Tag: Jack Crawford

Titans’ DL ranked in bottom half of NFL by Pro Football Focus

The Titans didn’t fare too well in PFF’s defensive line rankings.

The Tennessee Titans’ defensive line will look different in 2020 after the team traded long-time starter Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos during the offseason.

As it stands now, two of the team’s starters upfront are returning in 2019 first-round pick, Jeffery Simmons, who the Titans are hoping makes the leap in 2020 after an impressive rookie campaign, and nose tackle DaQuan Jones, who posted arguably his best season as a pro last year.

Beyond those two, the Titans have a question mark. It’s still unclear who will get the majority of the snaps alongside Simmons and Jones.

Veteran Jack Crawford, 2019 UDFA Isaiah Mack and 2020 fifth-round pick Larrell Murchison all figure to get snaps, but there’s no telling if any of those players will be able to adequately fill-out the defensive line.

Because of those question marks, the Titans didn’t fare too well in Pro Football Focus’ defensive line rankings, landing at No. 21 on the list.

Here’s what PFF’s Sam Monson had to say about Tennessee’s group upfront.

Jeffery Simmons had a debut to remember after recovering from an ACL injury that many thought would sideline him for the entire season. Simmons notched a sack, two hurries and three defensive stops in a performance that earned a PFF grade of 90.6 and set pulses racing, but he never quite hit those heights again over the remainder of the season. Simmons is hugely talented, and the team was confident enough in his ability to trade away stalwart defensive lineman Jurrell Casey for a throwaway late-round draft pick, but now is the time Simmons needs to prove them right.

Depth is a concern along this defensive line, with little in the way of proven quality or even players who have shown well across limited snaps. Rookie Larrell Murchison was a fifth-round pick who has solid but not spectacular grades over the past two seasons at NC State. And while he was more of a run defender than a pass-rushing force, he will hope to earn some playing time as a rotational body early on.

After the Titans failed to get a consistent pass-rush out of their defensive line in 2019, chances are the player who can stand out the most in that area between Murchison, Crawford and Mack will see the majority of snaps.

Regardless of who gets the nod there, Simmons will be the biggest factor in the Titans’ success upfront — and the arrow is certainly pointing up for Big Jeff going into 2020.

After not feeling totally comfortable thanks to added weight, having to wear a knee brace and not getting a full training camp, Simmons has dropped weight, lost the knee brace and will get a full training camp in 2020.

And if he was as good as he was in his rookie campaign in the face of all those hurdles, just imagine how good he can be when they’re removed.

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Titans 2020 training camp preview: What to expect from the DL

Who is going to make the cut along the Titans’ defensive line in 2020?

After previewing every Tennessee Titans offensive position group, we’re now moving on to the defense and starting with the defensive line.

The Titans saw a major subtraction from the group upfront this offseason after trading Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos. As a result, there will be a competition for snaps in training camp.

Here’s a look at the roster locks on the defensive line, players on the bubble at the position, and a prediction for how things will shake out.

Note: In case you missed any of our other training camp previews, we’ve linked to them at the end of this article.

Roster locks

Jeffery Simmons

DaQuan Jones

Larrell Murchison

Jack Crawford

Isaiah Mack

Analysis for Jones and Simmons: Two players are already locked-in as starters from this group in Jones and Simmons, both of whom were impressive last season.

Jones had his best season as a pro in 2019, grading out as the No. 30 interior defensive lineman, per PFF. He particularly excelled in run defense, but wasn’t great at generating pressure on passing plays.

Simmons will be tasked with taking the torch from Casey, who was a stalwart on Tennessee’s defense for nine seasons.

The good news for Simmons is that he’ll have the benefit of a full training camp in his second season, which wasn’t the case in his rookie campaign with him having to rehab from a torn ACL.

Simmons made it clear he wasn’t comfortable at his playing weight last year, so his focus was on dropping weight this offseason with the hope that it would help improve his play.

Judging from a recent photo, Simmons looks to be in great shape.

Competition analysis: A competition for snaps will take place between Mack, Crawford and Murchison, all of whom have flashed pass-rush skills in the past. That’s important to point out because the Titans struggled to generate much of a pass-rush from their defensive line last season.

The player who can stand out the most in that area has the best chance to dominate snaps — and each player from this trio has shown in the past that they have the potential to make a dent in 2020.

Mack totaled one sack last preseason and followed that up with 1.5 in limited action during the regular season. Crawford had his best season in 2018 when he started a career-high 11 games and finished with a career-high six sacks.

Murchison, who is known for his high motor, looks to have the chops to be an effective interior pass-rusher after he totaled 11 sacks in two years at NC State, although there’s no telling how far along the rookie will be when training camp arrives thanks to an abbreviated offseason.

No matter who emerges from this group — Mack and Crawford are the favorites — all three will be on the initial 53-man roster, and it’s quite possible we see a rotation at the final starting spot on the defensive line.

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Tennessee Titans DL Jack Crawford uses MMA to improve his game

Crawford wouldn’t want to make a career out of MMA, though.

One of the newest Tennessee Titans, defensive lineman Jack Crawford, uses a somewhat unconventional way to train.

Crawford, who is a native of London, England, uses Mixed Martial Arts as a way to prepare for the football field, as he told Annika Weldon of NFL International in an article that was published in December of 2019.

“I’ve also found that MMA helps improve my game as a defensive lineman. A lot of people who play this game are not comfortable when people are right in their face,” Crawford said. “That’s their weakness. The more comfortable you can be with that, the more success you are going to have. MMA just helps reinforce that. It also helps with small muscles that we don’t train. We bench press, we squat, we do a lot of lifting and training for big muscles but there are some small muscles that you don’t work. It also helps with your hand strength, balance and when you are fighting with another person. The only thing harder than football physically is combat sports like boxing or MMA.”

