Here’s your Tennessee Titans stock report
The NFL kicked off the 2021 season with the Hall of Fame Game last week and on Friday the Tennessee Titans will go to Georgia to face the Atlanta Falcons.
People will debate the watchability of preseason games until they are blue in the face, but it is hard to look at the 2020 season and come away thinking that the games aren’t important.
Across the league, rookies struggled to acclimate to the big stage and it hurt the Tennessee Titans badly even though their record didn’t reflect it. Even when they were 5-0, there were some big issues that needed addressing.
Then-rookie cornerbacks Kristian Fulton and Chris Jackson were thrown into action before they were ready thanks to the Adoree Jackson injury, and with no preseason to prepare them for their role in the NFL the entire defense struggled.
It even hurt rookies that played well like Teair Tart. The defensive tackle didn’t get to see the field until November, but he played so well that he is penciled in for the starting nose tackle job in 2021 and the coaching staff felt confident enough in Tart to let veteran leader DaQuan Jones go to the Carolina Panthers (a deal that should help net the Titans another compensatory pick in the 2022 NFL Draft).
With preseason actually taking place this season, these are some Tennessee Titans who might be moving up the depth chart and some that might be on the verge of losing playing time.
Stock up: Tennessee Titans wide receivers Racey McMath and Marcus Johnson
Training camp has not been easy for the offense so far, but there are a few reasons why that is tolerable.
Titan Sized has already covered why Ryan Tannehill’s interceptions aren’t a bad thing and why they shouldn’t concern you. Similarly, we have also covered why rest days for star receivers like Julio Jones and A.J. Brown really don’t hurt the team.
Still, it hasn’t been all bad on the offensive side of the ball and two players have stood out above the rest.
Rookie Racey McMath came into OTAs with the #81 jersey and many people compared him to Jonnu Smith (the official site has him listed at 6-foot-3, 217 lbs.). Despite his size, McMath wasn’t brought in to block which became clear when he set training camp on fire during the first week of practice.
His blend of size and speed make him a must-watch player during the preseason.
At this point, it feels like everyone knows about the sensational upside of McMath, but few people are talking about Marcus Johnson despite the fact that beat writers keep saying that he makes at least one big play per day.
If A.J. Brown and Julio Jones sit out most or all of the preseason action, then guys like McMath Johnson are going to get a lot of playing time. Keep an eye on #81 and #88 on Friday night.
Stock down: The Tennessee Titans’ banged-up pass catchers
Josh Reynolds has been back at practice recently but for nearly a week the Tennessee Titans were missing their presumptive WR3.
There is nothing wrong with missing some time in training camp to make sure that you are completely healthy and ready for the season, but it would have been a nice bonus for the Tennessee Titans offense if Reynolds and Ryan Tannehill were able to build up some chemistry with the other two projected receivers practicing load management.
The other player hinted at in the title is Geoff Swaim who projects to be a pretty big part of this offense. In fact, if you want to get into the ugly truth of it all, he and Jonnu Smith had the same yards per target in 2020.
Beyond that, Swaim’s career yards per target average sits at 6.7, just a tick below the mark that Jonnu Smith had last year (and that includes a year where he had to play with the Jacksonville Jaguars when he only had 3.8 yards per target because…Jacksonville).
Now his role is slightly in danger because of the addition of Luke Stocker who has a very similar skill set.
Tennessee Titans fans shouldn’t be concerned yet, but it would be great for both if they could get some reps in during the preseason and do it sooner than later if possible.
Stock up: The Tennessee Titans Bigger 3
When you hear someone mention the Tennessee Titans’ “Big 3” they are most likely referring to Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, and Julio Jones. Since that nickname has already been taken, Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, and Teair Tart need a nickname of their own.
So far in camp, the Titans have been using Teair Tart as the nose tackle which allows Jeffery Simmons to line up in the B-gap between guards and tackles and attack the offensive line with more space.
While teams are dealing with the Tart’s power and Simmons…well being Simmons, they now have to worry about Denico Autry who is going to be used a lot like Jack Crawford was last year and Jurrell Casey the year before that.
Those three have been causing problems for the offensive line all camp and you could argue that the trio of Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, and Nate Davis is among the best interior offensive line combinations in the league.
The Tennessee Titans desperately need their pass rush to step up this year and with Harold Landry and Bud Dupree on a snap count this preseason, it may be up to the Bigger 3 to provide a push on the inside and help some less touted EDGEs get to the quarterback more easily.
Stock down: Tennessee Titans young offensive linemen
Being in the NFL is an adjustment for a lot of different positions, but one position that doesn’t get talked about enough is offensive linemen.
Look at Nate Davis three years ago. At that time he was banged up a little bit in the preseason and didn’t get to start a game until Week 5. Even after earning the starting job, it took him time to actually be good at it and it wasn’t until 2020 that he started showing the consistency that you want to see.
Right now, second-round rookie offensive tackle Dillon Radunz is struggling in training camp. Part of that comes from only playing one football game since 2019 due to COVID and part of it comes from the transition from North Dakota State to the NFL, so this isn’t like there are early signs that he is a bust.
In fact, if you want to look at it in a positive light, you can see that the Titans value his versatility. When he was drafted he talked about how he was planning on learning the plays for right tackle, right guard, and left guard, and that has apparently carried into practice because Mike Vrabel has talked about him playing different positions. On top of that, he is currently listed as a backup guard for the Tennessee Titans.
Radunz was always a pick that was going to be easier to evaluate after the 2022 season because of the growth that you need to project and where he fits on the line long term, but right now it looks like the hopes of him starting at right tackle are very slim.
The other player to mention is second-year center Daniel Munyer who has had an awful camp and will likely be playing for his job from here on out. If he makes it to Friday, he is going to need a big preseason to keep his spot on the roster.
Stock up: Nearly every Tennessee Titans defensive back
Few players need a bounceback season more than safety Kevin Byard.
After looking like he was on a Hall of Fame track in 2017, 2018, and 2019, 2020 looked like he was trying to play safety with cement in his cleats. He was slow to act and he just didn’t show any of the playmaking ability that he had for the majority of his career.
By all accounts, that has changed, and not only is he making more plays, but he is still firmly established as the leader of the defensive backs.
Speaking of the defensive backs, it is hard to pick out anyone who has made more training camp plays than Jackrabbit Jenkins who seems to have a firm grasp on one of the boundary cornerback jobs heading into the 2021 season.
Opposite him, Caleb Farley has started to ramp up his participation in practice and it is just in time. If he had waited a day or two longer, he might have lost ground to Kristian Fulton who has really started to thrive over the last week or so.
While the defensive coaches try to figure out where to put all three of those cornerbacks, safety Amani Hooker seems to be ready to pair with Kevin Byard in Week 1.
This group sounds exciting and for the most part, they have been every bit as dominating in practice as you want to see when Julio Jones and A.J. Brown are resting on the other side. It will be fascinating to see who plays on Friday and where they play.