It’s clear that the last few seasons have not been the best for Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan.
Injuries have played a significant role in that, but now that he is two years removed from an ACL injury that honestly derailed his last two seasons, there is plenty of optimism that all signs are pointing towards a rebound season for Lewan.
However, Alex Kay at Bleacher Report seems to have the opposite view.
In Kay’s list of the biggest busts for each team in 2022, Lewan was his pick for the Tennessee Titans and he thinks that Lewan is in store for the worst season of his career.
Here’s a look at Kay’s breakdown, which you can read in full here:
"“While Lewan’s advancing age has brought a maturity that has smoothed out some parts of his game—he’s only been whistled for four penalties over his last 19 games, a massive drop from the seven or more he was flagged for each season between 2015 and 2019—it’s also diminishing his protection skills.Those aren’t likely to return as Lewan gears up for his ninth NFL season, one that could be his worst yet even if he can stay healthy.”"
It is easy to see that Lewan’s stellar start to his career was knocked off track by his PED suspension and then an ACL injury the following season, but Kay doesn’t seem to take into account how well Lewan finished his last few games when he finally looked healthy again.
We’ve mentioned recently what a boost a healthy Taylor Lewan would provide for this Tennessee Titans offense, and I think there’s a lot of optimism around the Titans organization that Lewan could put together a really strong season.
Obviously, there are doubters out there, like the ESPN rankings that placed Lewan outside the top 10, but that should provide even more fuel for a passionate leader like Lewan to prove he still has the ability to be a high-level tackle in the league.
This year is really a make-or-break season as he enters his ninth NFL season. Early in his career, he looked like he might have been a Hall of Fame candidate with three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons. While it is going to be incredibly difficult to get back to that level, he still has a chance to be recognized as one of the best left tackles in his generation if he can come back strong this year and sustain that until he is 33 or 34.