Coaches Get 'Creative' to Keep Beasley From Falling Too Far Behind
The NFL’s offseason and training camp has been an uncharted adventure for everyone.
In the Tennessee Titans’ case, Vic Beasley has had more of an adventure than most.
The Titans’ highest-profile free-agent addition, Beasley was mysteriously absent for 10 days at the start of training camp. After finally reporting, he was placed on the non-football injury list.
Beasley must pass a physical to begin practicing with his new teammates, and he has not done that.
Nearly a month into camp, the regular season starts 21 days from now in Denver. With one look at the schedule, nobody can sugar coat the fact that Beasley has a lot of catching up to do.
During a video press conference Monday, inside linebackers coach Shane Bowen said it’d be unfair for the Titans to expect Beasley to jump right back into things.
“I think as he gets back it's just going to be really how much he can handle,” Bowen said. “... We’ve got to kind of pick and choose where we're going to need him and where we need to emphasize his progress in terms of learning early on, and then see where it goes. But I don't think it'd be fair to him to say, 'Hey, here's everything we do. You’ve got to know it all and go execute it.'
"We're going to have to kind of protect him and massage him into it a little bit.”
The Titans signed Beasley to a one-year deal in May with the idea that he would bolster their pass rush. While Beasley is certainly behind the eight ball right now, it’s outlandish to say that he won’t be able to produce because of it. The Titans still have an idea of what he can bring to the table.
The eighth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2015 NFL Draft, Beasley has racked up 37 ½ sacks, 156 tackles and 36 tackles for a loss in five NFL seasons, all with the Falcons. While his numbers have dipped since, Beasley had a prolific season in 2016. En route to his first and only career Pro Bowl appearance, Beasley led the league with 15 ½ sacks and six forced fumbles that season. Beasley has returned two fumbles for touchdowns in his career (2016, 2018).
As Beasley continues to get himself back into football shape, he has been able to join the Titans’ team and defensive meetings in person. In an effort to speed up Beasley’s understanding of a new scheme, Bowen said the Titans have gotten creative while making sure he gets his body to where it needs to be.
“We've had extra time with him just during special teams meetings, we steal that time too,” Bowen said. “So, there's been a lot of opportunities to go through that, look things up in some form or fashion, create a version of a walkthrough in our meeting room with him, so to speak.
"We're trying to be creative to where he can actually see it and line up, rather than just looking at a piece of paper. He's learning and I feel like he's getting more comfortable of what we’re asking of those guys.”
The Titans certainly hope to see Beasley in pads sooner rather than later. When he does, they will see what kind of shape he is in -- and how well he’s learned a new defense -- in an offseason full of episodes.
