The Tennessee Titans added waves of talent to the roster this past offseason, putting them in a position to compete with the Houston Texans in the AFC South.
In just 12 months, the Titans have acquired big names such as Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, and L'Jarius Sneed. The shrewd additions of Chidobe Awuzie and Lloyd Cushenberry are two additional under-the-radar names who are going to make a big impact on this team.
When new head coach Brian Callahan was asked about which player had surprised him the most during the phases of the offseason, you would expect one of those players to be the guy that got the nod, right?
Nope. The Official Titans Podcast (OTP) put out half of their conversation with Callahan earlier this week, and when he was asked that question by Mike Keith, he was in such a rush to answer the question that he almost cut him off.
"Arden Key has been fantastic. I love everything about how he practices and works, and his personality is infectious. He's got some you know, real leadership traits on top of it and he's just been really fun to be around and I think he provides a lot of energy to the team...you hear Arden all day long and I enjoy that, I like that, I think it is a great thing."
I was blindsided by that because Key isn't someone that jumps off the screen to me. However, the more you consider Key and the elevated role he'll be in this season, and how he is going to be a guy that matches Dennard Wilson's energy, the more he'll remind you a former Titans all-time great.
Kyle Vanden Bosch.
KVB was a high-energy guy who was famous for outworking everyone else in the building and setting the tone in practices. If Key is the guy that has jumped out to Callahan at this point in the process, perhaps the two are similar.
Before KVB linked up with then-Titans DC Jim Schwartz, he had just 4.0 sacks in four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
As soon as KVB was paired up with the right DC, and when he had a guy like Albert Haynesworth beside him, a switch flipped and he became the red-eyed monster that Titans fans rallied around for years.
The Titans already have their Haynesworth in Jeffery Simmons, and Wilson was one of the most sought-after DC candidates in the NFL before the Titans hired him. The question now is whether Key can be the KVB in this equation.
It isn't that hard to believe, because remember that KVB was a player who primarily won with quickness, effort, and where he lined up (wide-nine), but he was also a player whose numbers diminished if he wasn't getting help from the rest of the line.
He had as many seasons with 10+ sacks (two) as he had with less than 5 sacks (two), which shows how much he depended on the rest of the defense doing their job. Key will need Simmons and Harold Landry to be their best selves.
Key had 6.0 sacks last season, but he never got to play with a healthy Landry and Simmons missed half of the season. On top of all of that, the defensive back situation was a nightmare and the Titans spent nearly $100 million this offseason making sure that didn't happen again.
Key is putting in the work and everything is lining up for him to have a surprising bounce-back season in 2024.
Don't sleep on him for long, or else he might make you regret it.