It was a slow start to the season for rookie safety Kevin Winston Jr, who suffered a hamstring injury during the preseason, keeping him from seeing his first NFL action until Week 6. A few weeks after that, Winston saw himself become a full-time player after trades and injuries left the Tennessee Titans’ secondary decimated.
At first, Winston replaced the injured Xavier Woods at free safety and played a role similar to that which he played in college. However, after Woods returned in Week 13, the team decided to return him to his free safety position and bump Winston into the slot - a position where he’s never seen significant snaps.
This decision looked a little questionable after Week 13, in which Winston Jr. was charged with allowing all seven of his targets to be caught for a total of 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Titans rookie S Kevin Winston Jr. just flipped the script after undergoing role change
Fortunately, the rookie bounced back in a big way against the Browns, receiving the highest PFF grade of anyone on the defense with an 85.0. Winston also led the team with four run stops, and recorded a pressure on three of his five pass rush snaps. Not bad for a rookie learning a new position.
Winston definitely has his deficiencies playing in the slot, particularly if he ends up in man coverage on a wide receiver, but the Titans avoid this as much as they can. His main coverage responsibility is as an underneath zone defender, something he has plenty of experience doing and fits his skillset nicely.
Where this change really allows Winston to shine is in the run game. Going back to his Penn State days, run support and reliable tackling were the clear strengths of his game, but he lacks the size of a box defender in the NFL. Using him in an overhang role is a great way to get him closer to the line of scrimmage and more involved against the run without his size being a liability.
We still don’t know for sure if this position change is the long term plan for the rookie. At the very least he’s showing that he offers positional versatility, which can be so valuable for a defense if injuries start to mount. Wherever Winston lines up in these final four games, his continued development will be one of the biggest storylines to watch as we hit the home stretch of the 2025 season.