Amani Hooker is the Tennessee Titans secret weapon on defense
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans defense looks unrecognizable compared to the abomination they fielded in 2020.
Mike Vrabel decided to reduce his role in the defense this offseason and let Shane Bowen take over completely, and Jon Robinson completely gutted the defense to make sure Bowen had every chance to succeed.
The Titans only retained three full-time starters from the 2020 defense, Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, and Kevin Byard.
You might have heard this story before and heard how the additions of Denico Autry and Bud Dupree helped reshape the defensive front, but the success of this defense goes well beyond those two signings.
One of the most important things that no one talks about is the development of mid and late-round picks from previous drafts. 2020 second-round pick Kristian Fulton has been exceptional when he is on the field, but the rise of David Long, Chris Jackson, Teair Tart, Larrell Murchison, and Dane Cruikshank have all been important.
I want to focus on another Day 3 draft pick and his impact on this defense, and that player is breakout star Amani Hooker.
Amani Hooker has been a force multiplier for the Tennessee Titans
Amani Hooker has been good in his own right, but people don’t seem to realize just how much it helps the entire defense when he is on the field. Specifically, look at the impact that Amani Hooker has had on Kevin Byard who is having a career season.
Justin Graver posted a breakdown of Byard’s pick-six on Sunday, and Byard basically admitted that his film study put him in a position to take a gamble and jump a short route instead of dropping into his zone.
Part of the reason that he was able to do this is that he and Amani Hooker have great chemistry and Byard seems to trust that Hooker knows where to be and how to cover for him when he takes that chance.
Just look at Byard’s production with and without Hooker starting beside him:
Since 2020 Kevin Byard with Amani Hooker: 5 picks in 7 games
Since 2020 Kevin Byard w/o Amani Hooker: 1 pick in 18 games
That is remarkable, and it isn’t a small sample size. Undoubtedly Byard is a natural playmaker, but when he and Hooker are together he seems to move from “great” to “elite” and the people at PFF seem to agree that both safeties deserve a lot of credit.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1458177674355036166
The Tennessee Titans defense is working together beautifully and they have a chance to earn a lot of respect around the league in the second half of the 2021 season. Credit the star veterans like Denico Autry, Jayon Brown, Bud Dupree, and Kevin Byard, but don’t ignore the young wave of talent coming in behind them.