The Tennessee Titans’ defensive line will look different in 2020 after the team traded long-time starter Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos during the offseason.
As it stands now, two of the team’s starters upfront are returning in 2019 first-round pick, Jeffery Simmons, who the Titans are hoping makes the leap in 2020 after an impressive rookie campaign, and nose tackle DaQuan Jones, who posted arguably his best season as a pro last year.
Beyond those two, the Titans have a question mark. It’s still unclear who will get the majority of the snaps alongside Simmons and Jones.
Veteran Jack Crawford, 2019 UDFA Isaiah Mack and 2020 fifth-round pick Larrell Murchison all figure to get snaps, but there’s no telling if any of those players will be able to adequately fill-out the defensive line.
Because of those question marks, the Titans didn’t fare too well in Pro Football Focus’ defensive line rankings, landing at No. 21 on the list.
Here’s what PFF’s Sam Monson had to say about Tennessee’s group upfront.
Jeffery Simmons had a debut to remember after recovering from an ACL injury that many thought would sideline him for the entire season. Simmons notched a sack, two hurries and three defensive stops in a performance that earned a PFF grade of 90.6 and set pulses racing, but he never quite hit those heights again over the remainder of the season. Simmons is hugely talented, and the team was confident enough in his ability to trade away stalwart defensive lineman Jurrell Casey for a throwaway late-round draft pick, but now is the time Simmons needs to prove them right.
Depth is a concern along this defensive line, with little in the way of proven quality or even players who have shown well across limited snaps. Rookie Larrell Murchison was a fifth-round pick who has solid but not spectacular grades over the past two seasons at NC State. And while he was more of a run defender than a pass-rushing force, he will hope to earn some playing time as a rotational body early on.
After the Titans failed to get a consistent pass-rush out of their defensive line in 2019, chances are the player who can stand out the most in that area between Murchison, Crawford and Mack will see the majority of snaps.
Regardless of who gets the nod there, Simmons will be the biggest factor in the Titans’ success upfront — and the arrow is certainly pointing up for Big Jeff going into 2020.
After not feeling totally comfortable thanks to added weight, having to wear a knee brace and not getting a full training camp, Simmons has dropped weight, lost the knee brace and will get a full training camp in 2020.
2020… pic.twitter.com/bkW24PmjQA
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) July 1, 2020
And if he was as good as he was in his rookie campaign in the face of all those hurdles, just imagine how good he can be when they’re removed.
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