Tag: Ryan Stonehouse

Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse using latest Pro Bowl snub as ‘fuel’

Even the net-yards bros should be upset with this latest Ryan Stonehouse Pro Bowl snub.

Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse has been snubbed for a Pro Bowl spot not once, but twice now after he wasn’t chosen as the replacement for Kansas City Chiefs punter, Tommy Townsend.

Townsend originally received the nod over Stonehouse, who was named as a replacement. But Stonehouse wasn’t even the top replacement, apparently, as Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole will be taking Townsend’s spot now that he’s in the Super Bowl.

One Pro Bowl snub was bad, but two is just completely unacceptable. After all, Stonehouse had a historic season, breaking the 82-year-old gross yards per punt record by a whopping 1.7 yards, and he did so as a rookie.

The net-yards bros will tell you he didn’t deserve it over Townsend because he finished 1.5 net yards per punt short of the Chiefs punter, but even those bros can’t deny he should’ve taken Townsend’s spot.

Stonehouse’s 44.0 net yards per punt, which ranked fourth in the NFL, was second in the AFC behind Townsend, and more importantly, ahead of Cole. It was also the single-season record for a rookie punter.

Nevertheless, Stonehouse is using the situation as motivation for himself moving forward, which is the right way to look at it.

As great as Stonehouse was, he’ll have to get better at angling punts and pinning opponents deep next season. If he can do that, there may never be another AFC representative at the Pro Bowl as long as he’s in the league.

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Ryan Stonehouse named Titans’ unsung hero of 2022

Titans P Ryan Stonehouse continues to receive recognition for his historic season.

After the season the Tennessee Titans just had, it’s hard to really call anyone a hero, but if there was one player who at least comes close to fitting the bill, it’s punter Ryan Stonehouse.

Stonehouse had a historic season, breaking the 82-year-old gross yards per punt average by a whopping 1.7 yards, finishing with a mark of 53.1. He finished fourth in net yards per punt, leading all rookies in that category.

The rookie’s massive leg was pretty important for Tennessee with how poorly the offense played. After all, Stonehouse’s booming kicks flipped the field for the Titans, which no doubt helped the defense.

As a result of the aforementioned things, NFL.com’s Nick Shook named Stonehouse the team’s unsung hero of 2022.

It’s rare to consider a punter as any kind of hero, but Stonehouse isn’t just any punter. The undrafted rookie from Colorado State stepped into the starting role in Tennessee and showed off his gigantic leg, finishing 2022 with a record-breaking gross punt average of 53.1 yards, shattering the mark set by the legendary, multi-talented Sammy Baugh set way back in 1940. That was good enough to earn him a selection to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. Stonehouse gets the nod here because of how he so often flipped the field for a Titans team that came apart offensively.

Stonehouse did not get a Pro Bowl nod, but he is a reserve. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors, falling to Kansas City Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend because of his superior net yards average, which led the NFL.

The Pro Football Writers of America named Stonehouse to its All-Rookie team.

While his rookie season was no doubt impressive, Stonehouse does need to improve his ability to angle punts and pin opponents deep. If he can lock that down, there will be no stopping him.

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Pair of Titans make PFWA’s 2022 All-Rookie Team

Two Titans made PFWA’s 2022 All-Rookie Team.

On its annual All-Rookie Team, the Pro Football Writers of America named two Tennessee Titans to the squad for their impressive showings in 2022.

The two Titans are none other than punter Ryan Stonehouse and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, two players who were bright spots in what was otherwise a dark season for Tennessee.

Not only did Stonehouse break the 82-year-old gross yards per punt record, he smashed it by 1.7 yards, finishing with 53.1 yards per attempt. For his efforts, Stonehouse was named a Second-Team All-Pro.

Okonkwo was very impressive in his own right. He led all rookie tight ends in receiving yards, and he was one of the more explosive players at his position in the NFL when the Titans actually gave him the ball.

One of my favorite stats pertaining to Okonkwo was his yards per route run, which was on par with elite wide receivers like Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill. His 2.61 yards per route run ranked third in the NFL, and first among tight ends.

Just imagine what Chig would’ve done if it didn’t take former offensive coordinator Todd Downing an entire half of a season to realize he was actually on the team.

For next season, the Titans must get Chig more involved, but the Maryland product must also take a step forward as a blocker if he wants the most playing time possible. If all works out, he could be a star.

