2020 projections for Tennessee Titans pass rushers

Projections for Tennessee Titans pass rushers in 2020.

I don’t think it is hyperbole to say that the Tennessee Titans’ defensive success in 2020 depends on the pass rushers.

In 2019, the Titans pass rush was horrific at times. Patrick Mahomes stood in the pocket for what seemed like hours on end in the AFC championship game. For Titans fans, it was absolutely excruciating to watch Mahomes shred the secondary mostly at the fault of the pass rush. All the blame can’t be put on the pass rush, but the secondary would have looked much better if Mahomes didn’t have centuries to throw the ball.

If you’re looking for something positive out of the Tennessee Titans pass rush last season look no further than Harold Landry. Landry was the Titans leader in sacks and tackles for loss with 9 and 12 respectively. He has the potential to be a great player for the Titans, and hopefully next season he can take the next step towards becoming a great player.

So now I am building on my most recent article, projections for the Titans secondary, by projecting stats for the Titans major pass rushers next season. I expect the Titans secondary to have great numbers in 2020, but that relies heavily on the pass rush is much improved from what they were in 2019.

There are two major changes that shake up the pass rush for next season. The addition of Vic Beasley through free agency is huge on the edge. In 2016, Beasley led the NFL with 15.5 sacks. Returning to that level of play in 2020 would be huge for the Titans Super Bowl chances. Also, losing Jurrell Casey is a huge blow, but could mean well for Jeffrey Simmons stats and the emergence of Isaiah Mack. Casey only finished the 2019 season with 5 sacks, but he has always been consistent throughout his NFL career. The team will miss his leadership and consistency as they move on with younger, more athletic lineman.

Barring a Jadeveon Clowney signing, I think the major contributors in the Tennessee Titans pass rush will be Harold Landry, Vic Beasley, and Jeffery Simmons. Isaiah Mack is also a player to watch out for considering his production in limited playing time last season.

Jeffery Simmons

Jeffery Simmons is arguably the most exciting player on the Titans defense heading into the 2020 NFL season. Simmons tore his ACL preparing for the 2019 NFL Draft and many thought the injury might knock him back to the second round. The Tennessee Titans decided to take a chance on Simmons in the first round with the 19th overall pick.

Simmons ACL tear occurred in early February. Just 9 and a half months later Big Jeff suited up for his first NFL game against the Chargers. He was very promising throughout the rest of the season. I take the Jurrell Casey trade as a confirmation that the Titans believe they have a great player in Simmons.

By no means am I expecting Jeffery Simmons to be a 10 sack guy, mostly because that has never been his role in this defense. Even at Texas A&M Simmons never managed to get more than 5 sacks in a season.

So for the 2020 NFL season, I am projecting Jeffery Simmons to finish with 4 sacks, 18 TFL, and 2 forced fumbles. He is going to be a monster in the run game while still occasionally applying pressure on passing downs.

Harold Landry

If the Titans pass rush is going to have major success in 2020 it will be because of Harold Landry. Along with Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry is getting closer and closer to bursting through the scene of NFL stardom. The Tennessee Titans haven’t had a player record 10 sacks or more since Brian Orakpo in 2016. Could Harold Landry be that guy?

It all depends on the depth of the edge rushers. Last season, the Titans sack leader got burned out early after playing at least 80% of snaps in each of the first 9 games. According to Jim Wyatt, linebackers coach Shane Bowen had this to say regarding Harold Landry’s role in 2020.

"“He played a lot of plays for us and he did, probably, too much — that’s on me,” outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen said on a Zoom conference call last week. “But we’ve got to find ways to get some other guys that can take some stuff off of him too, and I’ve got to get those guys developed where we are trusting them, putting them in the game, where we feel like they can make plays for us. I’ve got to do a better job of not putting so much on him in terms of play count.”"

If Landry plays less he will most likely get fewer sacks, right?

Not necessarily, it’s all about Landry being as close as possible to 100% every time he is on the field. If depth players such as Derick Roberson, Kamalei Correa, and Reggie Gilbert can play well enough to give Landry a break at times that will help keep him fresh throughout the season. In 2016 when Vic Beasley led the NFL in sacks he only played 60% of snaps. Whereas in 2019 Harold Landry played 83%. It’s all about picking a choosing the right times to send Landry on an all-out pursuit after the QB.

My projections for Landry in 2020 are: 11.5 sacks, 12 TFLs, 3 FF

Vic Beasley and Isaiah Mack

I mentioned earlier that in 2016 Vic Beasley played 60% of snaps for the Atlanta Falcons. While I think Harold Landry should be closer to 70%, 55-60% sounds about like the sweet spot for Vic Beasley to me. That gives him plenty of opportunities to get after the QB, and hopefully, he can improve his run defense before the season begins. If not, that percentage could drop to or below 50%.

I have always been a believer in Vic Beasley’s talent. In fact, I believe if Mike Vrabel or another one of the Titans coaches can teach him a second move then he could be unstoppable. Sometimes Beasley has issues if his initial speed move doesn’t work. If he can develop a second move to counter the lineman, he could be unstoppable.

My 2020 projections for Vic Beasley are: 7 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 FF

A respectable year from Beasley, and potentially the perfect performance to get him locked into a lock term deal that isn’t unreasonably expensive.

I’m a big believer that the film doesn’t lie, and that’s what makes me love Isaiah Mack. His strength and hands are unbelievable on the interior defensive line.

My 2020 projections for Isaiah Mack: 3 sacks, 5 TFLs