Tag: Teair Tart

Titans DL coach: Teair Tart needs to be more consistent

The Titans are looking for DL Teair Tart to be more consistent in 2022.

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart entered the 2021 campaign as the starter at nose tackle, but he’s going to have stiff competition for that role in 2022.

That’s because 2021 undrafted free agent signing and fellow defensive lineman Naquan Jones emerged as a factor for Tennessee in his rookie season, which led to a timeshare at the position.

Jones began seeing regular snaps from Week 4 on, and he got a handful of starts thanks to Tart missing time with an injury.

If Tart wants to see as many snaps as possible in 2022, he’s needs to be more consistent, as defensive line coach Terrell Williams said on Monday before practice.

“That’s [Tart’s] biggest issue, is just being consistent,” Williams said. “If he can be consistent and play the way that we want him to play, then he’ll play for us. If he doesn’t, then he’s in the same situation anybody would be in. If they don’t play to our standards, they won’t play.”

As far as specifics are concerned, Williams pointed to Tart’s pad level, hands, and running to the football.

“The pad level, hands, running to the ball,” Williams said. “We consider that a fundamental here. Running to the football is part of our DNA. You’ve got to be able to do all of those and string good plays together. It’s not about tackles for that position, it’s about being disruptive and sometimes being disruptive means that two guys are blocking you. So, that’s where he is right now.”

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Madden NFL 23 reveals ratings for Titans’ CBs, D-linemen

A look at how Madden NFL 23 is rating Titans cornerbacks and defensive linemen.

In its latest release of player ratings, Madden NFL 23 has revealed the marks Tennessee Titans cornerbacks and defensive linemen received in the game, which releases on August 19.

Here’s a look at the remaining ratings release schedule after Thursday:

Friday, July 22: Quarterbacks

Friday, July 22: The 99 Club

Friday, July 22: Team ratings

Titans defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons received an overall rating of 88, ranking tied for eighth at the position. Simmons was one of multiple Titans players who were short-changed in the ratings.

Tennessee’s top cornerback and one of the better young players at his position in the entire NFL, Kristian Fulton, landed outside the top 10 in overall rating among corners. Fulton’s overall rating was a disrespectful 77 after a career year, and that’s just two points higher than Caleb Farley’s.

Elijah Molden’s rating wasn’t any better, coming in at a lackluster 71. If you saw what he did from Week 3 on last season, you’d know why it needs to be higher. He’s also one point behind Titans rookie Roger McCreary.

Now, a look at the players who landed in the top 10 in different ratings at each position, and how the Titans’ cornerbacks and defensive linemen fared.

Note: any Titans defensive linemen not listed here were included in the ratings release for edge rushers. You can check out ratings for all players around the league on Madden’s official site.

Titans training camp preview: D-Line among Tennessee’s biggest strengths

The defensive line will be among the Titans’ biggest strengths in 2022.

The Tennessee Titans’ defense improved greatly in 2021 from where it was in 2020, and the defensive line played a big part in that resurgence.

Both Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry had career years and combined for 17.5 of Tennessee’s 43 sacks, a total that ranked tied for ninth in the league. The pass-rush was just one part of the story upfront, though, as the Titans sported the No. 2 run defense in the NFL, also.

Tennessee once again managed to find a diamond in the rough in undrafted free agent signing Naquan Jones, who is the second good defensive lineman general manager Jon Robinson has found following a draft since 2020, with starting nose tackle Teair Tart being the other.

With all four of those players returning in 2022, there isn’t much room for the rest of the defensive linemen on the team to secure a spot on the 53-man roster.

Let’s take a look at the players who are roster locks, on the bubble, and then we’ll talk about the competitions set to take place and share our prediction for how things will shake out on the 53-man roster.

Grading Harold Landry’s contract extension, other recent Titans moves

Grades for the Titans’ re-signing of Harold Landry and other recent moves.

