Tag: Teair Tart

Titans’ Teair Tart among best NTs vs. double teams in run game since 2020

Like Jeffery Simmons, Teair Tart has thrived against double teams in the run game since 2020.

Not only is Tennessee Titans nose tackle Teair Tart one of the most underrated players on his own team, but also arguably in the league.

Tart isn’t a household name by any means, but he’s the type of player who could hit free agency next year and earn himself an annual eight-figure payday for the foreseeable future.

The Florida International product is a menace in the run game and has made strides as a disruptive presence against the pass, whether he’s rushing the passer or even dropping into coverage.

But it’s his ability to help shut down the run game especially that makes Tart such an impressive player. Blocking the 304-pound defensive lineman is no easy feat for an offensive lineman.

And so much so that he’s produced the third-highest grade Pro Football Focus among nose tackles when taking on double teams in the run game since 2020, trailing only the Washington Commanders’ Daron Payne and the Carolina Panthers’ Derrick Brown, per Pro Football Focus.

On top of Tart’s impressive showing against double teams, Jeffery Simmons is the second-highest graded interior defensive lineman when facing two or more blockers in the run game since the start of 2020.

Having those two in the same lineup is a massive problem for the opposition, and it’s a big reason why the Titans have sported an elite run defense the past two seasons, including the No. 1 unit in 2022 – and that was despite all of the injuries they suffered on that side of the ball.

Now that Tennessee has all of its primary defenders in the lineup again, the sky truly is the limit for the Titans’ defensive front, as long as it can stay healthy.

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See it: Titans’ Teair Tart owns Vikings’ Garrett Bradbury in impressive rep

Check out this incredibly impressive rep from Titans DL Teair Tart.

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart didn’t have the best finish to his day on Thursday after being ejected from practice, but he did have at least one incredibly impressive rep beforehand.

Tart got into a scuffle with Vikings offensive lineman Garrett Bradbury after the lineman wrestled him to the ground after one play. Tart reacted by throwing a punch, which got him ejected from the session.

However, don’t let that overshadow this rep from Tart, who tosses Bradbury like a rag doll and then lets him know about it.

The video was shared by defensive line and pass-rush coach, Aaron Day (@dlinevids1 on X), who had two angles of the impressive rep.

A major point of emphasis for Tart, who is already a very good run defender, has been improving as a pass-rusher, something defensive line and assistant head coach Terrell Williams spoke about earlier this offseason.

“[Tart] started to take those steps (to becoming a better pass-rusher) towards the middle of last season,” Williams said in May, per Easton Freeze of Broadway Sports Media.

“You’ve got three types of players: you’ve got a player who’s great at playing the run, you’ve got a player who’s great in the pass-rush, and then you’ve got players that are great at both. And his job now is to become great at both. I would put him up against anybody in the run game, now it’s just getting better from a pass-rush standpoint.”

Based on this clip, I’d say things are going swimmingly in that area — pun intended.

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Titans DL Teair Tart tweets ‘lame af’ after getting kicked out of practice

The Titans defensive lineman made the tweet following his being kicked out of practice on Thursday.

Things got heated during the joint practice between the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, which was the final session between the two teams ahead of their preseason Week 2 matchup.

Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart got into it with Vikings offensive lineman Garrett Bradbury, who wrestled Tart to the ground during a play, which led to Tart taking a swing at him.

Things did not escalate from there, but Tart was flagged for it and later kicked out of practice.

“I haven’t talked to him yet but he knows our standards,” Jeffery Simmons said of Tart’s ejection, per Jim Wyatt. “He knows we don’t do dumb [expletive] to hurt the team, as Vrabes says.

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“That’s one of things I’m sure will get pointed out today in the team meetings. Other than that, we’ll talk to him and, like I said, he knows our expectations and standards with him.”

After practice, Tart tweeted this out (we’ve provided a screen shot just in case it gets deleted, but the direct link is right here):

For those of you not hip on the lingo, it means “lame as [naughty F word].”

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4 Titans make list of top-50 free agents for 2024

Four Titans made a recent list of the top 50 free agents for 2024.

This upcoming season is a massive one for the Tennessee Titans. Obviously, the team wants to bounce back from what was a disastrous ending to a once-promising 2022 season. 

However, something that often gets overlooked when discussing the Titans is the fact that this could be the final swan song for the current era.

Key pillars of the franchise, such as Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry, are not only entering the final years of their deals, but Tennessee’s new general manager has already drafted their replacements if everything goes according to plan.

