Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Arden Key is the KEY on Defense, L'Jarius Sneed's Return & Young Linebacker Battle

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

The Tennessee Titans had a good defense last season that lacked in significant areas like pass rush productivity. Arden Key was the best pass rush on the team in 2025 and while he remains on the roster, he is alone on the edge as a rusher. That means Key will have to take a significant step forward if the Titans hope to improve in said significant area. L'Jarius Sneed is on track to be ready for training camp and he needs to bounce back in a major way for the Titans to return to competitive football. There is a battle brewing for the second linebacker role and three young players, Otis Reese, James Williams and Cedric Gray will be battling for it. Williams will be the one to emerge. Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitans TicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=asc Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Follow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Subscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videos  

If the Tennessee Titans defense wants to improve next year, then Arden Key is the key. I'll explain on today's edition of Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rolland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast

is brought to you by the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Stay tuned for the Armada player of the week later in the show. On today's episode, we're going to do some superlatives on the defensive side of the ball, which matches the ones we did for the offensive side of the ball yesterday. I'm going to tell you who's in a make or break season for the Tennessee Titans. And it's Jeffrey Simmons.

Talk about Arden Key being the key X Factor for the Titans. And we'll go over that linebacker battle that's going to be taking place later in the show. Before we dive in, do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast, your first listen each and every day. Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else.

Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my every dayers out there. Tune in in Monday through Friday. If you aren't an every dayer, you need to be one, especially now. The draft is right around the corner, which means that next week we're starting our 2025 locked on Titans NFL draft preview.

I'm going to go over every position day one, day two, day three options that fit the Tennessee Titans scheme. Exactly. We're not just going to be talking about every single player. I'm going to tell you which ones actually fit what the Titans are looking for. And speaking of that, they want big edge rushers.

And who is a big edge rusher? Arden Key. And that's why I will tell you that my X factor, the key player for the Tennessee Titans defense in 2025 as things stand right now is Arden key. Listen, Arden key was the Tennessee Titans best pass rusher last year. And I know immediately you may think to yourself, well, Tyler Arden key had about, you know, six and a half sacks. Well, the Tennessee Titans had one of the bottom pass rush groups in the entire NFL. Now Harold Landry had nine sacks on the year.

But when you look at actual pressure rate, when you look at pass rush, win rate, when you look at how often one of those players was able to put pressure on the quarterback, Arden Key was better than Harold Landry last year. And honestly, it wasn't all that close. Arden Key is kind of an analytics darling. Like he always puts a ton of pressure on the quarterback, but he doesn't necessarily put up huge sack numbers. Again, he had six and a half sacks last year. He had six sacks the year before that,

his first year with the Titans. He had four and a half with Jacksonville the year before that and then six and a half with the San Francisco 49ers when he got his career back on track in 2021. So in my opinion, Arden Key is just a six sat guy. He's a tertiary rusher. He should be the third best rusher on your team. He should be a rotational pass rusher with great length who doesn't have to

play early downs against the run. And you know, he can just come in, rush the pass or he can rush off the edge. He also has the length and the size to rush off the interior. He basically is a Harold or a Danico Autry replacement. Is he as effective and as versatile as Danico Autry? No, he isn't, but that's the type of role that he should be in. Remember the Titans had Bud Dupree and Harold Landry and then they would use Danico Autry as a rotational player, rush him on the inside with Jeffrey Simmons and those two on the outside. And that's how you build a good pass rush.

So unfortunately, Arden Key is in a situation where he should be a third rusher on the team and right now he's expected to be a number one rusher. Now the Titans could probably add an edge rusher in veteran free agency over the summer or on a waiver claim like they did Allie Gay last year, or they could draft an edge rusher at pick number 35 in the draft. But the reality is if they don't draft, like let's say James Pierce or Devin as a rock or something like that. If they don't get a guy in that range from our stew or Mike Green, like they

don't get one of those top tier edge rushers in this class. Then the rest of the guys that are going to be available are going to be your Landon Jackson, your princely Umami Ellens, you know, that, that sort of level of player, Jack Sawyer, JT Tula Malau like, and are those guys going to be able to come in from day one as a rookie and be a number one pass rusher? No, those guys should probably be in a number three pass rusher role as rookies. You know what I mean? So the reality is at this stage in the game with what the Titans have left to them,

unless they make some big trade, Kavon Thibodeau from the New York Giants, just saying last year of his contract, first round pick. Maybe the Titans take a chance there. That's a conversation for a different day. But the re again, the reality is where the Titans are at in the process right now and what they have available to acquire players, we, we should not be expecting somebody who's going to be a better pass rusher right away than Arden Key.

