The Tennessee Titans endured a difficult season in 2024. There weren't many bright moments throughout one of the worst campaigns in franchise history. Nonetheless, the Nashville-based club is preparing to rebuild the roster under the direction of general manager Mike Borgonzi and president of football operations Chad Brinker.
Borgonzi and Brinker are inheriting a roster that lacks required talent at premium positions, but there are useful players sprinkled throughout the 53. Pro Football Focus recently conducted an exercise that identifies each team's "hidden superstar" from the 2024 season. Having to dig deep for the Titans, they pointed out EDGE rusher Arden Key.
Arden Key named Tennessee Titans' "secret superstar" from 2024 season
"The Titans’ 2024 season featured some optimism inspired by its defense, which Key partly helped provide," Bradley Locker wrote. "His 11.5% pass-rush win rate and 39 pressures were second among Tennessee starters, trailing only Jeffery Simmons. Key also added a 69.0 PFF run-defense grade. The Titans could use more juice at edge defender next to Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat inside, but Key appears like a worthwhile candidate to build around."
Every team has that secret superstar on their roster
— PFF (@PFF) January 17, 2025
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Key opened the campaign in rather slow fashion for Dennard Wilson's defense. The former LSU standout recorded zero sacks in Tennessee's opening five contests. Over that same time frame, he accumulated just seven quarterback pressures.
Key improved significantly as the season wore forward. In a particularly impressive three-game stretch near the NFL trade deadline, he racked up four sacks and nine pressures, including a season-high six annoyances versus the New England Patriots in a Week 9 overtime victory. Key managed to generally maintain that form throughout the rest of the season.
Key finished second on the Titans in sacks with 6.5, trailing just Harold Landry (9.0) in that department. His 39 pressures were second behind Jeffery Simmons (45). Key's season-long pass-rush grade of 67.7 was also second behind Simmons (81.6, minimum qualifiers included), per PFF.
Key posted a pass-rushing win percentage of 11.5%, also finishing behind just Simmons (12.7%).
Key is currently signed through the 2025 campaign. It was Titans former general manager Ran Carthon that inked Key to a three-year contract worth $21 million ahead of the 2023 season.
Key is scheduled to carry a fairly significant cap charge of $9.2 million next season, according to Over The Cap, more than doubling the 2024 figure. Borgonzi could create nearly $7 million in additional cap flexibility by designating Key as a post-June release, but that would leave the Titans even thinner at the pass-rushing positions.