While these are things the Titans aren’t necessarily thinking about right now, Tennessee will eventually have some hard decisions to make when it comes to several of its own players.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently ranked his top 50 free agents for 2024, and he has four Titans making his list. On top of Henry and Tannehill, he also has cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive lineman Teair Tart cracking his list.

You can find the exact rankings of these four players, as well as Rosenthal’s rationale for each one, listed below.

Madden NFL 24 ratings for Titans’ D-linemen, OLBs

The “Madden NFL 24” overall ratings for Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry, and other Titans defensive linemen and outside linebackers.

The next step in the player ratings rollout from “Madden NFL 24” was to reveal the marks for defensive linemen and outside linebackers, giving us our first look at how players at those positions for the Tennessee Titans fared.

Of the defensive linemen and outside linebackers, only one Titans player was ranked in the top 10 at his position: defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.

Simmons, who was listed as a defensive end on the game’s official website, was ranked eighth among DEs with an overall rating of 89. However, if you include defensive tackles, also, he was 12th, which is far too low.

In total, the Titans had three players combined from the defensive line and outside linebacker groups to score over an 80. Here’s a look at how every Titans player from those positions fared in overall rating.

And, in case you missed it. you can check out the ratings for Titans receivers and safeties right here.

Titans’ Teair Tart hopes to avoid being a ‘one-trick pony’

Teair Tart has proven to be an impact run defender during his career, but the next step is getting better as a pass-rusher.

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During the offseason program, Tennessee Titans defensive line coach Terrell Williams made it clear that one of the biggest goals for defensive lineman Teair Tart was to improve his skills as a pass-rusher.

Tart has no doubt become an impact run defender, playing a huge role in the Titans’ elite run defense the past two seasons. However, despite having two pass-rush dynamos next to him in Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry, Tart has hardly capitalized in the sacks department.

Over the course of his 34 career games, Tart has just 1.5 sacks, although those came during the 2022 campaign, showing the Florida International product and former UDFA is at least making strides.

Williams stated last month that he believes Tart made strides as a pass-rusher around the middle of last season, while also noting Tart has continued to show improvement this offseason, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“The biggest thing for him was working on the pass rush part, and we spent a lot of time working on that as a group, and with him some individually,” Williams said. “He’s definitely made some strides there.”

Tart is fully aware of his need to improve at getting after the quarterback, which he believes will enable him to play more snaps.

“It is important, just not being a one-trick pony,” Tart said. “Being versatile, the more you can do, the longer you’ll be on the team and the more you’ll be on the field.”

“The next step for me is developing my pass rush game and solidifying my identity and be the type of player, the type of rusher, I want to be,” he added. “I want to be the best player I can possibly be.”

The Titans already have one of the more talented defensive lines in the NFL going into 2023, but that group has the potential to be even better than it has been the past two years if Tart takes that next step as a pass-rusher.

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Titans hoping Teair Tart takes next step as a pass-rusher

Titans coach Terrell Williams saw improvement from Teair Tart as a pass-rusher in 2022, but would like to see more in 2023.

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The Tennessee Titans found themselves a diamond in the rough when they signed defensive lineman Teair Tart as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Since then, Tart has worked his way up the depth chart to a starting role next to Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry, and the trio have made up one of the best defensive line groups in the NFL in recent years.

As good as Tart has been as a run defender, the 26-year-old could get better at rushing the passer, something defensive line coach Terrell Williams mentioned at practice last week.

“He started to take those steps (to becoming a better pass-rusher) towards the middle of last season,” Williams said, per Easton Freeze of Broadway Sports Media.

“You’ve got three types of players: you’ve got a player who’s great at playing the run, you’ve got a player who’s great in the pass-rush, and then you’ve got players that are great at both. And his job now is to become great at both. I would put him up against anybody in the run game, now it’s just getting better from a pass-rush standpoint.”

On top of a career-high 1.5 sacks, Tart posted personal bests in pressures (26) and QB hits (seven) in 2022. Granted, he did play in five more contests than the year prior, but the pressures were five times what he totaled in 2021.

Tart has been on the field for 47 percent of snaps in each of the last two seasons, but Williams hinted more could be in store for Tart if he can improve at getting after the quarterback.

“There’s always room for good pass-rushers, trust me,” the Titans’ assistant head coach said, per Paul Kuharsky. “We have packages where we can put more than just Jeff (Simmons) and Denico (Autry) out there, so if you can pass-rush we’ll find a way to get you on the field.”