Meanwhile, if Stonehouse can improve on angling his punts and pinning opponents deep, there will be nothing stopping him from becoming an all-time great at his position.

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Titans’ 2022 rookie class ranked among NFL’s most productive

Titans’ 2022 rookie class ranked among NFL’s most productive

The Tennessee Titans’ 2022 campaign was a bitter disappointment for many reasons, but there were at least some bright spots when it came to the team’s 2022 rookie class.

The Titans saw major contributions from several rookies, both drafted and undrafted, with guys like Treylon Burks, Chigoziem Okonkwo, Ryan Stonehouse and Roger McCreary being the most prominent.

Recently, Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz and Sports Info Solutions’ Alex Vigderman ranked all 32 rookies classes from 2022 in terms of production, with the Titans landing at No. 4 on the list.

Here’s what they had to say:

Tennessee’s most valuable rookie might have been a player they didn’t even draft. Punter Ryan Stonehouse broke an NFL record of over 80 years old by leading the league with a 53.1-yard gross punting average. Or perhaps the Titans’ most valuable rookie was second-round cornerback Roger McCreary. He didn’t break any records, but he did start all 17 games, albeit without impressive charting stats. (He allowed 8.8 yards per target, although he was also very strong against the run.) There were also defensive contributions from linebacker Jack Gibbens and cornerback Tre Avery.

On offense, the star was tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, who broke out with some big catches in the second half of the season. But first-round pick Treylon Burks made some waves when healthy, and third-rounder Nicholas Petit-Frere started the entire year at right tackle. The Titans also got three starts out of quarterback Malik Willis, but that didn’t go so well, with a miserable 12.6 QBR.

While the rookie class as a whole had its ups and downs due to inconsistency, injuries, and/or a lack of utilization, there’s no doubt this group has provided more optimism than other rookie classes have in the past few years.

For more on our thoughts on the Titans’ 2022 rookie class, check out Shaun Calderon’s grades for Tennessee’s most recent draft picks (here), as well as his choices for the team’s best UDFA signings of 2022 (here).

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Titans’ best undrafted free agent signings of 2022

The Titans 2022 UDFAs who stood out the most this past season.

It’s no secret that the Tennessee Titans’ 2022 season was rather disappointing.

On top of missing the playoffs in an embarrassing fashion, several of their top players missed significant playing time throughout the year, ultimately robbing fans of seeing their favorite players compete.

However, if there’s one positive in the situation,  the Titans were essentially forced to give playing time to several younger players and got to see who would sink or swim.

This forced said players to either prove they could handle the life of a backup in the NFL, while others simply couldn’t hack it. One of them even had a historic season and looks every bit like a generational talent at his position.

This article is going to highlight four undrafted rookies who not only made the team, but found a way to positively impact the squad throughout the year.

Before we go forward, here’s a look at the 17 UDFAs the Titans signed last offseason: OLB David Anenih, CB Tre Avery, RB Julius Chestnut, DT Haskell Garrett, ILB Jack Gibbens, S Michael Griffin II, G Hayden Howerton, WR Brandon Lewis, OT Jalen McKenzie (Southern Cal), C/G Xavier Newman-Johnson, DT Sam Okuayinonu, DE Jayden Peevy, WR Reggie Roberson, OL Andrew Rupcich, K Caleb Shudak, P Ryan Stonehouse, CB Tre Swilling.

Now, let’s dive right into the three undrafted rookies (and one honorable mention) who impressed most in 2022.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ special teams in 2022

The three biggest takeaways from the Titans’ special teams showing in 2022.

After diving into the biggest takeaways from Tennessee Titans’ 2022 offense and defense, it’s time to offer our biggest takeaways from their special teams performance.

The star of special teams for the Titans in 2022 was punter Ryan Stonehouse, who broke multiple records in his first season, including the all-time mark for gross yards per punt.

But it wasn’t all good for the Titans on special teams last season, and even the rookie has areas where he can improve.

Now, let’s dive a bit deeper by taking a look at the Titans’ three biggest takeaways from the special teams units during the 2022 campaign.

Note: in case you missed our takeaways from the offense and defense, you can check out offense here and defense here.

Titans’ Jeffery Simmons, Ryan Stonehouse named second-team All-Pro

Simmons and Stonehouse were the only Titans recognized as All-Pros.

