Brian Baldinger expects big things from surprising Tennessee Titans EDGE
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans roster takes a lot of heat, but the fact is that if you watch the games you can see that there is talent on the cusp of breaking out.
Chig Okonkwo, Treylon Burks, Elijah Molden, Amani Hooker, Kristian Fulton, Roger McCreary, and Teair Tart are all just some of the players that could become household names this season if they took the right steps.
If I asked 100 fans to name a Tennessee Titans EDGE that was about to have a breakout season, I would probably get three different answers. Some would say that Harold Landry could have a season like that if he got back to where he was before his ACL injury.
Other people could say that Denico Autry could be on the cusp of his first Pro Bowl season.
A handful of people might say that Arden Key was ready to break out in his first year as a full-time starter on a loaded defensive front.
Brian Baldinger thought about this and picked "none of the above" in one of his most recent tweets.
The Tennessee Titans "other" EDGE
Infamous for his Twitter breakdowns where he takes a look at individual players and what they are doing well, Baldy had this to say about Rashad Weaver:
.@Titans @RashadWeaver @AlPoodie @Pitt_FB looking for a big jump from Weaver this year. He is working on the right skills to take his “Game” to a higher level. When the #Titans are healthy up front opposing QB’s struggle. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/UZv8vGMBy0
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) July 13, 2023
It is interesting to think about Weaver and how much he is being overlooked.
Before the 2023 NFL Draft, there was a lot of talk about whether the Tennessee Titans might consider looking at an EDGE rusher at some point with their first three picks. I disagreed, and my argument was that there weren't many NFL players doing what Rashad Weaver had accomplished in his first two seasons.
For reference, there were 147 EDGE/DL/LBs drafted in the last two classes, here are the players w/ 5+ sacks and a 58+ run defense grade from PFF last year:
— Mr. Positivity (@jlomas72) April 13, 2023
1. Micah Parsons
2. Hutchinson
3. Rousseau
4. Jaelan Phillips
5. Kwity Paye
6. Baron Browning
7. Rashad Weaver
2/2 #Titans
In a perfect world, I think that Rashad Weaver spends a lot of the season as a starter even if it is in name only.
He has the size and strength to play on 1st and 2nd down in the NFL, he just needs to have a little more gap discipline and to understand when he needs to kick it into 4th gear on runs to the outside. Having Weaver play half of the 1st and 2nd downs and then having Harold Landry or Arden Key come onto the field fresh on 3rd down, makes the entire team better.
After his first real NFL offseason, Weaver should come into camp firing on all cylinders knowing that there is a place for him on this defense. Baldinger sees and notes his improvement and there is a clear path for playing time, and the more I think about it the more excited I get about the potential of what the Tennessee Titans could be on defense this season.