So Arden Key is the key. Bruce is the key. Like I dropped these little reference for my nerdy friends out there. But again, he shouldn't be put in this position, but with where the Titans are at right now, Arden Key is the X factor for the pass rush. And if they don't prove a pass rush that was bottom eight in the NFL and sacks and pressure rate, the defense can limit the yards all they want. But red zone and sacks and pressure on the quarterback,

like if they don't improve those, the defense is never going to be as good as some people seem to think that it is because of the yardage totals that the Titans allowed last year where they were great. The defense is just okay. And if they don't get better in the pass rush, the defense is not going to get better and it's going to regress mightily statistically from where it was last year to where it actually is within the NFL. So big year for Arden Key ahead.

Now for my make or break player, that's Jeffrey Simmons. And look, Jeffrey Simmons is going to be a top tier player. He's going to get paid. Like, you know, the Titans could get good picks for him right now. I think second and third round pick combined, you could probably get for Jeffrey Simmons right now. Like he's a very good player in the NFL and that's not going to be broken but whether Jeffrey Simmons is

a hundred million dollar player that is good enough to build your entire defense around whether Jeffrey Simmons is going to be the superstar X Factor game-changing Player that the Tennessee Titans need him to be that the entire defense is built around whether he's worthy of that role and whether he's worthy to be the defensive face of a franchise, whether he is capable of being that on a Superbowl team, on a competitive team, on a playoff winning team that remains to be seen. And I think this year, look, the year before the Titans were coming off the Tannehill era, we knew that they were gonna take a step back.

Last year, I expected more from Jeffrey Simmons early. He had a good middle stretch of the season, but there were more injuries compounding on what there was last year, the year before. And he wasn't as productive early in the year, right out of the gate. As I was hoping to see, especially when all summer long we were sweating Simmons, sweating Simmons, sweating Simmons together. They're going to be so dumb. And it wasn't, it wasn't that it wasn't that.

So to me, this is it make or break for Jeffrey Simmons in terms of whether his career is this, he's a certified player in the NFL is going to be rich forever, but whether he's the guy to be the defensive leader for the Titans, that this defense should be built around going forward into this new era led by cam ward should Jeffrey Simmons be the face of the defense in the Cam Ward era? Is he good enough for what the Titans are paying him and what they expect him to be? This season is the make or break answer, make or break answer for that with Jeffrey Simmons, period.

And if Jeffrey Simmons doesn't live up to it, he should be a trade deadline candidate, depending on the Titans record, he should be a guy they look to move after the year. Because if he's not that guy, it's a new era with Kam Ward coming in at number one. And it's time that the Titans go out and get assets to find that next defensive face. Today's episode is brought to you by Nissan and the Armada player of the week is brought to you by our friends at Nissan and the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Each week we're taking a look at our draft prospects and I'm going to pick one guy that

stands apart, the guy that I believe showc showcase the strength and power needed to push the Titans forward as we look to next season. And of course this week's our motto player of the week is cam ward, baby. Look, cam ward is rugged. He plays tough cam ward's heavy duty, man. He can carry the load for a team. He can lift the team. He can carry the load for a team. He can lift the team.

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The Nissan Armada can help you do that. Just like all of their outstanding vehicles, take the Nissan Armada, the Rogue, or the Pathfinder and go find your next big adventure shop, Nissan USA.com. Titans fans. Let's continue today's edition of the locked on Titans podcast. Looking at some defensive superlatives. I'm just got some categories. We went over the X factor, the key to the defense this year, Arden key

maker break year for Jeffrey Simmons ahead. Let me know if you guys agree with me that this is a maker break year for Jeffrey Simmons as a franchise foundational piece. So some people have already made their mind up that he's not that I'm not there, but this is definitely a maker break season in my eyes. Now I want to go over the guy who I think is going to make the biggest leap this year on defense and also talk about someone who needs to bounce back. And when we're talking about somebody who needs to take a leap this year for the Titans or who will take a leap this year. I really do think we'll take a leap. We're talking about Tavondre Sweat.

