hit on the draft picks you do have OR land talented players in UDFA.
If you can evaluate talent correctly (which Jon Robinson proved) then it is a moot point how many actual picks you have.
Nothing demonstrates that better than the praise that Robinson’s picks have received ranging from outstanding starters to depth players with upside. Focusing on the top end, the two stand out rookies that made Brugler’s All-Rookie team are:
1. A.J. Brown
Brugler said:
"There is no shortage of options for the top rookie receiver this season with a handful of deserving candidates. But with his strong play over the final month of the season, which helped the Titans earn a playoff berth, Brown gets my vote with 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight scores. Not only was he the only rookie in 2019 to eclipse 1,000-yards receiving, but he is the only rookie since 1970 to surpass 1,000-yards and averaged over 20.0-yards per catch.Brown also dominated in the important, but lesser-publicized statistical categories. He was targeted 84 times this season and dropped only two passes – no rookie with 50+ targets had fewer drops. He was a beast after the catch, accounting for 465 yards post-reception, which tied Deebo Samuel for the rookie-lead. With his numbers and impact, Brown has a legitimate case for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year."
I can’t really add anything to that detailed account other than this, you can see the terror that A.J. Brown puts into defenses even when he isn’t dominant on the stat sheet. Look no further than the win against the Patriots, where they were so concerned about stopping the Titans play action pass game that they refused to commit any extra attention to Derrick Henry.
Just the threat of Brown is forcing defenses to get punched in the mouth by that offensive line and running game because they know that if they over commit, one catch by Brown could turn into a 60-yard gain and a touchdown.
Brugler said:
"If not for his ACL tear during the draft process, Simmons would have been drafted in the top-10 picks, but the injury put a discount sticker on his evaluation, giving the Titans a steal at No. 19 overall. And even though he only played the second half of the season, he flashed the dominant qualities that made him worth a mid-first rounder despite his injury. In only seven starts and 311 snaps, Simmons finished his rookie season with 32 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks."
Now, I should mention that Simmons was a “runner up” because there is only one spot per position to win the award. However, it is a cumulative season award and the fact that Dexter Lawrence was the only rookie DT to start all 16 games factored into him getting the nod.
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The Titans would be wise to increase the snap count from Simmons this week in order to help limit the Baltimore Ravens offense.
However, recent history has shown that they will likely start the game with Simmons on the bench until they start getting beaten up and then they will put him in to essentially force the offense to stall out.
I wish the Titans would use him more, but I guess it is reasonable to understand looking at Simmons as a long term investment and you want to make it as easy as possible for him to fully recover this offseason so that he ends up back with the team at 100% in 2020.
Still, it is the playoffs and you would love to see one of the best rookies in the NFL get more snaps.