The Tennessee Titans have several weaknesses throughout their rebuilding roster. One of the most evident shortcomings is at cornerback. It's been an issue all season long, but a trio of injuries at defensive back further exposed the dire state of the position in Sunday's 37-24 Week 15 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Titans have been asking a lot of rookies Marcus Harris and Kevin Winston Jr. Harris, a natural nickel, has been playing boundary corner. Winston, a natural safety, has been filling in at nickel.
Sunday proved the Titans have two healthy cornerbacks on their 53-man roster they trust to play. That's incredibly concerning and downright pathetic. A rash of injuries further exposed the Titans' most glaring roster weakness.
Titans' pathetic CB room hits new low in Week 15 defeat to 49ers
It started when reserve safety Mike Brown suffered an injury on special teams. That injury became more significant to the defense when Winston exited with a hamstring issue. Instead of putting a cornerback into the game at nickel, the Titans inserted another safety, putting Kendell Brooks next to Xavier Woods while moving Amani Hooker to an unfamiliar nickel position.
The veteran Woods then suffered an injury too. Only then did another Titans cornerback enter the lineup. Hooker moved back to safety (next to Brooks), Harris moved to nickel (from boundary corner), with Kaiir Elam joining Darrell Baker Jr. at boundary corner.
The Titans tried quite literally everything to keep cornerbacks Elam and Micah Robinson on the bench. They succeeded in Robinson's case. Elam played 24 snaps.
The 49ers took full advantage. Quarterback Brock Purdy encountered no resistance, completing 23-of-30 passing attempts for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The 49ers did not punt and scored 37 points.
The Titans should not use Sunday's injuries as an excuse to view their cornerback room in a different, positive light. All three injuries occurred at safety. The coaching staff simply doesn't trust their cornerbacks. The lone injury on the 53-man roster is to Jalyn Armour-Davis, a below-average defender when healthy. L'Jarius Sneed is on season-ending IR and will almost certainly be a salary cap casualty in the offseason.
Mike Borgonzi must address several positions this offseason, with wide receiver and EDGE among obvious priorities. The situation at cornerback is also incredibly lackluster. The weakness at cornerback was particularly glaring in Week 15 with how the coaching staff responded to injuries.