After previewing every Tennessee Titans offensive position group, we’re now moving on to the defense and starting with the defensive line.
The Titans saw a major subtraction from the group upfront this offseason after trading Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos. As a result, there will be a competition for snaps in training camp.
Here’s a look at the roster locks on the defensive line, players on the bubble at the position, and a prediction for how things will shake out.
Note: In case you missed any of our other training camp previews, we’ve linked to them at the end of this article.
Roster locks
DaQuan Jones
Larrell Murchison
Jack Crawford
Isaiah Mack
Analysis for Jones and Simmons: Two players are already locked-in as starters from this group in Jones and Simmons, both of whom were impressive last season.
Jones had his best season as a pro in 2019, grading out as the No. 30 interior defensive lineman, per PFF. He particularly excelled in run defense, but wasn’t great at generating pressure on passing plays.
Simmons will be tasked with taking the torch from Casey, who was a stalwart on Tennessee’s defense for nine seasons.
The good news for Simmons is that he’ll have the benefit of a full training camp in his second season, which wasn’t the case in his rookie campaign with him having to rehab from a torn ACL.
Simmons made it clear he wasn’t comfortable at his playing weight last year, so his focus was on dropping weight this offseason with the hope that it would help improve his play.
Judging from a recent photo, Simmons looks to be in great shape.
2020… pic.twitter.com/bkW24PmjQA
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) July 1, 2020
Competition analysis: A competition for snaps will take place between Mack, Crawford and Murchison, all of whom have flashed pass-rush skills in the past. That’s important to point out because the Titans struggled to generate much of a pass-rush from their defensive line last season.
The player who can stand out the most in that area has the best chance to dominate snaps — and each player from this trio has shown in the past that they have the potential to make a dent in 2020.
Mack totaled one sack last preseason and followed that up with 1.5 in limited action during the regular season. Crawford had his best season in 2018 when he started a career-high 11 games and finished with a career-high six sacks.
Murchison, who is known for his high motor, looks to have the chops to be an effective interior pass-rusher after he totaled 11 sacks in two years at NC State, although there’s no telling how far along the rookie will be when training camp arrives thanks to an abbreviated offseason.
No matter who emerges from this group — Mack and Crawford are the favorites — all three will be on the initial 53-man roster, and it’s quite possible we see a rotation at the final starting spot on the defensive line.