And yes, of course I know for the rest of my life as a content creator, as a podcaster, as a sports media person, I will be associated with my pre-draft take on Tavondre Sweat and that's fair and fine because Tavondre Sweat proving me wrong is also helping the Tennessee Titans be a much better football team. And last year, undoubtedly, Tavondre Sweatt made the Tennessee Titans a better football team. He certainly did. And without him in the middle of the defense to help out, I don't know where the Titans would have been. But also I'll say this. The Tennessee Titans as a run defense weren't better last year than they were the year before. And years when they had tier tart, I'll also say that while Tavondre Sweat was able to have a good pressure rate against quarterbacks last year. Um, I mean, pro football or pro football reference has him with seven pressures

on the year. I think it's more than that. Uh, personally from watching them on tape, but the reality is, is that Tavondre Sweat only had one sack. Okay. So he created a good amount of pressure and his pressure numbers are good, but one sec at the end of the day, this is how I feel with Arden Key. Like there's a line in the sand of, I would rather have a guy who got 10 sacks who had an average pressure rate, then a guy who has an elite pressure rate and got three sacks.

Like at some point, you got to put the ball in the basket. You know what I mean? Like at some point, you got to seal the deal. Like the box score does matter too. You know, just like the analytics behind the box score matter. It's a combination, but you can't just say, you know, this guy who gets, he gets a ton of pressures, but no sacks. Well, this guy doesn't get a lot of pressures, but he does get a lot of sacks. Like, I'm going to take the guy who gets

a lot of sacks because at the end of the day, you can get pressure and not put the quarterback on the ground and we saw nonstop last year for the Titans, them get pressure on quarterbacks, but not seal the deal. And then the quarterback break their heart. Think about Drake may at the end of that game. Think about what Sam Donald was able to do with the mobility against the Titans defense. God forbid I mentioned, you know, Josh Allen and Caleb Williams and all these

other examples throughout the season of guys doing the Jake Daniels. You know what I mean? Like this has been an issue for the Titans for a while is converting their pressure into sacks and to Vandrey Sweat, if you go back to his college tape and you talk about to Vandre Sweatt as the prospect, he missed a lot of sacks at Texas. It's on his tape in the tape breakdown.

I did for Tavandre Sweatt on the Tic Tac Titans film channel, directly after the draft, I showed where he missed a couple of sacks. Like he would get pressure and he would get in the backfield and he would just whiff on the quarterback and he did that a couple of times last year. It's just something that he's done. If he's able to take the amount of pressure that he's creating, that he created as a rookie, improve on that, and then actually seal the deal and put the ball in the basket on those sack opportunities, Tevondre Sweat is going to get into that Vita Veda area. Tevondre Sweat, probably not the Dexter Lawrence, but he's

definitely going to be able to take that step up to a guy who really does give you production in the pass game. Right now, the pressures are cool, but we need to seal the deal as well. So it has to be a good combination. You can't just get pressure without getting the sacks. You do need to put something up here, put the ball in the basket. Like I say, and I think that Tavandre Sweat, when he does that next season, that will take a leap for him from, hey, really good run stuffer, good player. Right now to me, Tavandre Sweat is T.R. Tartt. And once he converts those pressures,

he becomes something entirely different. And that's what we all hope, that Tavondre Sweat will eventually become. So that's where he needs to go and I think he will make that leap going forward. Now when it comes to a bounce back season, It's clear that Legerius Snead is the guy. Like I don't think I think if you ask any Tennessee Titans fan, somebody on defense that needs to bounce back this year from the year they had last year. Like, I don't think, I think if you asked any Tennessee Titans fan, somebody on defense that needs to bounce back this year from the year they had last year, if they don't immediately say, Ligeria Snead, I don't really know what,

you know, what we're looking at because for what the Titans gave up to get Snead and what his role should be on it. Like when we talk about the six or seven difference makers, that's Brian Callahan, seven, seven difference makers. You need one of them, your quarterback three on either side of the ball. One of them has to be in your secondary. And I think a money hooker is a very good player. I think he's super underrated nationally.

Like, I don't think there's a lot of casual fans. If you got your, your friends who are fans of other teams, if they know who a money hooker is and they think that a money hooker is a good player, then they know foot, you know, like that person is paying attention to NFL football because I don't think that very many people I know who like other teams would know about a money hooker, but a money hooker is super underrated, but money hooker doesn't need to bounce back. And also a money hooker super underrated, but money hooker doesn't need to bounce back. And also a money hooker isn't a difference.

