One of the biggest question marks for the Tennessee Titans going into the 2020 season will be who the team plays at slot corner.
That has been the role Logan Ryan played over the past few seasons, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be back next year as he remains unsigned on the open market, which could lead to the Titans drafting his replacement.
General manager Jon Robinson threw an interesting name into the mix of possibilities during his pre-draft press conference on Monday when he named Adoree’ Jackson as a potential candidate to spend some time there.
A nugget from Jon Robinson. When asked about Adoree Jackson moving inside to nickel. "Maybe that's Adoree in there." He mentioned how Adoree did it before in specific situations regarding coverage (his assignment motioned inside). #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) April 20, 2020
One of the other names that has been floated around is Amani Hooker, who was an elite slot corner in college with Iowa before being drafted by the Titans in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Robinson mentioned Hooker’s versatility when looking at the position.
Robinson mentioned Amani Hooker unsolicited when asked about versatility and being a nickel back.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) April 20, 2020
If Robinson does decide to go the way of the draft to fill the position, he has a good idea of what he’s looking for in a prospect.
Vrabel emphasized traits for nickel CBs. Have to be able to match up vs TEs, have to be able to blitz and help in run support. Also mentioned how slot WRs used to mainly threaten defenses horizontally but now there are a slot of vertical routes as well. #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) April 20, 2020
Jackson has spent his career playing on the outside for Tennessee, however he could definitely transition to the inside if need be.
A former track-and-field athlete, Jackson has the kind of speed that teams are looking for from their slot corners, and his speed would certainly be an upgrade over Ryan.
The only problem with putting Jackson in the slot is that he’s so important to the Titans on the outside that the team would not be able to replace him there.
As currently constructed, the Titans’ best bet is to either have Hooker play in the slot, or draft another cornerback who can. Hooker is likely the best option for an immediate fix in place of Ryan if he departs, though.
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