Tag: Amani Hooker

Titans’ Amani Hooker was mic’d up at mandatory minicamp

Titans safety Amani Hooker was mic’d up during mandatory minicamp.

Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker was one of the players who were mic’d up during the team’s mandatory minicamp a few weeks ago.

Tennessee’s three-day event, which was held from June 14-16, featured a pair of practices open to the media, and guys like Hooker, linebacker David Long and quarterback Ryan Tannehill all sporting microphones got us even closer to the action.

The 2019 fourth-round pick made up one half of one of the best safety duos in the NFL in 2021, as evidenced by he and fellow safety Kevin Byard posting top-five Pro Football Focus grades at the position.

Now, the sights and sounds of mandatory minicamp practice from the perspective of Hooker.

Hooker is entering a contract year in 2022. The Iowa product is one of three members of the 2019 draft class who are set to hit free agency in 2023, along with Long and right guard Nate Davis.

A recent report revealed the Titans and Hooker have had preliminary talks about a contract extension, but nothing appears imminent at the moment.

With mandatory minicamp in the books, the Titans will turn their attention to training camp, with rookies set to report on July 23 and veterans on July 26. The Titans’ first practice of training camp will take place on July 27.

[lawrence-related id=91653,91647,91641]

[listicle id=91619]

Report: Titans, Amani Hooker have discussed contract extension

The Titans and safety Amani Hooker have reportedly had preliminary talks about a contract extension.

The Tennessee Titans and safety Amani Hooker have reportedly had preliminary talks about a contract extension.

The news comes from Terry McCormick of Titan Insider, who notes that if an agreement does happen between the two sides soon, it will likely be sometime between training camp and the start of the season.

Some preliminary conversations about an extension for Hooker have taken place in recent weeks, but if anything materializes soon, it would likely take place between the start of training camp and the opening of the regular season.

A 2019 fourth-round pick of the Titans, Hooker had a career year in 2021, his first full season as a starter.

Hooker finished with a top-five Pro Football Focus grade among safeties, and improved his completion rate against and passer rating allowed from the season prior.

Hooker, 26, is one of three members of the 2019 draft class who are set to hit free agency in 2023, along with linebacker David Long and right guard Nate Davis.

Tennessee’s first pick of that draft, defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, has one more year left on his rookie deal in 2023 thanks to the fifth-year option that was picked up in May, but could receive a massive extension before he plays it out.

[lawrence-related id=91580,91499,91476]

[listicle id=91566]

Two Titans 2019 picks go in top five of PFF’s NFL re-draft

A total of three Titans 2019 draft picks were selected in the first round of PFF’s re-draft.

The Tennessee Titans had a sensational, franchise-changing NFL draft in 2019 after landing a handful of impact players who went on to become starters and important building blocks for the team.

General manager Jon Robinson landed two of the biggest steals in the draft in defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons at No. 19 overall, and wide receiver A.J. Brown with the No. 51 overall selection.

Simmons has since emerged as one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL, and Brown is among the best young receivers in the league.

Further cementing the idea that they were two majors steals is this 2019 NFL re-draft by Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikemma. He has Brown going No. 3 overall to the New York Jets and Simmons going No. 5 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Also making his way into the first round of the PFF re-draft is safety Amani Hooker, who was originally selected in the fourth round. Hooker went to the Philadelphia Eagles with pick No. 25 in Sikemma’s re-draft.

Of the six-player 2019 class, four players remain on Tennessee. Brown was traded to the Eagles during the 2022 NFL draft, and fifth-round outside linebacker D’Andre Walker is no longer with the team, either.

As much success as the Titans have enjoyed with this group, tough decisions are coming. Hooker, right guard Nate Davis and linebacker David Long will all be free agents in 2023. Simmons will play out his fifth-year option next season, but is due for a massive extension.

[pickup_prop id=”25668″]

[lawrence-related id=91413,91355,91339]

[listicle id=91377]

Titans ST coach talks returner candidates, Caleb Shudak injury

Titans special teams coach Craig Aukerman revealed who may be competing for a return job in 2022.

The Tennessee Titans began their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, which will be the only session that is open to the media.

But before hitting the field, Tennessee’s coordinators met with the media, including special teams coach Craig Aukerman.

