3 Tennessee Titans sleepers already making noise during training camp

Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker

Titans safety Amani Hooker shouldn’t be a sleeper, but when you go through the 11 projected starters on defense, he is usually the last name that you think about. That is a shame because Hooker did some great things in limited action with the Titans last year and he was tied for the team lead in interceptions with four.

Way back in 2019 when Hooker was drafted, the assumption was that the Tennessee Titans would try to develop him into a slot cornerback to replace Logan Ryan who was set to be a free agent after that season.

That never really materialized because Hooker found a home as the third safety for the Titans. This might not seem as important as the slot cornerback role, but remember that Tennessee played their best defense when they would put guys like Kevin Byard or Kenny Vaccaro in the box and mix up their coverages.

With Vaccaro gone, Hooker has been promoted to a full-time starter next to Byard, and to emphasize that the Titans made the right call, he started off training camp with a pick-six on Ryan Tannehill.

The expectation for the Titans defensive backs is low based on what the group did last year, but when you look at the talent on the roster and when you see buzz like this, it should remind you just how good this group can be if they play up to their talent level in 2021.