The Tennessee Titans’ defense is layered with young talent at every level, and Amani Hooker has earned the right to be recognized as one of the better players on a talented roster.
Heading into the 2022 season, there are several key players who are scheduled to be free agents at the end of this season. While most of them are rotational starters, the three who played more than 50% of the snaps last year are all from the 2019 NFL Draft class.
Amani Hooker is obviously part of that trio, and he is joined by David Long who going to be a starting linebacker this season, and right guard Nate Davis who led the group with 80% of the 2021 snaps.
According to reports, the Titans have started contract talks with Hooker which is the right move. Even though Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson should try to get deals done with all three players, Hooker would be the first on my list.
Why the Tennessee Titans should re-sign Amani Hooker first
Amani Hooker has a lot of the same positive traits that Kevin Byard had when he started his career. Both players were worked into the lineup slowly, but when they had opportunities to make plays early in their careers they took advantage of their opportunities.
In Byard’s second season he was given a chance to start and he made a splash by racking up 8 interceptions. Hooker wasn’t a starter in his second season, but he did end up with 4 interceptions on less than half as many snaps as Byard had in his sophomore season.
Now, no one in the league is as good as Kevin Byard when it comes to taking the ball away. However, Hooker is well above the league average in coverage and he has the fluidity and versatility to give you looks at either safety spot, slot cornerback, and even as a box safety when needed.
David Long Jr. is explosive and over the course of a full season, he has the chance to be a dynamic playmaker who hunts down running backs and quarterbacks with his speed, but we need to see him do it for a full season before we talk about a new deal.
Nate Davis looked like he was going to have a Pro Bowl season after how strongly he finished 2020. Unfortunately, getting COVID twice really hurt his play in 2021 and it doesn’t help that the offense lost Arthur Smith and replaced him with Todd Downing.
Amani Hooker has gotten steadily better year after year and he isn’t just a highlight-reel player. The former Iowa cornerback plays like you would expect someone from that program and he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work in the run game. Combining that and his willingness to play special teams, and you have someone that Mike Vrabel is going to pound the table for during contract negotiations.