Aukerman touched on the competition for punt and kicker returner, revealing which players are likely to compete for each spot. The only player currently on the roster who returned kicks or punts for the Titans in 2021 is running back Dontrell Hilliard.

At kick returner, Aukerman says running back Trenton Cannon and wide receivers Reggie Roberson, Kyle Philips and Racey McMath could all compete for the job.

At punt returner, Aukerman estimates that Philips, wide receiver Mason Kinsey and safety Amani Hooker will battle it out.

Tennessee’s special teams coach went into more detail in regard to what he likes about two of the aforementioned candidates, Cannon and Philips.

While Philips figures to be a near-lock to make the roster, the same cannot be said for Cannon, but there’s no doubt his special teams prowess will help his cause.

Aukerman also provided an update on UDFA kicker Caleb Shudak, who was impressive in rookie minicamp and during organized team activities before suffering a leg injury last week.

Shudak will not participate in practice on Tuesday, and there is no timetable for his return to the field.

The Titans could definitely use a shot in the arm in the return game. While Tennessee did finish ninth in the NFL in punt return average in 2021, they also finished 27th in kick return average.

The only gripe we have with the candidates listed here is Hooker, who is set to return to his starting role in 2022. Hooker is far too valuable to the defense to risk as a returner, so we hope the Titans won’t ultimately settle on him.

[lawrence-related id=91020,91017,91000]

[listicle id=90971]

Titans duo gets love in Pro Football Focus’ safety rankings

Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker each landed in a tier of PFF’s safety rankings.

Tennessee Titans safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker were one of the best duos at the position in the NFL last season, and as a result they are getting some love from Pro Football Focus.

Byard finished as the highest-graded player at his position in 2021 (90.4), per PFF, while Hooker came in at No. 3 (85.9).

PFF’s Sam Monson recently ranked the best safeties in the NFL using tiers, and Byard and Hooker landed in one each. Byard was ranked No. 1 in the “coverage free safety” tier, while Hooker landed at No. 6 in the “all-around” tier.

Here’s what Monson had to say about Byard:

Kevin Byard has been a prototypical free safety since he was a draft prospect. He is coming off a season with a career-high 90.4 overall PFF grade and a 90.9 coverage grade. That marked his third career 80.0-plus coverage grade, and it was also the third time he was aligned at free safety for more than 600 snaps over a season.

While the 2021 campaign was a career year for Hooker, it was a bounce-back campaign for Byard, who re-established himself as one of the elite safeties in the NFL following a down season in 2020.

As great as this duo is, this might be the final season we see Byard and Hooker playing together, as the latter will be a free agent in 2023.

[pickup_prop id=”24926″]

[lawrence-related id=89960,89962,89933]

[listicle id=89665]

Way-too-early look at Titans’ 2023 free agents

The Titans’ 2019 draft class (minus Jeffery Simmons) is set to hit free agency in 2023.

While the Tennessee Titans are still very much focused on the 2022 offseason with free agency going on and the 2022 NFL draft set to take place on April 28, the team also has to keep an eye on the 2023 offseason.

In 2023, the Titans will see several key players hit the open market, a group that includes four of the remaining members of the 2019 draft class, A.J. Brown, Nate Davis, Amani Hooker and David Long.

Of course, Jeffery Simmons was also in that class and as of right now he’s set to be a free agent next year, but barring the world ending before May 2, the Titans are certain to pick up his fifth-year option, which gives the team another year to work out an extension with the star lineman.

On top of the 2019 draft class, the Titans will see key players on all sides of the ball hitting the open market in 2023. Here’s a look at the full slate:

Titans’ Amani Hooker confident and hungry going in 2022

Titans safety Amani Hooker believes he improved in his first season as a starter.

Amani Hooker made tremendous strides in his first year as one of the Tennessee Titans’ starting safeties, although the path to get there was not always linear.

The Iowa product suffered a foot injury in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals and missed the next five out of six contests.

However, he lived up to the hype in his return to the lineup, recording a career-high 62 tackles to go along with one interception and four passes defended in just 12 games played.

