Tennessee Titans pass star rusher, Harold Landry III, appears to be ready to get back on the football field after his name was noticeably not among those listed on the initial Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
The former Boston College standout is coming back from the torn ACL injury that he suffered right before the 2022 season started.
Barring any setback, this was always the expectation for Landry, especially after head coach Mike Vrabel noted he was expected to be ready for camp. His injury was first reported on Sept 1. of last year, meaning it’s about 11 months since the injury occurred, which is ample time to get healthy.
It will be interesting to see what type of schedule he’s on throughout training camp and if there will be any limitations to start, but one thing is for sure: Tennessee could certainly use him.
Prior to the knee injury, Landry was coming off a phenomenal Pro Bowl campaign where he set career-highs (including playoffs) in quarterback pressures (52) and sacks (13.5)
Hey @titans fans, how excited are you for five more years of @HaroldLandry sacks? pic.twitter.com/Em2nBdLWYi
— NFL (@NFL) March 10, 2022
Since then, Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry continued to dominate in their own right when healthy.
It’s such a shame that Jeffery Simmons & Denico Autry got hurt in the middle of the season.
Those two were legitimately dominating together before injuries slowed them down.The two of them combined for 66 pressures & 12.5 sacks over their first 8 games of the season.#Titans ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/0UAalMpDpz
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) March 30, 2023
Meanwhile, the Titans swapped Bud Dupree for Arden Key, a talented pass-rusher who has tallied 90 pressures, 25 quarterback hits and 11 sacks since the start of 2021, and did so in a rotational role. More importantly, Key’s played in every single game over the last two years.
It often gets forgotten that the last time a Mike Vrabel-led defense had its primary front-four together (2021), the group accounted for 52 sacks on the year, 39.5 of which came from the combination of Landry, Simmons, Autry, and Dupree.
If the Titans can get Landry back to his 2021 form — which isn’t a guarantee considering players sometimes aren’t themselves in the first year back from a torn ACL — and add him to what they already have, while also getting the most out of Key, Tennessee’s defensive front will undoubtedly be among the league’s best in 2023.
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