The team that was just one win away from punching its ticket to the Super Bowl last season recently landed a dominant pass-rusher, and their head coach already appears to have a plan for how to utilize his new toy.
Mike Vrabel is a former linebacker, so he knows how to coach up a defense. And the acquisition of Jadeveon Clowney now gives him another chess piece to move around and utilize to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Vrabel knows Clowney well, as he did coach him when he was serving as the Texans defensive coordinator.
The Titans ranked 15th in the NFL in sacks last season, so there is some room for improvement in that area. Clowney should help do exactly that, as his ability to collapse the pocket often makes outside pass rush more effective. Vrabel plans to move him around quite a bit. The Titans head coach also spoke highly of Clowney’s football IQ.
And given that Clowney just signed his contract on Monday, less than a week before the team’s Week 1 showdown with the Broncos, there was skepticism about him potentially playing in that game. But it appears he’ll see some action in it.
It will be interesting to see what type of shape Clowney is in, given that he missed the entirety of training camp, and dealt with some injuries last season. We’ll soon find out.
