In our final installment of training camp previews, we’re going to be taking a look at the Tennessee Titans’ special teams unit, which has one major question going into the 2020 season.
The Titans saw a revolving door at kicker in 2019 that led to the team sporting the worst field goal unit in the NFL.
After failing with the likes of Cairo Santos, Cody Parkey, Ryan Succop and kickoff specialist Ryan Santoso, the Titans settled on Greg Joseph, who attempted and made just one field goal in five games (including playoffs).
Entering training camp, the Titans’ biggest priority on special teams is making sure they have the right man for the job at kicker in order to avoid the disaster that their field goal unit was last season.
Let’s take a closer look at kicker, as well as a few other important special teams positions that will be of note in training camp.
*Note: If you missed any of our training camp previews, we’ve linked to them at the end of this article.
Punter
There’s nothing to see here, folks.
Brett Kern is arguably the best punter in the NFL, and he proved that once again last season after earning the nod as a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro. Kern finished fourth in average gross yards per punt, third in net average yards per punt, and first in punts placed inside the 20.
Former Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees even called the punter the team’s MVP on defense thanks to his ability to flip field position, which was particularly important when the Titans’ offense was struggling early on. He also played a huge role in the Wild Card Round win over the New England Patriots with his sensational kicks.
The only thing that can stop Kern from repeating his success in 2020 is an act of God, and even then he could probably overcome that to have a great season.