The Tennessee Titans did not have anyone voted as a first-team All-Pro this year, but two of their players did make the cut on the second team.

The Associated Press released its annual list of first-team and second-team All-Pros on Friday, and Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons made the latter squad.

Other Titans who received All-Pro votes were running back Derrick Henry, safety Kevin Byard, long snapper Morgan Cox and linebacker David Long.

This is Simmons second-straight nod for the second team, while it’s the first for Stonehouse.

Simmons had a very strong first half of the season but injuries ultimately slowed him in the second half. He still finished with 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss, both ranked second on the team.

Stonehouse’s rookie campaign was historic.

Tasked with taking over for franchise great Brett Kern, the rookie broke an 82-year-old record for the most gross yards per punt with 53.1, smashing Sammy Baugh’s 51.4 set all the way back in 1940.

Unfortunately, Stonehouse’s bids for first-team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl were both thwarted by Kansas City Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend, who finished tops in the NFL in net yards per punt.

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Titans who played in every game of 2022 season

The list of Titans players to appear in every game in 2022.

The Tennessee Titans have been the most injured team in the NFL over the past two seasons, and that issue has spared few players along the way.

Back in November we wrote an article highlighting the fact that from 2021 up until Week 10 of this season, only four Titans players had appeared in every game dating back to the year prior.

Those four players were defensive lineman Denico Autry, safety Kevin Byard, long snapper Morgan Cox, and center Ben Jones.

At the end of the 2022 campaign, there were only two of those players left standing in Byard and Cox, as both Jones and Autry missed games due to injury.

Aside from Byard and Cox, there were nine other Titans players who appeared in all 17 games this past season. They are as follows:

Titans’ 2022 season awards: Who’s the MVP?

Shaun Calderon hands out his end-of-year awards for the 2022 Titans.

The Tennessee Titans’ season has come to a nauseating end following their disappointing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that concluded a disastrous seven-game losing streak to finish the year.

It should go without saying that this losing campaign is not what anybody envisioned just one year after the Titans were a bona fide Super Bowl contender that had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

This season was an unfortunate step back from getting to where they want to be, but there were a few bright spots scattered throughout the injury-riddled Titans roster.

This article is going to highlight a few individuals who deserve to be praised for their efforts during a lost season.

There were times when the season looked bleak and hopeless, yet these individuals, along with a few others, kept fighting as much as they could to keep the team relevant in the playoff race.

Without further ado, let’s dive right into the end-of-year awards for the 2022 season.

Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse talks historic season, getting jersey in HOF

After breaking Sammy Baugh’s 82-year-old record, Titans P Ryan Stonehouse will have his jersey in the Hall of Fame.

The Tennessee Titans didn’t have much to be happy about during the 2022 campaign, but rookie punter Ryan Stonehouse was one of the exceptions.

After the Titans made the risky move to go with Stonehouse over established and well-loved veteran Brett Kern, there was a lot of pressure on the rookie’s shoulders to perform.

And perform he did.

Stonehouse broke the NFL record for most gross yards per punt in a single season with 51.4, breaking the 82-year-old mark set by Sammy Baugh in 1940. The Colorado State product crushed it by 1.7 yards, also.

For his efforts, Stonehouse will have his jersey and cleats in the Hall of Fame.

“It’s surreal, honestly,” Stonehouse said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “It’s the last thing I was expecting. But it’s such a cool honor. Going undrafted, and kind of having the odds against you, to be able to do something that hasn’t been done for 80-something years, it is such a big honor to me.

“And to break it from a guy like Sammy Baugh, it’s special.”

Baugh’s record wasn’t the only one Stonehouse broke. He also became the all-time leader in net yards per punt in a single season by a rookie with exactly 44.0.

Speaking of net yards, that’s something Stonehouse would like to improve upon going into his second season. If Stonehouse can master the art of angling punts and pinning his opponents deep, he’ll be unstoppable.

“It think this season had some highs, and I think managing those highs and trying to remain consistent was my main goal the whole time,” Stonehouse said. “I felt like I did that a lot with my gross. Heading into next year I want to improve on some of the things I need to keep up in those highs, like the inside the 20 or the net average. Similarly, with how the gross went this year, I’d love to build that consistency.”

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