“I felt like I’d had I had a good year, my first year starting and throughout the whole season, I feel like I improved and got better, not just like physically but communication being a leader as well, and it was very encouraging for myself to see what I can do at this level,” Hooker said at the end of the year.

Hooker made significant improvements in his pass coverage, and so much so that he was recognized as the most-improved player on the Titans, according to Pro Football Focus.

The 23-year-old limited quarterbacks to a 68.6 completion percentage and 79.3 QB rating while not allowing any touchdowns. In 2020, Hooker was tabbed for an 82.6 completion percentage and 83.2 QB rating.

He also was one of the lone bright spots in the Titans’ playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, recording an insane diving interception that set up A.J. Brown’s touchdown two plays later.

“Going into the offseason, it’s good to have that game under my belt, but unfortunately we lost. I’m hungrier — I mean, the whole team is hungry,” he added. “We’re going to come out here this offseason and get better.”

Hooker credits fellow starting safety Kevin Byard as a mentor, and the two have formed one of the best safety duos in the National Football League.

Per PFF, Byard and Hooker finished with top-five grades among safeties in the NFL in 2021, with Byard landing at No. 1 (90.4) and Hooker at No. 3 (85.9).

Byard returned to elite status in 2021 after a down 2020 season, recording five interceptions, 13 pass deflections, 88 combined tackles, and two defensive touchdowns.

And his play seemed to elevate those around him, including Hooker.

“Oh, yeah, me and (Byard) out there, we’re in sync, we’re playing together. I love playing next to him,” Hooker said of his teammate. “He’s a baller. He plays at a high level. I just try to match it and try not to let him down, let the team down, and just try and do the best I can to do my part.”

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Hooker will return to the Titans alongside Byard next season, and the two will be expected to anchor the top of the defense.

As far as what he needs to improve upon this offseason, Hooker is keeping it simple.

“I like to just go back to the basics and improve on everything that I think I can improve on and then stuff that I think I’m good at, I gotta go back to make sure those are good as well,” he concluded.

Hooker enters the 2022 campaign on the final year of his rookie contract. If he plays like he did in 2021, he should land himself a nice new contract in 2023.

[lawrence-related id=84384,84349,84338]

[listicle id=84114]

Watch: Titans’ top 5 turnovers from the 2021 season

Titans safety Kevin Byard makes the list twice.

The Tennessee Titans have revealed which five turnovers they feel were the best of the bunch during the 2021 season.

In all, the Titans forced 22 takeaways, so there were a good amount to choose from. Safety Kevin Byard led Tennessee in that department after notching five interceptions and recovering one fumble. He turned two of his six takeaways into touchdowns, also.

Unsurprisingly, both of Byard’s defensive touchdowns (one fumble recovery versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a pick-six against the Los Angeles Rams) made the list.

Joining him on the list was fellow safety Amani Hooker, who notched a diving interception against the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.

Cornerback Elijah Molden’s pick-six off Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts, and linebacker Rashaan Evans’ diving interception against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs also made the cut.

Of the four players who had plays in the top five, three of them are under contract for 2022. Evans is the only one who is not.

[pickup_prop id=”20767″]

[lawrence-related id=84190,84126,84107]

[listicle id=84114]

Titans duo among PFF’s highest-graded safeties in 2021

The Titans had arguably the best safety duo in the NFL in 2021.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The Tennessee Titans look to have a dynamic safety duo in Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker that would rival Chris Hope and Michael Griffin in the late 2000s.

According to Pro Football Focus, Byard and Hooker finished with top-five grades among safeties in the NFL in 2021, with Byard landing at No. 1 (90.4) and Hooker at No. 3 (85.9).

The duo was joined by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr., the Miami Dolphins’ Jevon Holland, and the Buffalo Bills’ Micah Hyde.

Byard, 28, had a bounce-back season to the tune of five interceptions, one sack, two forced fumbles, 13 pass deflections, and a pair of defensive touchdowns.

Further, opposing quarterbacks had difficulty completing passes thrown in Byard’s direction, as the Titans safety allowed just a 51.7 percent completion rate and a 68.7 QB rating when targeted. His PFF coverage grade (90.9) also ranked first among safeties in the NFL.

The Middle Tennessee State product was named First-Team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors, marking the second time Byard has achieved both accolades.

