Vrabel says Andre Dillard’s limited snaps the last couple years led to his extended playing time. We wanted to see certain things. Saw it “at times.” #Titans
Buy Titans Tickets— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) August 26, 2023
UPDATE: Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel offered some clarity on the decision to keep left tackle Andre Dillard out there for extended playing time on Friday night. On Saturday, Vrabel said the reason behind it had to do with Dillard’s limited snaps the last few years and the team’s desire to see more from him in the preseason finale.
Original text
One of the most surprising things to come out of the preseason Week 3 win over the New England Patriots was the fact that Tennessee Titans left tackle Andre Dillard played into the second half, the only starter to do so.
Dillard was actually tied for the most snaps played by offensive linemen with 40 and wasn’t pulled until the third quarter, when he was replaced by fellow tackle, Zack Johnson.
When asked about it after the game, head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t go into specifics as to why Dillard was out there so long, only saying that it was a “coach’s decision,” per Easton Freeze of Broadway Sports.
“That was a head coach’s decision,” Vrabel said.
A response like that likely means the Titans didn’t like what they were seeing from him, which led to Vrabel keeping him out there to give him more reps.
I did notice Dillard missed his assignment on at least one run play early, and he wasn’t great in that area overall, but the same can be said for the entire starting line. Thankfully, pass protection was very good.
Titans announcer Charles Davis did a great job asking general manager Ran Carthon on the fly about Dillard while Carthon was in the booth during the game. Carthon basically chalked it up to Dillard wanting to get more reps.
Great job by Charles Davis asking Ran on the fly about Dillard still being out there. Ran says it's because Dillard wants to keep working and playing.
— The Titans Wire (@TheTitansWire) August 26, 2023
Obviously, Vrabel’s answer flies in the face of Carthon’s, but it’s not like the Titans GM was going to throw Dillard under the bus in that situation, even if he knew the extended play time was a result of a poor performance.
Dillard’s extended appearance, combined with Vrabel’s answer, is definitely not what you wanted to see from your starting left tackle this late in the preseason. Hopefully it’s much ado about nothing.
