Another week, another game in which the Tennessee Titans had many key players to replace due to injury.
On top of the lengthy injured reserve list the Titans have, the team ruled out seven players for the Week 5 game against the Washington Commanders, with four starters among them.
To get an idea of just how insane things are in Nashville when it comes to injuries, the Titans have already fielded 64 different players this season, 27 players shy of the NFL record the team set in 2021. As we pointed out last week, Tennessee is on pace to at least approach that mark in 2022.
In that mess of 64, the Titans have also started 20 different players on defense through five games, a list they added to on Sunday with safety Amani Hooker sidelined for a second straight game.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Titans did see linebacker Monty Rice return from the active/physically unable to perform list and make his 2022 debut, officially making him one of the 64.
So, how did the Titans replace their injured players and how many snaps did Rice see in his return? Find out now as we take a look at the Week 5 snap counts, as well as the biggest takeaways from them.
QB, RB, WR, TE
-Despite Treylon Burks being out, Kyle Philips only saw 17 snaps, and that was two less than Cody Hollister. Dez Fitzpatrick, who was elevated from the practice squad, saw just five snaps. Philips tallied one catch for seven yards while the other two failed to see a target.
-Geoff Swaim led the way in snaps at tight end once again, with Austin Hooper logging eight less. One week after making an enormous impact, Chigoziem Okonkwo’s snap total remained steady and didn’t see a bump.
Offensive line
-With Nate Davis ruled out, Dillon Radunz got the start at right guard. He allowed two pressures but no sacks and had PFF grades of 50.5 in pass protection and 45.9 in run-blocking.
-This is the third game in a row in which Tennessee’s starters upfront played every snap, something that was an issue in 2021. The problem is some of these starters aren’t very good, to put it nicely.
Defensive line
-Mario Edwards has jumped into a significant role immediately after playing 30-plus snaps in each of his first two games with the Titans. Another recent addition, 2022 UDFA signing, Sam Okuayinonu, saw 19 snaps in his NFL debut. Both players helped fill the void left by Bud Dupree’s absence, with Edwards finishing with a pair of pressures and one QB hit, while Okuayinonu had a half a sack.
-With Edwards and Okuayinonu seeing significant work, DeMarcus Walker is going in the opposite direction, as the veteran has played just 20 snaps the last two games after playing 64 the two weeks prior.
-Naquan Jones has seen his snaps decrease in every game since a season-high 22 in Week 2. Once tabbed for a big role going into the season, Jones is now becoming an afterthought on defense.
Linebackers and secondary
-Terrance Mitchell saw 50 snaps, 41 more than Caleb Farley. Despite playing just nine snaps, Farley still managed to find a way to negatively impact the game, allowing a 75-yard touchdown reception. Farley will be lucky to get one defensive snap per game once Elijah Molden returns.
-Joshua Kalu, Kevin Byard, Roger McCreary and David Long were the only Titans defenders to play every snap. Kalu was starting in place of an injured Amani Hooker. Andrew Adams, who drew the start last week and played 46 snaps, chipped-in 21 this week.
-Dylan Cole was the biggest beneficiary of Zach Cunningham’s absence with 34 snaps. Joe Schobert saw the field for just eight plays on defense.
-In his first game since suffering an Achilles injury in Week 12 of the 2021 campaign, Monty Rice didn’t see a single defensive snap. He did, however, play 24 special teams snaps. The Titans were likely just easing him in and we’d expect more work for the second-year pro in the coming weeks.
