Tennessee Titans CB Janoris Jenkins is a reminder better days are coming
By Will Lomas
For a while now Janoris Jenkins has tried to tell people that he prefers being called Jackrabbit Jenkins, and it won’t take Tennessee Titans fans long to memorize that if minicamp has been a preview of what the veteran will do when the season starts.
While several of the Titans’ biggest names have missed practice nursing injuries, some of the big-name additions have started to surface.
One that immediately stood out was Jenkins who seemed ready to go from the first snap.
Jim Wyatt had this observation about the veteran after training camp:
"Jenkins stood out during the past two days, and not just because of his red gloves, and red cleats with gold on the bottom. Jenkins competed on every snap, whether it was in jog-throughs or full speed periods. He made plays on the ball, and he seemed to always be in the right place. He’s going to bring some feistiness to the secondary this fall."
Jenkins is a very important player for the Tennessee Titans defense, not just because of his talent but also his temperament. There was an emotional void left behind when the team had to cut Malcolm Butler and they needed a nasty, physical element in the secondary.
He will have an impact on the rest of the Tennessee Titans’ defense.
In all likelihood, a rookie or a second-year player is going to start at the other cornerback positions, so it helps to have a veteran explaining what he is seeing at the line of scrimmage. Even though Kevin Byard is a great leader, he just isn’t at the same vantage point as the cornerbacks and can’t help as much.
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Remember the leading criticism of the Tennessee Titans’ Super Bowl chances this year is just how pitiful the 2020 defense was. However, in their 4-2-5 look (which should be their base defense) they are going to have six new starters which means more than half of the defense will be new faces.
While the offensive storylines will be driven by the addition of Julio Jones and the return of Taylor Lewan, the defense needs some attention for the vast improvements that they have made. Pairing veterans like Jenkins, Byard, Bud Dupree, and Denico Autry with talented players on their first contracts like Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, Elijah Molden, and Caleb Farley is a recipe for success.
As that defense takes shape, Jenkins is going to have plenty of chances to make plays and share his firey intensity with the home fans at Nissan Stadium.