The Tennessee Titans are set to make a pair of much-needed additions to their linebackers room, with the news that the team is expected to sign former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and ex-Dallas Cowboys linebacker Luke Gifford.
The biggest difference between the two is starting experience, as Al-Shaair has 31 career starts under his belt in 54 total games, while Gifford has played predominantly on special teams while seeing very limited defensive snaps.
The addition of Al-Shaair in particular is an important one, as the Titans parted ways with both of their starting linebackers from 2022 in Zach Cunningham and David Long.
The Florida Atlantic product is expected to take one of those two spots, but what can we expect from the 25-year-old?
For more information on him, we turned to Niners Wire managing editor Kyle Madson, who gave us a glowing review of Al-Shaair that will leave Titans fans excited for what he could be in Tennessee.
What are Al-Shaair's strengths?
KM: Azeez Al-Shaair is a heat-seeking missile dressed up as an NFL linebacker. He’s a terrific athlete who spends a lot of time around the football. Al-Shaair gets downhill in a hurry and hits like a Mack truck. Good luck finding a rep where he’s not playing at full speed and hitting anything that moves. He’s awesome to watch.
What are Al-Shaair's weaknesses?
KM: With that athleticism and aggressiveness comes some over-pursuit and missed tackles. He can be fooled by play action and get out of position. He’ll also take bad angles and miss some tackles. He cleaned that up last season, but it’s still something to keep an eye on. Al-Shaair also struggled at times in coverage which is why he wasn’t typically on the field in passing situations. He’s not a disaster there by any means, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a strength of his.
What is your view on him as a full-time starter?
KM: 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. 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.
