One thing has become quite clear with the Tennessee Titans’ moves in free agency this offseason: the team is looking for reasonably-priced players who also offer upside after not getting a full shot with their previous teams.
One of the players who fits in that “untapped potential” column is linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who showed plenty of promise during his days with the San Francisco 49ers but saw limited playing time thanks to being stuck behind two all-world players in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
Now that he’s in Nashville, Al-Shaair is in line to start after the departures of both Zach Cunningham and David Long this offseason.
With all that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport listed Al-Shaair as a player who could become a star in 2023. Here’s some of what he had to say:
Al-Shaair showed flashes when afforded the opportunity in the past. Back in 2021 when Greenlaw missed most of the season, the 25-year-old piled up 102 total tackles in 13 starts. He has shown to be a capable linebacker in coverage as well, posting a passer rating against less than 70 in 2020.
It may be a stretch to say that Al-Shaair is going to be a “star” in 2023. But in terms of playing time and productivity, he could see the biggest jump of any free agent at linebacker.
He could also turn out to be one of the biggest bargains in this year’s class after signing just a one-year, $5 million contract.
Expecting Al-Shaair to be a “star” is setting the bar a bit too high, but I can see the thought process there, especially after what Kyle Madson of Niners Wire told us after Tennessee signed him.
“Taking on a full-time starter job is the next step for him, and I love that he gets to continue this development under a former linebacker in Mike Vrabel,” Madson said. “Al-Shaair thrived under former NFL LB DeMeco Ryans when he was on the 49ers’ coaching staff. A hands-on coach like Vrabel should help him take a step up as a three-down LB. The 49ers’ LB corps. got a little bit worse with Al-Shaair’s exit. This is a really quality signing for Tennessee.”
At worst, Al-Shaair will be similar to Long, which is really all the Titans’ talented defense needs out of him. However, based on what we’ve seen about his days in San Fran, it’s clear he’s capable of more.
