Tennessee Titans continue to play musical chairs at cornerback
By Will Lomas
The last cornerback spot is an easy choice, right?
Look, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Kristian Fulton hasn’t lit the world on fire as a rookie, but he has a sack and an interception.
Not only is he the only player left on the list with either of these stats, but he was immediately thrown into the fire in a makeshift defense as the slot corner. Fulton is just 22 years old and he needs some polish, but the skills and the ability are definitely there.
Even though I still think the plan should be for Fulton to play on the boundary whenever possible, he can play in the slot and his quickness could make him a better option in games where teams want to use four wide receiver sets or if they have a hybrid tight end that demands Desmond King’s attention.
The argument for Tye Smith is his experience, but he just can’t hold up to speed on the outside right now and he isn’t adding a lot on special teams.
Chris Jackson is probably the fastest cornerback that the Titans have if you were measuring 40-times today, but he needs a lot of work to fit into this scheme and he is too inconsistent. The tools and college production are definitely there (which is something we highlighted when he was drafted) and at times he looks good, but he sort of reminds me of Amani Hooker right now.
What I mean by that is that in 2019 Hooker looked like he shouldn’t be on the field and he was just so caught up in thinking about what he was supposed to do that he froze up. In year two, Hooker is trusting his instincts more and it shows as he shares the Titans lead in interceptions (3) and he has had 6+ tackles in each of the three games where he started in place of Kenny Vaccaro.
Chris Jackson needs seasoning and he needs time to settle into the playbook, but for now, both he and Tye Smith should be inactive and the five active cornerbacks should be Malcolm Butler (CB1), Adoree Jackson (CB2), Desmond King (SCB), Kristian Fulton (utility CB that can fill in for anyone), and Chris Milton (special teams).