The Tennessee Titans’ defensive line wasn’t as dominant as it has been in years past during the 2023 campaign, mostly because of a drop-off in run defense.
After sporting the best unit in the league the past two seasons, the Titans fell to No. 13, which certainly isn’t bad but not what we’ve been accustomed since 2021.
Denico Autry was the biggest bright spot upfront, with the veteran tallying a career-high 11.5 sacks in his aged 33 season, which more than made the case that Tennessee should be interested in bringing him back.
Jeffery Simmons was solid once again for the Titans, but health was an issue for the Mississippi State product, who saw his season end early due to a knee injury that sidelined him over the final five games.
Prior to that, Simmons had a shot to break his career-high sack total (8.5) after tallying 5.5 sacks in the 12 games he played. Big Jeff remains one of the elite players at his position in the NFL and only injury can stop him.
Fellow starter Teair Tart was an asset against the run, per usual, but he was clearly unhappy with his contract situation from the jump, which likely caused some internal strife and ultimately led to him being let go.
Going into the 2024 offseason, the Titans have some work to do upfront. We’ll talk about that and more in our latest offseason preview.
Note: Contract information is courtesy of Over the Cap.