The Tennessee Titans were busy this past week, as the team began making decisions on some of its pending free agents and players who were already under contract for 2022.

The biggest move of the week came in the form of the re-signing of outside linebacker Harold Landry, who netted a five-year, $87.5 million deal from Tennessee.

The Titans re-signed all three of their exclusive rights free agents in wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, defensive lineman Teair Tart, and quarterback Logan Woodside, all of which were expected.

Pending unrestricted free agent and long snapper, Morgan Cox, was brought back as well.

As Tennessee retained some of their own, they also let go of others, like left guard Rodger Saffold, running back Darrynton Evans, swing tackle Kendall Lamm, and outside linebacker Derick Roberson.

Now, let’s take a look at each of the aforementioned moves made by the Titans and assign a grade for each of them.

Note: All contract figures are courtesy of Over the Cap.

Report: Titans re-sign DL Teair Tart to one-year deal

The Titans have inked Teair Tart to a one-year deal.

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly keeping one of their key defensive lineman, Teair Tart, who was set to be an exclusive rights free agent.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Titans are signing Tart to a one-year deal that will keep him in the two-tone blue through the 2022 campaign. The amount of Tart’s contract has yet to be revealed.

After being signed as a UDFA in 2020, Tart has worked his way up the depth chart and became a starter in 2021, appearing in 11 games (10 starts).

Tart tallied 16 combined tackles (two for loss), one QB hit and one pass defended in 2022. He did miss six games due to injury, and had some competition for snaps from fellow defensive lineman, Naquan Jones.

Going into 2022, it’ll be interesting to see how much playing time Jones can pry away from Tart, but both figure to form a stellar rotation at the position for the Titans.

Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans final Week 18 injury report

The Titans have ruled out two players for Week 18, and Derrick Henry’s status remains up in the air.

The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have released their final injury report of the week ahead of their Week 18 matchup at NRG Stadium.

On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that defensive linemen Teair Tart and Naquan Jones had been ruled out, leaving a void at nose tackle for Tennessee to cover. Look for Kyle Peko to take most of those snaps.

The good news is that nobody else who was listed on the injury report this week has been ruled out, or even been listed as questionable for Sunday.

The biggest question remains: will Derrick Henry play?

Vrabel did leave the door open for that to happen, but we won’t know for sure until Saturday, the last day the Titans can activate him from IR before the Week 18 contest.

Now, a look at the full injury report for both the Titans and Texans.

* DNP = Did not participate LP = Limited participation FP = Full participation NIR = Not injury related

Titans vs. Jaguars final Week 14 injury report: 5 ruled out for Tennessee

New Titans linebacker Zach Cunningham is one of five players ruled out for Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have released their final injury report ahead of the Week 14 matchup at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

The Titans have ruled out five players for the contest, including three defensive starters in cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins, linebacker David Long and defensive lineman Teair Tart. Long has now missed four games in a row, and this is the second straight absence for Tart.

The good news is that defensive lineman Denico Autry, who was downgraded from limited on Wednesday to a did not practice on Thursday, was able to get in a full session on Friday and carries no designation for this game.

The team’s newest addition, linebacker Zach Cunningham, will not suit up against the Jags, as head coach Mike Vrabel stated before storming out of his presser after getting repeated questions about the 27-year-old after making it clear he wasn’t going to talk about him.

As far as wide receiver Julio Jones is concerned, he practiced all week and looks set to return in Week 14, but he still has to be activated off Injured Reserve, which has to happen by Saturday in order for him to play.

Now, a look at the full injury report for both the Titans and Jaguars ahead of Sunday’s matchup at Nissan Stadium.

* DNP = Did not participate LP = Limited participation FP = Full participation NIR = Not injury related

Titans’ Mike Vrabel names Kristian Fulton, Teair Tart as starters

Not that it comes as any surprise, but Fulton and Tart have been named starters.

Not that it comes as any surprise, but Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive lineman Teair Tart will be starters for the team in 2021, head coach Mike Vrabel has revealed.

