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Things haven’t quite gone as planned since Kenny Vaccaro left the Texas Longhorns behind and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. A series of injury-shortened seasons on under-performing defenses sent him into free agency after his five-year rookie contract expired, and he found his way with the Tennessee Titans — but it would be tough to complain about how his tenure in Nashville, Tenn. has gone.
Vaccaro inked a four-year, $24 million contract extension before the 2019 season and has started all 14 games for the Titans this season. He ranks fourth on the team in total tackles (70), and has teamed up with All-Pro free safety Kevin Byard to form one of the NFL’s stronger tandems on the back end.
Still, he’s not expecting the years of practice he put in against Drew Brees to be much of a benefit on Sunday. Odd as it may feel to find himself playing opposite the black and gold, he wants to take a team-first approach.
“I really have truly been focused on week to week, but now that it’s here is it like, ‘Oh, wow, we are playing the Saints,’” Vaccaro said on Wednesday during an interview with the official Titans website. “But I approach it kind of like the way Logan (Ryan) did when we played the Patriots last year. I am not going to make this about me and playing my former team at all, because it is not about that really – it is about us staying in this playoff race.”
Vaccaro is fresh off the heels of a six-tackle performance in last week’s loss to the Houston Texans, a game in which he bagged his first interception of the season. He’s going to do his best to help his squad this week and avoid making it personal with the team that drafted him — and ultimately passed on him. But don’t be shocked if he and some former teammates find time to embrace and swap jerseys afterwards.
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