With Clowney's Addition, Titans Roll a Seven on Defense
NASHVILLE – Seven is the most common role in craps. Depending on the situation, it can be a winner or a loser.
With free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Tennessee Titans, who formally announced his addition Sunday, will roll into the 2020 NFL season with a defense that includes seven first-round draft picks, including No. 1 overall in 2014 (Clowney).
The seven are spread out over every level of the defense, and there is the possibility (the likelihood, even) that all seven will be on the field at the same time often this fall. Three have been added to the defense this year.
The Titans’ hope, of course, is that they will win big this year. They reached the AFC Championship in 2019 with a defense that ranked outside of the top 20 in yards allowed (21st), passing yards allowed (24th) and red zone defense (31st).
In 2016, general manager Jon Robinson’s first season, the only first-round picks on the defense were outside linebackers Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo.
A look at the first-round draft picks on Tennessee’s defense:
• Jadeveon Clowney, DE/OLB (1st overall, 2014): The three-time Pro Bowler often is referred to as a “disruptive” player. Over the past four years, he is one of four NFL players with at least 60 tackles for loss and one of three with at least 159 quarterback pressures and eight forced fumbles in addition to those tackles for loss. With the Titans, he will line up at a variety of positions to try to maximize that ability. How acquired – Free agent, 2020.
• Vic Beasley, OLB (8th overall, 2015): He is at his best when his team has a lead and he can rush the passer, as was the case in 2016 with Atlanta (a Super Bowl team that year), when he led the NFL with 16 1/2 sacks and was named a first-team All-Pro. He never has put up huge tackles numbers, but he set a career-high with 42 in 2019. Acquired – Free agent, 2020.
• Kenny Vaccaro, S (15th overall, 2013): For the past two seasons Vaccaro has teamed with Kevin Byard in a prototypical modern safety tandem, in which the two are interchangeable. In 2019, he topped 100 tackles for the first time in four years and reached double digits in interceptions (10) and sacks (10 1/2) for his career. How acquired – free agent, 2018.
• Adoreé Jackson, CB (18th overall, 2017): He has not, and likely never will develop into a shutdown corner, but he is a capable tackler who can get receivers and running backs to the ground. He also has the athleticism and intelligence that allows him to play on the outside and in the slot and the speed to run with receivers regardless of where he lines up. He will have a larger role this season following the free-agent departure of Logan Ryan. Acquired – Drafted.
• Jeffery Simmons, DL (19th overall, 2019): Although this is his second season, Simmons effectively is another addition to this unit. Unlike last year, he enters the season healthy and having been through an entire training camp without incident. The pairing of his athletic gifts with Clowney’s is one of the most exciting prospects for the defense. How acquired – Drafted.
• Rashaan Evans, ILB (22nd overall, 2018): A situational sub as a rookie, he was the Titans’ leading tackler in 2019 and figures to be a fixture in the middle of the defense for the next several years. The expectation is that coaches will move him around some in certain situations in 2020 and take advantage of his ability as a pass rusher. How acquired – Drafted.
• Johnathan Joseph, CB (24th overall, 2006): At 36 years old, Joseph is not an every-down player. Last season with Houston, he was on the field for fewer than 60 percent of the defensive snaps, and depending on what rookie Kristian Fulton contributes, that number might be even lower in his first year with the Titans. At the very least, he is a strong presence in the locker room who provides security in the event of injuries. How acquired – Free agent, 2020.