“I definitely had my best year to date, and I honestly feel like I’m just starting to hit my prime,” he told Good Morning Football. “I feel like there’s always room for improvement in every facet of the game.”

One of the the biggest surprises of the Titans’ season was the emergence of Hooker.

He was injured in the first week of the 2021 season, which kept him sidelined for a month, but he did not disappoint in his return to the starting lineup.

PFF recently named Hooker the Titans’ most improved player and ranked him as the 49th-best player in the NFL this past season — and for good reason.

The 23-year-old recorded 62 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss, four pass breakups, and one interception. After allowing an 82.6 completion percentage in 2020, Hooker took tremendous strides in his pass coverage this season, allowing quarterbacks to complete 68.6 percent of their passes to go along with a 79.3 QB rating and zero touchdowns. His coverage grade (86.9) was the fifth-best among safeties in the NFL.

The former fourth-rounder in 2019 also stepped up in the playoffs, as he had a terrific interception in the Titans’ game against the Bengals, setting up A.J. Brown’s one-handed touchdown catch two plays later.

Hooker is well on his way to becoming yet another leader in the defensive backfield for years to come, giving the Titans an elite duo at safety.

[lawrence-related id=83769,83734,83729]

4 Titans make PFF’s list of the 101 best players of 2021

Raise your hand if you had Titans QB Ryan Tannehill making the list…

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Four Tennessee Titans made Pro Football Focus’ list of the 101 best players in the NFL during the 2021 season, but some of them aren’t who you’d expect.

Before we get to the meat and potatoes, here’s how PFF put together its list:

• This list is based solely on 2021 play. Past or future play is not accounted for. This isn’t about class or talent; it’s about performance throughout the 2020 NFL season.

• This list is created with an “all positions are created equal” mantra. So, you won’t see 32 quarterbacks heading the list, even though that is the game’s most valuable position. Instead, we take a look at how guys played relative to what is expected from their position.

• Unlike PFF’s awards, the 101 factors in the postseason, so some players who won PFF awards may find themselves jumped in the 101 by rivals who had a playoff run worthy of a change in ranking.

Making the cut for the Titans was safety Kevin Byard (No. 17), quarterback Ryan Tannehill (No. 45), safety Amani Hooker (No. 49) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (No. 83).

No, that is not a misprint with Tannehill, who had just seven other quarterbacks ranked in front of him.

Right off the bat, the glaring omissions are outside linebacker Harold Landry and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, both of whom deserved to make the cut way before Tannehill.

Also bear in mind, PFF notes these rankings factor in playoff performance. In the Titans’ lone postseason game, Tannehill threw three picks, while Landry and Simmons combined for 4.5 sacks (Landry had 1.5, Simmons had three).

That further boosts the case for Landry and Simmons, but also further hurts Tannehill’s. Here’s the reasoning behind putting Tannehill on the list, from PFF’s Sam Monson.

“Tannehill’s play definitely fell off when Derrick Henry was hurt, but the relationship between his performance was much more tightly associated with his receivers also getting hurt. Overall, he proved that he is still very much capable of an excellent year independent of Henry in the offense. Tannehill recorded a 77.4% adjusted completion rate and played better than his box score statistics would indicate.”

After sorting through the mess of Landry, Simmons and Tannehill, we turn our attention to Hooker, who quietly had a great season, as Monson points out.

“The Titans had two elite safeties this season, with Hooker joining Kevin Byard in the top 50 on the PFF 101. Hooker posted impressive grades across the board but did his best work in coverage. He broke up four passes and made two interceptions while allowing just 9.5 yards per catch when he was in primary coverage. He spent the majority of his time as a deep-lying free safety and did very little wrong all season.”

Byard is the least of a surprise on this list, of course, and while A.J. Brown had a down year in terms of his statistics, that can be blamed on injury.

When healthy, Brown was his typical dominant self and would have easily cracked the 1,000-yard mark for a third-straight season had he not gotten hurt.

We’d also like to shout out center Ben Jones, who was Tennessee’s best offensive lineman in 2021, and arguably one of the best in the NFL. Like Landry and Simmons, he was a notable omission from this list.

[lawrence-related id=83645,83623,83611]

[listicle id=83503]