The Tennessee Titans made a late splash signing this week by adding former Chicago Bears defender Trevis Gipson to an already formidable defense.
The veteran defender is coming off a dominant preseason, finishing with an elite overall grade of 92.4, totaling two sacks and a league-leading 14 pressures in the process, per Pro Football Focus.
Buy Titans TicketsGipson also shined during a 2021 campaign in which he ended the year with a respectable overall grade of 70.4 while recording an impressive 24 pressures, 13 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.
Since then, his sack production unfortunately fell off a cliff, largely due to the Bears switching to a 4-3 base defense under new head coach Matt Eberflus.
All 7 of Trevis Gipson's sacks in 2021. Dude's a MENACE 😈 #Titans #TickleTickle 🧤 pic.twitter.com/VaLdnWYZmg
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) August 31, 2023
On top of Gipson’s overall grade regressing to 48.9, he only tallied a measly three sacks on the year, four fewer than the previous season.
The poor scheme fit ultimately led to a mutual agreement by both he and the Bears that it was time for both parties to go their separate ways so that way the Tulsa product could join a defensive scheme that suits his skill set.
However, the reason for Gipson’s regression may not have been as concrete as him simply needing to be in a different scheme.
It could also be attributed to the fact that the Titans’ newest defender faced double teams more frequently than most edge defenders in the league in 2022.
According to Next Gen Stats, Gipson had the fifth-highest double-team rate a season ago.
Double team rate at Edge (x) by pass rush win rate at Edge (y) for the 2022 NFL season.
(ESPN / NFL Next Gen Stats) pic.twitter.com/PDSa4L5xTs
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 13, 2023
This is obviously something that opposing teams simply cannot do to him in Tennessee due to the other talented pieces he’s surrounded by, such as Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Harold Landry, Arden Key, and Teair Tart.
Simply lining up next to that type of talent should do wonders for the types of looks Gipson will consistently face in 2023. On top of that, the Titans’ based 3-4 defense is better suited to maximize Gipson’s talent.
This type of addition only further solidifies already talented Titans defensive front that should be among the best in the league if everything goes according to plan.
