The Tennessee Titans had a mess at the cornerback position in 2023, with the exception of Roger McCreary, who was a big plus in his first season in the slot.
McCreary did surrender a completion rate of 71.9 percent, but gave up a passer rating of just 87.3 when targeted, according to PFF. He finished with an overall grade of 71.3 and a coverage grade of 72.2, both impressive marks.
In a recent article naming the most underappreciated player on every team, Gennaro Filice of NFL.com chose McCreary for the Titans.
Tennessee’s secondary was a persistent problem throughout Mike Vrabel’s tenure in Nashville, with the cornerbacks, in particular, plagued by injury and inconsistency. Unsurprisingly, the Titans aggressively pounced on a pair of outside cover men in March, trading for L’Jarius Sneed and signing Chidobe Awuzie. One starting spot GM Ran Carthon left alone this offseason: nickelback. That’s because McCreary emerged as a standout in the slot. After spending the majority of his rookie snaps outside, providing mixed returns, McCreary moved inside and flourished. New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson comes to Tennessee with a wealth of experience coaching NFL defensive backs. Look for him to continue molding McCreary at a position that’s increasingly critical.
While McCreary might be underappreciated nationally, Titans fans are well aware of how valuable he is, especially after a season in which he was a bright spot in the cornerbacks room.
PFF did give McCreary props after the 2023 campaign, though, as he was listed among the top-25 cornerbacks, landing at No. 19.
I’d say guard Daniel Brunskill is more underappreciated. After all, Brunskill was the best, most consistent offensive lineman last season (I know, the bar is low, but still) after giving up two sacks and 26 pressures in 449 pass-block snaps.
Despite that solid performance in 2023, Brunskill doesn’t get the credit he should and isn’t being give enough of the benefit of the doubt to retain the starting right guard job in 2024.
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