3 award-winning USFL players Tennessee Titans fans need to know
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans finished OTAs and minicamp last week, but even though the players are gone it doesn’t mean that the team is taking time off.
We already have multiple confirmations that the Titans have scouts at USFL games looking for potential standouts that could be ready to make the leap to the NFL.
If you haven’t been watching the USFL, they just handed out their awards for this season. In terms of individual awards, the league’s coaches voted and named a Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.
With the Tennessee Titans looking for standout players, it just makes sense to start with these three award winners.
Tennessee Titans shortlist for USFL free agents
MVP: KaVontae Turpin WR/KR
For NFL fans, it is probably a shock to see someone that doesn’t play quarterback win a major award. Whether it is MVP, Rookie of the Year, or Comeback Player of the Year, it just seems inevitable that most (if not all) of the major awards are headed to a signal-caller whether they deserve it or not.
However, if you watched the USFL this year then this probably wasn’t a big surprise, and I actually singled Turpin out a month ago as a player that the Titans should be looking at this summer.
Turpin led the USFL in receiving yards and he was one of the more exciting return men in the league.
On one hand, his 5’9 frame kept him out of the NFL, but now that he has shown that he can handle a 10-game season, the Tennessee Titans should see what he can do. If he ends up being a bigger Cam Batson, that would be a win for the special teams and the depth on offense.
OPOY: Darius Victor, RB
Speaking of depth on offense, Victor is someone who could appeal to the Tennessee Titans from a style standpoint.
Unlike Turpin, there isn’t an immediate place for him on the roster but he is a physical runner and his unique build (5’7, 230 lb.) makes him an intriguing option if the Titans want to add another physical runner to that group at some point.
He led the league in touchdowns and he could be intriguing if the Tennessee Titans ever wanted to take some of those short-yardage carries off of Derrick Henry’s shoulders (though Hassan Haskins is going to get a crack at that role first).
DPOY: Chris Odom, EDGE
It is hard to rack up12.5 sacks in a 17-game season, so doing it in 10 games is very impressive regardless of the talent he was competing against. While the Tennessee Titans aren’t in need of more depth at EDGE, Odom can do more than just rush the passer.
Odom blocked three field goals over the course of this 10-game season, and being able to play special teams is a huge plus for Odom if he is going to get back to the NFL.
Currently, the Titans have two types of players that they play on the EDGE. The first are the guys like Harold Landry, Bud Dupree, and Ola Adeniyi who are a little lighter and twitchier, and their counterparts are players like Denico Autry and Rashad Weaver who have some position versatility thanks to their size.
At his size, he profiles more like the EDGEs in that Harold Landry group, but his special teams traits could earn him a chance on this roster and if he can produce anywhere near the level he did in the USFL then the Titans may be able to talk themselves into carrying an extra EDGE.