The Tennessee Titans’ signing of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair largely flew under the radar in the midst of the initial free agency frenzy back in March. Tennessee gave the former San Francisco 49ers linebacker a one-year deal worth up to $6 million if he reaches all of his incentives.
During his time in San Francisco, Al-Shaair spent the majority of his tenure there being stuck in a rotational role due to the two studs atop the depth chart in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
Despite his limited playing time, Al-Shaair consistently produced a positive impact whenever he was on the field, recording a total of 44 tackles over 313 defensive snaps.
The Florida Atlantic product ended up finishing the 2022 season with impressive grades when rushing the passer (83.0) and defending the run (79.7), per Pro Football Focus.
Considering everything we just said, it’s easy to see why Kevin Patra of NFL.com included the Titans linebacker on his list of players on one-year deals who will make a big impact in 2023.
Patra has Al-Shaair, who has been one of the biggest standouts at training camp, ranked No. 4 on his list, stating the following:
Stuck behind Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw in San Francisco, Al-Shaair has a chance to plow his own path in Tennessee. When thrust into a full-time role in 2021, the linebacker showed sideline-to-sideline ability and good blitz timing. In the middle of Tennessee’s defense, Al-Shaair should feast. The 26-year-old’s ability to shoot the gap behind the Titans’ defensive line and play in space make him an underrated signing who could cash in next offseason.
This is a take I completely agree with, especially the part where Patra mentions how scary the potential is of the Titans’ newest linebacker.
The mere thought of someone with Al-Shaair’s skill set and tenacity playing behind the Titans’ defensive line is something that should have this fanbase salivating.
While we only have a small sample size as of right now, we have seen Al-Shaair in a starting role for an extended period, and the results were very promising.
Back in 2021, the former 49ers linebacker was forced into the starting lineup for the majority of the season — and he more than held his own.
Al-Shaair started a combined 13 games that year, tallying 102 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and one interception.
If everything goes according to plan, the Titans will inevitably have a tough decision to make, as Al-Shaair will undoubtedly be seeking a lucrative payday next offseason.
However, I would personally consider that a fantastic problem to have because that means he obviously lived up to the hype, and the 2023 Titans defense will have reaped the benefits because of it.
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