Despite his foray into MMA as a tool to train, Crawford doesn’t think he’d want to take it up as a career.

“I don’t think I would want to do it professionally; I don’t think I want to take any extra hits or trauma to the head, any more than I’ve got from football,” Crawford explained. “I’d love to be in that world and compete, but for me I think it would be best to stick to Jujitsu. I do plan on trying to start that after I’m done playing.”

Crawford was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons during his eight-year career.

The 31-year-old spent the past three seasons in Atlanta, mostly as a backup. His best season came in 2018 when he started in 11 of 16 games and finished with six sacks.

Crawford offers versatility as someone who can play both defensive end and tackle. He will serve as depth for the Titans in 2020 after the departure of rotational defensive lineman, Austin Johnson, who signed with the New York Giants this offseason.

Grading Tennessee Titans’ signing of DL Jack Crawford

Crawford offers some versatility to the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans signed defensive lineman Jack Crawford to a one-year deal this offseason, the third former Atlanta Falcon the team has inked.

The idea behind the signing was to add depth along the defensive line after a void was left thanks to the departure of Austin Johnson, who signed with the New York Giants.

No, this was not the move to replace Jurrell Casey — at least, we hope not.

Assuming this was a depth move, it’s a good one. Crawford has experience playing at both defensive end and defensive tackle, offering quite a bit of versatility.

Crawford has spent the majority of his career as a backup after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Raiders. While with the Raiders, Crawford was coached by current Titans defensive line coach Terrell Williams, so the team already has some familiarity with him.

While he isn’t a starting-caliber lineman by any stretch, Crawford was impressive when called into starting duty in 2018, totaling six sacks in 16 games (11 starts).

Should the Titans need him to start for an extended amount of time due to an injury, Crawford has proven he can step up and fill a void adequately.

It’s hard to say whether or not he’ll be a better depth piece than Johnson was last season, but for now this appears to be the right signing for what the Titans needed after their former second-round pick left for New York.

Grade: A

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See it: Titans’ Jack Crawford posts Instagram photo signing contract

Jack Crawford was all smiles while signing his contract.

Former Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Vic Beasley is widely considered the most important new addition to the Tennessee Titans through this year’s free agency thus far — but he’s not the only player the team signed to bolster the defense.

It was announced the Titans were signing former Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Jack Crawford last Tuesday. He saw action in all 16 games for the Falcons last year, recording four starts.

Crawford seems to be on board and ready to roll in Nashville. He took to Instagram last week with this photo, and a “Titan Up!!!”

View this post on Instagram

Titan up!!!

A post shared by Jack Crawford (@j_crawford58) on

Crawford was originally selected out of Penn State in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, and also played for the Dallas Cowboys before arriving in Atlanta.

The best season of his career was in 2018 with the Falcons, when he recorded 35 tackles and six sacks in 16 games (11 starts).

Along with Beasley, Crawford and swing tackle Ty Sambrailo, the Titans now have a trio of former Falcons who will be playing in Nashville in 2020.

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Tennessee Titans sign Jack Crawford: 4 things to know

Here are four things to know about the newest Titans defensive lineman.

The Tennessee Titans added to their defensive line on Tuesday night with the signing of veteran Jack Crawford.

The move was announced by his agency, DEC Management.

Here are three things to know about the 6-foot-5, 288-pound lineman.

Titans connection

The Titans’ current defensive line coach, Terrell Williams, spent his first three seasons as an NFL coach in the same role with the Oakland Raiders from 2012 through 2014.

Crawford spent his first two seasons in the NFL with the Raiders from 2012 to 2013 after being drafted in the fifth round out of Penn State, so there is some familiarity between he and Williams.

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DL Jack Crawford signs with the Titans

Crawford, 31, played three seasons in Atlanta, starting 15 games as a versatile defensive tackle who could also line up at end.

Two Falcons defensive linemen left via free agency on Tuesday. First, defensive end Adrian Clayborn signed with the Browns.

Then, Jack Crawford signed with the Titans, according to his agent and reported by ESPN’s Field Yates below:

Crawford, 31, played three seasons in Atlanta, starting 15 games as a versatile defensive tackle who could also line up at end. He will join Vic Beasley in Tennessee on what looks to be an up-and-coming team in the AFC.

Crawford’s loss isn’t as big of a deal since the Falcons signed DL Tyeler Davison to a three-year deal just a few weeks ago. Still, without Clayborn and Crawford, the team will likely target a defensive linemen in the first or second round of the 2020 draft.

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Tennessee Titans sign ex-Falcons DL Jack Crawford

The Titans have added to their defensive line.

The Tennessee Titans have added a defensive lineman in free agency.

According to David Canter of DEC Management, his client, Jack Crawford, has signed with the Titans.

Crawford spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, totaling six sacks in 2018 and 0.5 sacks in 2019. The 31-year-old has played at both defensive end and defensive tackle during his career.

Crawford is now the third Falcon the Titans have signed this offseason. Swing tackle Ty Sambrailo and edge rusher Vic Beasley are also on that list.

Immediately some fans are going to jump to the conclusion that this might mean the Jadeveon Clowney hopes are over, but not so fast.

Let’s not forget that the Titans have lost two defensive linemen this offseason in Jurrell Casey and Austin Johnson. This is purely a depth move by the Titans to replace Johnson and doesn’t mean their pursuit of Clowney, or any other top-flight defensive lineman still available, is over.

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