The Tennessee Titans’ 2022 defense was dealt a devastating blow on Thursday after news broke that outside linebacker Harold Landry had suffered a torn ACL in practice on Wednesday.
Landry was fresh off a career year with 12 sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance, and he was rightly awarded with a contract extension earlier this offseason.
Now, the Titans have enormous shoes to fill after losing one of their best defenders. Not only is Landry a stud pass-rusher who plays a ton of snaps, but he also plays well against the run and is often asked to drop back into coverage.
Replacing Landry likely won’t be a one-man job. Whether or not the Titans look outside the team to get help remains to be seen, but Tennessee does have in-house options it can deploy to try and cover the production lost.
Bottom line: the Titans need guys to step up. Here’s a look at six Titans players who fit the bill.
Bud Dupree
With Landry out for the season, Dupree becomes the alpha dog in the team’s outside linebackers room.
It was a rough first season in Nashville for Dupree, who not only struggled in his return from a torn ACL but also ran into legal issues via misdemeanor assault charges that he ultimately plead guilty to, receiving a suspended sentence.
As poorly as things went for Dupree in 2021, there are reasons for optimism. A lot of times when guys come back from such a serious injury they aren’t the same in the first year back, which might have been the case with Dupree.
Adding to that, the veteran appeared to get stronger as the year progressed, as evidenced by his notching three of his four sacks in the last five games (including playoffs).
“I’d say it was in the playoff game [against the Bengals], that’s when things started to really unfold, started feeling a little better,” Dupree admitted, per John Glennon of Sports Illustrated. “Then going into this offseason, [I’ve] had a lot of opportunities to go and keep rehabbing and continue on that [road to recovery].”
Tennessee didn’t get much from Dupree in 2021, yet they still had a top-10 pass-rush. That will not happen in 2022 if Dupree doesn’t improve.
Rashad Weaver
The Titans were likely hoping to ease Weaver back in after an injury-shortened rookie season, but you can kiss that goodbye. Tennessee now needs its second-year pro to step into a bigger role immediately.
Of course, the Titans have other options to help fill the void of losing Landry, but Weaver is the guy Tennessee is hoping will be the future at the position after taking him in the fourth round last year.
He flashed in preseason in 2021 and was among the team’s biggest standouts this year. Weaver was an absolute menace in each and every preseason contest.
Now the question becomes, can he do it against tougher competition in the regular season? The jury is still very much out on that.
Ola Adeniyi
Primarily known for his special teams play, Adeniyi flashed as a pass-rusher in 2021, notching 2.5 sacks in the first three games. However, Adeniyi went quiet after that and didn’t tally another sack the rest of the season.
He might get the first crack at filling in for Landry because of his experience, but Adeniyi has to be more consistent if he wants to keep seeing the field. He also has to fend off Weaver, who we believe will ultimately be the guy to secure Landry’s role.
Denico Autry
Autry is known as a defensive lineman, but the Titans used him off the edge in 2021, giving the team another option to fill the void left by Landry’s injury.
While playing inside and out, Autry tied his career-high with nine sacks and was easily Tennessee’s best offseason acquisition, proving to be a steal with an annual average salary of $7.6 million.
Autry has been dealing with a hand injury throughout training camp, but the good news is he was back at practice on Wednesday and looks on track to be ready for Week 1.
DeMarcus Walker
Signed by the Titans in May, Walker impressed in training camp and secured himself a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. The move to add him looks as good as ever, as the veteran is another player who offers in and out versatility.
Walker posted just two sacks in 13 games (two starts) in 2021, but had 8.5 in 23 games (five starts) the two years prior. He’ll likely be one of the last options Tennessee uses, but he’s a good option to have nonetheless.
David Anenih
The Titans will have a spot open on their roster after they inevitably place Landry on injured reserve, and that spot should go to 2022 UDFA, Anenih, who should have earned a roster spot in the first place.
Anenih was routinely one of the biggest standouts for Tennessee, both in practice and the preseason. He nabbed three sacks in the first two preseason games, and then followed that up by batting down a pair of passes in the finale versus the Cardinals.
Anenih may have a hard time getting looks, as the five guys listed before him here will likely see the field at any given time before he does, but the Titans would be wise to at least give him a look after the promise he has shown.