Make you know what I mean? Like he's not a high level, one of those six difference makers positions on your team. Legerrious need as a number one lockdown shutdown cornerback is that, and look, it's not just the injuries. Snee played five games last year. It's not just the injuries. Snee did not play that well for a lot of the time when he was healthy. He was not playing great football. He's getting beat

so It's not just hey be healthy. No, he needs to play well, too because I Think of luxurious Snead gets back to good form a sneed gets back to good form, then the Tennessee Titans defense can create more turnovers. They can have additional time to help a pass rush that I don't think is going to be that great. So with Jerry, a sneed coming back and actually getting back to the level of the player that the Titans paid so much to get. I got to tell you, I think if we made a list of reasons why ran carthon was fired, Legerius

need would be at the top. I do not think that Chad Brinker wanted to do the Legerius need trade. That's something that I think we've heard whispers about, but I think it's pretty clear that Chad Brinker did not want to do the luxurious sneak trade. Pretty obvious to me personally, but regardless of that, they needed to give them some value. Now they need some sort of value to be extracted from that transaction. They need Steve back on the field and he's gotta bounce back in a major way. He has to.

Or it's just a pit for the Titans and you look at the contract and it doesn't get much better if you cut Legerrius Snead after two years either. So what a tremendous loss for the Titans if that were to happen. So they need him to bounce back. But now I want to talk about someone who I think might surprise folks this year and then someone who might disappoint folks this year. And it's all at the linebacker position, whether inside or outside. Titans fans. Let's cap off today's edition of the lock on Titans podcast. We talked about the X factor on defense maker break is Jeffrey Simmons. Take the leap is Tavondre sweat bounce back is luxurious need, but now I'm going

to get to who I think could surprise this year on defense and then who I think could disappoint this year on defense. Before we do, thanks again for making locked on Titans, your first listen each and every day. It's your team every day here on the locked on Titans podcast for your second listen, check out locked on NFL draft. I'm getting ready to start our locked on Titans draft preview that is Titans focused on our scheme and what the Titans are doing and who fits best.

But locked on NFL draft is going to cover everybody. And I think it's a great time to get acquainted, not just who the Titans might pick, but who might be on rival teams and other teams Titans have to play as well. Never hurts. And those guys go into free agency and stuff. It never hurts to have a good knowledge base of all the players in the NFL, not just the Titans sports. But with that being said, the guy who I think might surprise this year is James Williams. So when we talk about that linebacker two spot, we know that Cody Barton is linebacker one. He's the Mike, he's the green dot. He's the top guy. He has taken over the Kenneth Murray role. Thank the heavens above.

Never been a big fan of Kenneth Murray. Glad that they made that swap out. But I think that linebacker two spot is going to be one of the three young linebackers. It's going to be James Williams. It's going to be Cedric Gray or it's going to be Otis Reese. And maybe there was a bit of a spoiler there in terms of the the list and the order that I put those guys in. But I think James Williams is the one who put those guys in but I think James Williams is the one who's going to surprise. I think James Williams has the most natural talent of those guys. I think that he is the biggest. It's not really a think thing. He is the biggest one of those guys. I don't know how to explain it properly but but I just think James Williams, when he knows

what he's doing and he's confident on the film at the end of the season watching him move, he just has a physicality to him and a presence to him that I think makes a difference. I think that James Williams has the highest potential of any of those three linebackers. So to go with the size, the potential, and when James Williams makes good plays on film, it looks different than Cedric Gray or Otis Reese's good plays. Like there's just a different level of violence to it. Otis Reese, I admit, is know, Cedric Gray was of course always going to be more of an athletic linebacker. He didn't have the physicality of the guys, other guys, but he's not going to come downhill on a blitz and hit as hard as James Williams or Otis Reese. So maybe it's just a different role there. I'd like to see Cedric Gray get some more run in passing situations over a guy like James Williams. But I think James Williams is going to make some plays next year and people

are going to be excited about him going into year three. I think he steals that linebacker to roll. And while it may be a role-based thing on downs with Cedric Gray, I think James Williams is the guy coming out of it where they're like, okay, James Williams could be our starting linebacker next year. And there isn't like a ton of, oh no, you know, like we got it. Like I think the look to add because linebackers a position you should always add out, you should constantly be adding day three linebackers.

