Vaccaro Believes Ryan's Patience Will Pay Off
NASHVILLE – Kenny Vaccaro has been right where Logan Ryan is now.
That is to say he has been nowhere. Without a team.
Two years ago, Vaccaro endured an entire offseason as a free agent before he finally ended up on a roster. Things ultimately worked out well for him and he is confident the same will be true of his now-former Tennessee Titans teammate, who remains one of the biggest names still available in free agency this year.
“His situation is different,” Vaccaro said of Ryan. “I had a lot of questions. I didn’t understand. For him, I would proud of the film I put out there and the teammate that I was. I wouldn’t be stressed.
“… I know Logan understands this process. I know he knows he had a great year, a really good year. He knows he’s a great teammate, a great leader.”
When Vaccaro hit the open market in 2018, it was off one of the worst seasons of his career. Two injuries limited him to 12 games played for the New Orleans Saints and caused him to end the year on injured reserve. He did set a career-high with three interceptions but made his fewest tackles ever and failed to force a fumble for the first time in three years.
Ryan had his best season to date in 2019, which turned out to be the last of three with the Titans. He set career-highs with 120 tackles, four and half sacks and four forced fumbles. He also intercepted four passes and earned All-Pro consideration.
His next stop is not nearly as much of a concern for the Titans secondary as how to minimize the impact of his departure.
“I was sad,” cornerback Adoreé Jackson said. “When I came in, that was one of the guys that I leaned on a lot to help me out. I told him that I appreciate it more than he probably knows for helping me, for being there for me and just being that big brother image that you need when you’re out there playing.
“… I’m excited to see what he does. He’s a tremendous player, a tremendous person. So, I know success is still going to be coming his way regardless of the situation.”
Vaccaro eventually figured out that waiting is not the worst thing.
The Titans signed him to a one-year deal in the first week of training camp after veteran safety Johnathan Cyprien sustained a season-ending knee injury. He played well enough in 2018 that last year Tennessee signed him to a four-year, $24 million extension in the opening days on the new league year. Now he is a fixture in the secondary.
He is confident that Ryan’s patience will pay off as well.
“He did a great job, was a great leader, great teammate, great in the community,” Vaccaro said. “He checked off all the boxes. So, there’s nothing to worry about.
“… It’s obviously a huge loss losing a player like Logan Ryan, a guy who’s that smart, how much he did on the field – just as much off the field. It hurts to lose him for me because he’s a friend. He’s a good friend of mine. But at the same time, business is business. This is how the league works.”
No one knows that better than he does. Now.
