Tennessee Titans Secondary Will Be Much Better
The Tennessee Titans had so many issues defensively last season that it is hard to pinpoint just one single area that needed upgrading. The entire defense needed upgrading. It was without a doubt the worst defense the Titans have put on the field since moving to Tennessee.
The secondary was an area of huge concern going into the offseason. Injuries to starters and just a general lack of NFL talent overall plagued this unit in 2014. Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson may have had one of the worst seasons a defensive back has had with the Titans. He was thrown to the wolves in just his second year in the NFL and was clearly overmatched. Wreh-Wilson did play much better toward the end of the season in his defense. Much better. Wreh-Wilson is athletic enough, he just needs experience.
The Titans front office took notice. They made two moves in free agency that have gone a little under the radar. Probably because it is Tennessee. If this was in New York people would have taken notice.
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San Francisco 49er cornerback Perrish Cox was signed as a free agent. Cox, a 5th year pro out of Oklahoma State had his best season with the 49ers last year. Cox had 5 interceptions on the season with 18 pass break ups. He also contributed with a respectable 58 tackles. Cox is coming into his prime. Experience is as important as athletic ability, and Cox now has both. He will be a significant piece of the puzzle to toughen this defense.
The Titans also acquired safety Da’Norris Searcy from the Buffalo Bills. Searcy, like Cox, is going into his 5th year as a pro. He was a fourth round pick of the Bills out of North Carolina. Searcy also tallied 58 tackles in 2014 for Buffalo. He had 3 interceptions on the season as well. Searcy is regarded as one of the best cover safeties in the NFL. The Bears and the Colts both coveted Searcy, but the Titans won out.
So neither are Pro Bowl players at this point, but serious upgrades for Titan fans. The most important aspect to me of bringing in Searcy is that it will free up Safety Michael Griffin to do what he does best. Griffin is a sideline to sideline disruptive force for Tennessee. However, last season Griffin was overwhelmed with too much responsibility. He had no help. This season he will have help, and he plays “centerfield” as good as anyone in the AFC.
So the Safeties are set. Griffin and Cox. Both will have to stay healthy. The Titans have no depth here at all. The Titans did not draft one defensive back in the 2015 draft. The cornerback position has depth, and will probably run by committee. I expect Cox to start even though depth chart at the moment has Wreh-Wilson in front of him. Jason McCourty led the team with interceptions in 2014 (3) and will compete with Wreh-Wilson for the other corner. Coty Sensabaugh will get some playing times as well in the nickel.
The unit overall should be much better with the addition of Cox and Searcy. But depth is a concern, so the Titans defensive backs will have to stay healthy.
One last element should help this unit. The addition of Dick Lebeau will be huge this season. The Titans were pathetic at putting pressure on the quarterback last season. This fact put the defensive backs in bad positions all season long. You can’t cover without pressure. The quarterback will find someone open if given too much time in the pocket. Lebeau will stop this trend quickly, and look for the Tennessee secondary to welcome the change.