Fulton will be tasked with lining up opposite fellow starting cornerback, Janoris Jenkins, while Tart will man the nose tackle spot upfront between Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry.

Both players have been impressive during training camp and the preseason, with Tart especially standing with his stellar play, which comes after being named one of the team’s offseason award winners.

Tart’s ascension from 2020 undrafted free agent to starter has been fun to watch, and it seems general manager Jon Robinson has found a diamond in the rough with the Florida International product.

Fulton is looking to prove himself in 2021 after an injury-shortened rookie campaign led to him playing in just six games (two starts). The jury is still very much out on the former second-round pick.

Fulton and Jenkins should be looking over their shoulder, though, as rookie cornerback and 2021 first-round pick, Caleb Farley, could make a push for a starting role if he can continue to develop while coming off the bench.

While those starting spots are figured out, the Titans still have another key position to make a decision on. On Monday, Vrabel declined to name the starter at right tackle with less than one week before the start of the season.

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Mike Vrabel reveals Titans’ four offseason award winners

Four Titans stood out above the rest during the offseason, according to Mike Vrabel.

Every year Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel hands out offseason awards for players who have done great work, and this year he named four players who earned the honor.

After the Titans’ first training camp practice on Wednesday, Vrabel revealed that tight end Anthony Firkser, wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and defensive linemen Larrell Murchison and Teair Tart were all standouts this offseason.

Vrabel praised Tart in particular as someone who put in extra work. With the help of Titans coaches, Tart created a routine for himself that led to his garnering extra attention from Tennessee’s head coach ahead of camp.

Tart was listed as a standout at Day 1 of practice by Turron Davenport of ESPN, who noted that the 2020 undrafted free agent was disruptive and showed “swift feet” in his reps.

Earlier this offseason, defensive line coach Terrell Williams said he was “really excited” about Tart, according to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky.

“With Tart, he wouldn’t be here if we didn’t see the talent in the guy,” Williams said. “Really the biggest thing for me is seeing him continue to develop from the strength standpoint, from a learning standpoint.

“He’s another guy that I am really excited about to see what he does in training camp. He’s had really a good off-season program. When he did get in there a year ago I thought he did some really good things. So, I am really excited about him.”

While Westbrook-Ikhine is simply vying for a spot on the roster, Murchison, Tart and Firkser are all gunning for starting spots at their respective positions. So far, each appears to be off to a great start.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel: Fulton, Tart, Firkser have made ‘significant progress’

Vrabel says all three have improved, especially physically, from last year.

Three players the Tennessee Titans could be depending heavily on this season are cornerback Kristian Fulton, defensive lineman Teair Tart and tight end Anthony Firkser, all of whom will compete for a starting spot at their respective positions.

And it appears all three are off to a good start in the eyes of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel as the team prepares to embark on its first practice of training camp on Wednesday morning.

During his first press conference of training camp on Tuesday (you can check out the highlights right here), Vrabel noted how each have made “significant progress” from last year, especially physically.

“I see them now, and they look different,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “They don’t look like the same guys we coached last year.”

While Vrabel wasn’t clear on what Tart and Fulton have done to improve physically, we do know that Firkser made it a point to add weight to his frame, gaining five to 10 pounds, which should help him as a blocker.

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Tart, who is vying for the starting nose tackle job, received praise from Titans defensive line coach Terrell Williams earlier this offseason.

“With Tart, he wouldn’t be here if we didn’t see the talent in the guy,” Williams said. “Really the biggest thing for me is seeing him continue to develop from the strength standpoint, from a learning standpoint.

“He’s another guy that I am really excited about to see what he does in training camp. He’s had really a good off-season program. When he did get in there a year ago I thought he did some really good things. So, I am really excited about him.”

Fulton enters the 2021 campaign with something to prove. After missing out on most of his rookie season due to injury, the jury is still out on the LSU product, but he stands a great chance at grabbing a starting role.

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