Titans Secondary Could 'Fall a Little Behind'

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The Tennessee Titans are starting training camp on the wrong foot when it comes to the team's top cornerbacks.
The Titans made some moves this offseason to upgrade their cornerbacks, trading for L'Jarius Sneed from the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and signing Chidobe Awuzie from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sneed is dealing with knee issues while Awuzie is out for a few weeks with a calf injury. That's why Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon believes the Titans should be somewhat considered.
"First-year coach Brian Callahan said Awuzie is dealing with a calf injury and will probably be out for a couple of weeks. As a result, Tennessee is practicing without both L'Jarius Sneed and Awuzie. Tre Avery and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. are among the corners who should receive more reps—and that could be a good thing, sure—but the Titans are adjusting to a fresh defense with plenty of new faces. The secondary just might fall a little behind," Kenyon writes.
While the Titans' offseason should be defined by their moves on the offensive side of the ball, Sneed and Awuzie are the headliners for the team's defensive acquistions. Without them, the Titans are either the same or worse on the defensive side of the football. The team has Avery, Brownlee Jr. and Roger McCreary to fill the void, but that group doesn't raise the Titans ceiling like Sneed and Awuzie do.
The pair of cornerbacks also provide veteran leadership for a group that doesn't have too much of it, especially in the case of Awuzie, who followed Callahan from Cincinnati to Tennessee. His knowledge of the style Callahan operates with should help the Titans tremendously, and while he can still contribute while he is nursing his injury on the sidelines, it isn't quite the same as him being out there.
The Titans will hopefully get back up to speed in time before the start of the regular season, but if the pair don't return soon, things will begin to look and feel a little dicey for the secondary.

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.