Tag: Teair Tart

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.

Tennessee Titans OTAs: Notes, videos and player pressers from Day 2

A round up of news, notes, videos and player pressers from Day 2 of Tennessee Titans OTAs.

The Tennessee Titans took part in Day 2 of organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday, and the session was open to the media, giving us a close look into what the team was doing.

Among those of note who were present for the session included defensive lineman Teair Tart, who had a tender placed on him earlier this offseason.

Tart has not signed that tender but he did sign some kind of protection agreement before taking part, according to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky.

On the flip side, cornerback Kristian Fulton is a notable absence. Head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed after practice that Fulton hasn’t arrived yet.

We don’t know why Fulton is absent, and this part of the offseason program is voluntary, but on the surface this isn’t a great look for the oft-injured Fulton, who is very much in a make-or-break, contract year.

Thanks to beat writers on the ground, we got some great videos from the session and notes on what went down during it, as well as highlights from player pressers afterwards. In addition, we’ve linked to the three pressers featuring Tennessee’s coaches.

Check out everything we rounded up from Tuesday below.

Titans’ Teair Tart is last man standing among NFL’s 2023 RFAs

Titans DL Teair Tart is the only 2023 restricted free agent in the NFL who has yet to sign their tender.

As the offseason continues to drag on, Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart is the last man standing among the league’s group of 2023 restricted free agents.

According to Over the Cap, Tart, who received a $4.3 million tender from the Titans, is the only player under the restricted free agent umbrella who hasn’t signed. There are a total of five exclusive-rights free agents who haven’t signed, also, but none are from the Titans.

Being a restricted free agent, Tart is able to receive offers from other teams, but the Titans have the ability to match if they see fit. It isn’t clear if Tart has received any offers, though.

The deadline for teams to match any offer sheets a restricted free agent signs is Wednesday, April 26, which means we may get answers on Tart’s situation very soon.

Tart has become a valuable member and starter for the Titans’ defense since coming aboard as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The $4.3 million tender amounts to a significant raise from the $895,000 he made in 2022.

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Titans RFA Teair Tart posts cryptic tweet in midst of free agency

Titans DL Teair Tart posted a cryptic tweet on Monday night as he continues to navigate his restricted free agency.

The Tennessee Titans are attempting to hold on to defensive lineman Teair Tart, who is a restricted free agent this offseason, but the 26-year-old hasn’t been nailed down quite yet.

The Titans placed a second-round tender on the RFA, which allows him to talk to other teams but gives Tennessee the chance to match any offer he receives and agrees to.

If Tart doesn’t sign an offer sheet and plays on the tender, it’ll cost the Titans $4.3 million. If the 2020 UDFA signs an offer sheet elsewhere and the team doesn’t match, they’ll receive a second-round pick.

As we continue to wait to see how things play out ahead of the deadline for restricted free-agent signings (April 21), Tart posted this cryptic tweet on Monday night.

For the record, I believe in him.

We can’t always assume that cryptic tweets like this have to do with football, but if you take this one in that context, it would appear that Tart might not be getting the love he thought he might in free agency.

Since coming to Nashville, Tart has developed into a good starter and has been a key component in the team’s elite run defense the past two seasons. He’s flown under the radar a bit with studs like Denico Autry and Jeffery Simmons alongside him.

It wouldn’t be shocking if a team tried to poach him away considering he’s a good player, although having to give up a second-round pick to do so is definitely a deterrent.

The $4.3 million Tart will make if he plays on the tender would amount to a pretty sizeable raise after he made $895,000 in 2022, per Over the Cap.

Still, I’m sure Tart would prefer a long-term deal instead to give him some security, an option the Titans have and may have even explored (speculation) with no success. I will never fault a player for wanting a bigger bag, either.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s in the cards for him this year because of his status as a tendered unrestricted free agent, but one more quality campaign like the one he had in 2022 and Tart will set himself up for a bigger, long-term payday when he becomes unrestricted in 2023.

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Titans officially place tenders on Teair Tart, Aaron Brewer, Naquan Jones

The Titans have officially placed tenders on three players.

The Tennessee Titans have officially made decisions on their restricted and exclusive-rights free agents ahead of the new league year on March 15 at 4 p.m. ET.

The team announced it has placed tenders on Aaron Brewer and Teair Tart at a second-round level, while also placing a tender on defensive lineman Naquan Jones, who is an exclusive rights free agent.

The second-round tenders for Brewer and Tart will pay them $4.3 million in 2023 if they play on them.

However, another team can still make them and Jones offers, and if they sign an offer sheet the Titans will have a chance to match. If Tennessee doesn’t match offer sheets for Tart and/or Brewer, they’ll receive a second-round pick for whichever leaves, or both, if that happens.

The most interesting thing about these tenders is the price tag for Brewer, which I think indicates the plan is to start him at center if he isn’t poached.

While these three were tendered, wide receivers Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Cody Hollister were not. NWI was apparently made a contract offer by Tennessee but turned it down in order to test the market.

Titans placing 2nd-round tender on Teair Tart

The Tennessee Titans are placing a second-round tender on restricted free agent defensive tackle Teair Tart.

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly placing a second-round tender on restricted free agent defensive lineman Teair Tart.

The news comes from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The tender costs $4.3 million if Tart ends up playing on it.

The tender also enables Tennessee to match any offer sheet Tart signs with another team, if he does. If the Titans decline to match, they get a second-round pick.

Tart is one of a few restricted free agents Tennessee has, but the first they have placed a tender on, which comes as no surprise.

Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Tart has developed into a quality starter for Tennessee and has been a huge part of the team’s elite run defense the past two seasons.

There was never any doubt the Titans would bring him back, but now we’ll see if there’s another team out there looking to poach him away.

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