4 Tennessee Titans defenders who have stepped up the most
If you haven’t noticed yet, Derrick Henry is on IR and the rest of the Tennessee Titans’ skill position players have finally joined him. Without the starters, the offense has not been close to the same.
Despite those injuries, wins are still coming. Since the first domino fell (Henry) the Titans are 2-2, mainly due to the stellar play from the defensive unit.
The old saying goes, “Pressure makes diamonds” but there have been plenty of years in the past where the Tennessee Titans have had pressure and finished the season with 2 or 3 wins and no diamonds.
Luckily, since Jon Robinson has taken over as the Tennessee Titans GM the team has talent across the depth chart and this team has found its diamonds.
Which Tennessee Titans have stepped up
Kristian Fulton, CB
Kristian Fulton was playing well before getting injured, and he has picked up right where he left off after coming back.
He has been one of the biggest bright spots of the entire team and in retrospect, he makes the 2020 draft class a lot better than we thought following last season. He has been easily the best corner on the team and a top-5 defender on this roster.
Fulton County looks to be taking more inmates for years to come.
Jeffery Simmons, DL
Yes, this may seem like he doesn’t belong on the list because we already knew he was one of the best young players in the NFL, but since the Henry injury, Simmons is actually getting to the QB and finishing the play.
In the Titans’ first game without Derrick Henry, Simmons sacked Matt Stafford 3 times in the first 3 quarters alone, not to mention him wrapping up Stafford leading to an interception for LB David Long Jr.
He followed that effort up with a 2 sack game against the New Orleans Saints and is now second in Pro Bowl voting for defensive tackles behind only Aaron Donald who is likely a future Hall of Famer.
Elijah Molden, SCB
Rookie CB Elijah Molden has been playing his best football as of late, almost single-handedly giving the Titans a chance to beat the Texans on 3 separate occasions.
Molden was a 3rd round pick in this past draft and Tennessee Titans fans felt like he was the steal of the draft for this team. So far it looks like the fans absolutely nailed it.
He’s had his rookie moments but watching the good things he can do is like watching poetry in motion, he may be the most secure tackler on the team and he makes nice plays on the ball given the opportunity.
Harold Landry III, EDGE
The only reason Harold Landry didn’t lead off on this list is that he didn’t explode after the Henry injury. Instead, he has been a consistent problem for offenses week in and week out, and he didn’t need any additional motivation to dominate this year.
With 5 games left, Harold Landry needs 5 sacks to tie the single-season record for a Tennessee Titans defender. Can he bounce back and dominate again after a week of rest?