At 1-4, the Tennessee Titans understandably don’t have a ton of great players. That’s just kind of what happens when you win three games the previous season. So, they really need all hands on deck at all times.
And the Titans got some good news on Friday when all-world defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was cleared to play (ankle) on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. He doesn’t currently have an injury designation on this week’s injury report.
“Simmons has been given the green light to play Sunday after logging a full practice Friday,” writes Rotowire. “The Titans’ star pass rusher has logged at least 1.0 sacks in three of the first five games of the regular season, and he’s coming off his best performance against the Cardinals in Week 4, when he logged eight tackles (six solo), including 1.5 sacks.”
Raiders offensive coordinator has Jeffery Simmons on his radar
Chip Kelly famously was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-2015, where he brought his innovative college offense to the NFL. But, he wrestled general manager duties from Howie Roseman after two ten-win seasons and Chip Kelly the G.M. thoroughly ruined the head-coaching career of Chip Kelly. In short, you need good players to run any scheme at the pro level.
That said, Kelly is now the offensive coordinator of the Raiders, a position that wisely prevents him from making any kind of personnel decisions because we’ve been down that road.
In preparation for the Titans, Kelly apparently learned all about Simmons and his football abilities.
“Jeffery Simmons is as good a three-technique as there is in the league and his numbers will back it up,” Kelly said this week, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He can cause a lot of problems in there. It’s unique. Sometimes you’re playing against a really strong defensive end and you can slide things to him and do all that, but when you have a guy right smack dab (in the) middle in the defense, he can cause some problems.”
Jeffery Simmons still isn’t enough to stop the run
Simmons was the 19th-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, following in the footsteps of defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who was drafted out of the same school by the Eagles back in 2012. They must grow DT’s down there.
While, he already has 3.5 sacks through five games this year, he hasn’t been able to do enough to stop the run for the Titans. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal thinks that could lead to a big day for Raiders’ rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
“The Titans are giving up 146.8 rushing yards per game, the third-most in the NFL,” Bonsignore writes. “Opposing running backs have been able to consistently reach the second and third levels of Tennessee’s defense.
“That could be good news for Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, who has been outstanding when he’s been able to cross the line of scrimmage. Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft, has gained 328 of his 349 rushing yards after contact. He’s proven he can break tackles and outrun defenders if his blockers are able to give him space.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Tennessee Titans’ Stud Defender Cleared to Play appeared first on Heavy Sports.