The Tennessee Titans made another addition to their linebacker corps. on Monday with the signing of former Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker, Ben Niemann.
After spending four years in Kansas City, Niemann latched on with the Cardinals last season, starting a career-high nine of the 17 games he played in. He also saw the second-most defensive snaps of his career (481).
The 27-year-old joins a linebacker group that also includes Azeez Al-Shaair, Monty Rice, Chance Campbell, Luke Gifford and Jack Gibbens.
Al-Shaair and Rice are expected to be the starters, and Niemann, who has experience playing both defense and special teams, will compete against Gifford, Campbell and Gibbens for a depth spot.
In order to get more information on the Titans’ newest linebacker, we asked Jess Root of Cards Wire three questions about the defender he used to cover. Here’s what he had to say about the Iowa product:
What are Niemann's strengths?
JR: Niemann is a very smart player. He picked up Arizona’s defense quickly last season and carved out a role in the base defense. He is a solid special teams player, too. He is a sure tackler against the run.
What are Niemann's weaknesses?
JR: He is limited athletically and could get caught in coverage. He doesn’t have the athleticism to make up a missed move or catch up to a play.
What role is Niemann best suited for?
JR: He is good enough to have a specific role in some defensive packages but he is also a player teams will always look to replace. If he is primariy a special teams player and backup on defense, it is ideal because it means the team has better options ahead of him at linebacker. He isn’t a bad player. He just isn’t that good either. He is a solid option but not the guy you necessarily are hoping to see play.
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