Simmons and Autry are already two of the more feared interior rushers in the NFL. If Tart can even supplement those two with some pass-rush success of his own, this Titans front will be even scarier than it’s already projected to be.

Titans crack top 10 in PFF’s defensive line rankings

While the Titans cracked the top 10, Shaun Calderon believes they should have been ranked higher.

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One of the more slept-on storylines surrounding the Tennessee Titans is the undeniable talent and potential of their defensive line now that the front is fully healthy again.

Last season, Harold Landry was out for the entire season with a torn ACL, while Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, and Bud Dupree each dealt with injuries of their own, missing a combined 13 games.

Fast forward to the present day and for the first time since the Titans’ nine-sack performance in the 2021 playoffs, Tennessee is expected to have Autry, Simmons and Landry on the field at the same time when the season rolls around, barring any future injuries.

The Titans also replaced Dupree with Arden Key, a talented pass-rusher who has been a consistent force over the last two seasons, tallying 90 quarterback pressures (10 in playoffs) and 11 sacks over that span.

Meanwhile, Teair Tart is an underrated nose tackle who has developed into a starter and significantly improved his overall grade each year, going from 48.7 in his rookie season to 59.2 one year later before finishing the 2022 campaign with a respectable 73.1, per Pro Football Focus.

The combined success and potential of those five is why Zoltán Buday of PFF had the Titans cracking the top 10 in his recent defensive line rankings

Buday stated the following when explaining his reasons for having the Titans ranked No. 10:

Due to the perception of the Titans’ offense, the defense might also be flying under the radar — even though their defensive front has the potential to be very good in 2023. Interior defenders Denico Autry, Teair Tart, and Jeffery Simmons all graded among the top 25 players at their positions. The Titans also signed edge defender Arden Key, who had a breakout season with the Jaguars this past season. They are also getting back Harold Landry III, who had to miss the entire 2022 season due to an injury.

Even though the PFF analyst gave the Titans a respectable ranking, I would argue that it’s still too low.

The last time we saw the Titans’ front four completely filled out with their primary guys, the group was wreaking havoc on one of the best offenses in a playoff game Tennessee certainly deserved to win.

Since then, we may not have seen Landry suit up, but Simmons and Autry continued their stellar play.

At one point, they were on the verge of becoming one of the most dominant tandems in the entire league prior to suffering their midseason injuries. The two of them combined for 66 pressures  and 12.5 sacks over their first 8 games of the season.

Now you get those two back healthy, throw in Landry and Key rushing off the edge and suddenly that group has the potential to be as good, if not even better than the dominant front the Titans had back in 2021.

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5 most underrated Titans heading into 2023

Shaun Calderon lists five Titans he believes are the most underrated going into the 2023 season.

The Tennessee Titans have largely been overlooked this offseason for a variety of reasons.

Some of the criticisms and/or skepticism is warranted, while the rest can be exaggerated to varying degrees depending on the topic of conversation.

When it comes to discussing the Titans’ roster, the team is polarizing at best. Some think this team is destined for a losing season, while others argue that Tennessee got rid of a lot of expensive dead weight on a team that was 7-3 before injuries ravaged its season.

Everyone knows about the big names on the team such as Derrick Henry, Jeffery Simmons, Kevin Byard, etc., but the Titans also have a handful of players who get overlooked for a variety of reasons.

This article is going to name five underrated players who will be heavily relied upon in 2023. Let’s not waste any more time and find out which players made the list.

Titans’ Teair Tart finally signs restricted free agent tender

Titans DL Teair Tart has signed his restricted free agent tender, locking him in for another year.

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Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart is finally locked in for another season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Tart’s agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha), Tart has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, which will pay him $4.3 million in 2023.

If it feels late for this to be happening, you’re right. Tart was the last restricted free agent to sign their tender this offseason. It isn’t clear exactly why it took so long, but chances are Tart was holding out for a long-term deal.

Tart had been taking part in the voluntary portion of the offseason program despite not signing his tender, but did so after signing a waiver, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

Nevertheless, Tart is now confirmed to be staying in Nashville for at least one more year.

A 2020 undrafted free agent signing of the Titans out of Florida International, Tart has been a pleasant surprise to say the least after developing into a quality starter over the last three seasons.

Now officially on a one-year deal, Tart can put himself in position to cash in next offseason when he hits unrestricted free agency. Of course, that will depend upon his performance on the field in what will be his fourth season.