In his quest to be identified as more than just a cornerback, former Tennessee Titans corner and current free agent, Logan Ryan, continued to make the case that he’s capable of playing safety during an interview on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football”.
Ryan started the campaign on Monday when he sent all 32 teams a graphic comparing his 2019 stats to some of the top safeties in the NFL.
Then, on Thursday, Ryan explained to GMFB further why he wants to be considered a safety. He even compared himself to two top-notch players at the position — the Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu and the Denver Broncos’ Justin Simmons — per NFL.com’s Kevin Patra.
“Look at the numbers — 100 tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, the pass break-ups, the INTs. I just feel like that’s not really possible too much at just playing corner, so could a team move me around a lot?” Ryan said. “… I was a versatile player, a matchup guy, similar to a Tyrann Mathieu, maybe a Justin Simmons. I feel like that was more the position I was playing last year for Dean Pees, as opposed to a true traditional corner, so it’s hard to compare me to that.”
Ryan also pointed out that the highlights NFL Network was showing during the interview were of him playing safety.
“All the interceptions you’re showing (on NFL Network), the Baker Mayfield one, the one against the Colts, even the Tom Brady interception, I’m playing safety in all those clips,” Ryan said of the B-roll playing over his interview. “…Clearly, it’s a little grey area. I think I’m a little bit of an outlier when it comes to corner or safety, but all those highlights you showed, they’re all safety highlights.”
Ryan certainly isn’t off base. After all, he did play all over the field in Dean Pees’ defense last season, including at safety, as Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar pointed out.
In Dean Pees’ 2019 defense, per Pro Football Focus, Ryan played 21 snaps along the defensive line, 180 snaps in the box, 855 snaps in the slot, 243 snaps at outside cornerback, and 22 at free safety.
The veteran corner, who has seen a lackluster market thus far, is hoping that he can improve his chances of landing a deal that pays him the $10 million annually the Titans paid him by showing he’s more than just a cornerback.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be successful, but clearly his versatility wasn’t enough for the Titans to bring him back — at least, not at that price.
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