But I think James Williams makes a name for himself this year. That's all at least on a Titans level. I'm not saying he's going to be on a national level, but James Williams is the guy who I think has the ability to surprise now as a disappointment. Now by default, some may say Cedric gray would be the disappointment then because Cedric gray is the higher pick Cedric gray has higher expectations as being a higher pick. He was picked.

What was it? One Oh four, something like that. It was in the top 110 picks. Um, and anytime you're picked right outside of the top 100 People are gonna hope that you can be a starter and if Cedric Gregg gets passed up by Otis Reese or James Williams Or if the Titans add a linebacker early in the draft like a Jahad Campbell or something like that Which I don't think will be a possibility But who I would not pass on Jahad Campbell at 35 and I'm not somebody who likes to spend high assets on linebacker.

That's not how I view it, but Jahad Campbell at 35, steal. So don't think he's going to be there though. I think he's going top 15. But anyways, the point is by default, you could view James Williams or Cedric Gray as a disappointment and that would be fair, but I'm going to go a different way with who I think will be a disappointment. And for me, it's Lorenzo Carter. And disappointment, the equation of disappointment is always expectations minus reality equal disappointment. Like disappointment is only a thing because of our own expectations of people, of things, of events, of outcomes, you know,

that's bigger than football, but whatever. So I don't think I will be disappointed in Lorenzo Carter because I understand what I'm getting, but I think the average Tennessee Titans fan who maybe doesn't research all of these guys, or maybe doesn't listen to this podcast every day, you should be. If you aren't, but Lorenzo Carter is not a guy who's going to make a difference in the pass rush. I mean, he had zero sacks. He's had seven sacks total in three seasons and zero last year.

This is not a guy who has great burst or speed or bend or anything like that. He doesn't have a polished pass rush move set. He's a big physical edge who can stop the run and play with physicality and he's long. He's six foot five. You know, he's a bigger, more physical. And again, I've talked about how I think it's obvious that the Titans are looking to move towards bigger, more physical edges. Dreymont Jones is only six foot three, but he's 260 pounds. Arden Key, six foot five, great length. Lorenzo Carter, six foot five, 260 pounds, great length. The Titans want to go with bigger edges.

Then a guy like Harold Landry who's six foot two, you know, 240 pounds, he's more of an undersized guy. I think Arden Key's probably only like 245, 250 pounds, but the length and the size is important there. But Lorenzo Carter is not, I think he's going to be a day one starting edge rusher and people are going to be like, Oh, he's a day one starting edge rusher. He should, he's going to be a major disappointment to people who don't understand what he is and what he does and what he can be.

Like he may have a sack or two just because they fall in your lap sometimes. But if Lorenzo Carter and Arden Key are your starting edge rushers and your nickel package against pass, we are in trouble. So now I think that Lorenzo Carter was brought in to play that early down edge rusher role. I think it would be more likely that we'd see Draymond Jones, Arden Key on the edge with Simmons and Sweatt or S JD in the interior. I think that whoever the Titans take in the draft, whether it be second round at 35, the third round, if they do a trade back in the second pick one Oh three, if they don't do

a trade back, say they get a Mecca Bucca or Luther Burden with pick number 35 and they can't pass that so they don't trade down so they have to wait all the way until 104 and then they go with an edge rusher in that range like a jaw joiner or Savion Jones or Jared Ivy, you know, those are big physical edge rushers in that in that range that I think would be available if they go with what maybe they have one of those guys and they prove that they can pass rush right away. But I hope the conversation that we had about Arden Key and how important he is

to this team is punctuated by this conversation we're having right now where when you really put a lineup out on the field, the Titans pass rush situation is not good. If they get Jeff, Jeffrey Simmons from last year to Vandre sweat, doesn't take that leap. Arden key is still just a tertiary rusher. And then you got Draymond Jones, Lorenzo Carter, and a day three rookie and Jaylen Harrell and Ali gay again, battling for that

other edge rusher spot and nickel packages. It's going to be trouble. That would be trouble, but either way, let me know your answers for all of these different categories down below or hit me up on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans and let me know that's going to do it for today's episode. That's going to do it for this week of the Locked on Titans podcast. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this

was Locked on Titan.