The Tennessee Titans agreed to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for defensive back Ugo Amadi in exchange for a late-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
For a lot of Titans fans, the first question on everyone’s mind is, “Why?” and that has nothing to do with Amadi as a player. In a blink-and-you-will-miss-it trade last week, the Tennessee Titans made a move to acquire another versatile DB in former Las Vegas Raiders draft pick, Tyree Gillespie.
While Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker sit comfortably on top of the depth chart at safety, the depth behind them is (apparently) not solidified.
A.J. Moore was brought in this offseason primarily to be a special teamer, but he is probably the primary backup at the position as well. That could have been a title held by rookie safety Theo Jackson, but the former Vol hasn’t been able to stay healthy this preseason.
Then you have Lonnie Johnson who was a waiver claim and who has looked fantastic in the week that the Titans have had him. Similarly, Joshua Kalu was also signed in the past week and he caused a forced fumble in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sorting out the Tennessee Titans logjam at safety
When the Tennessee Titans drafted Roger McCreary it was confusing, but when you look at what the team does on defense it made much more sense.
Remember, the Titans use dime personnel as often as any team in the NFL which means that you need to have six defensive backs that you are comfortable seeing on the field for 30% snaps.
Right now, the smart money is on Kristian Fulton and McCreary being the starting cornerbacks in situations where the Titans use four DBs. When they go into their nickel package, Caleb Farley will come in and push McCreary into the slot.
So the question is, who is the sixth defensive back? Well, the first name that comes to mind is Elijah Molden who was the starting cornerback last season. I still expect Molden to get the bulk of these snaps if he isn’t a starter, but the Titans may not feel like he is a great matchup for every slot receiver.
That opens the door for Amadi to be the slot corner/safety hybrid that the Titans want at that position.
Between Amani Hooker, Theo Jackson, Ugo Amadi, and Tyree Gillespie, the Tennessee Titans now have four safeties that played cornerback at some point in their college career and that might be something that the team wants on defense.
Time will tell if Amadi and Gillespie are able to stick on this roster, but if they can it will only make the Tennessee Titans more athletic and more versatile in their coverage ability.