It might be easy to forget amid the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, that some things did work in Tennessee last season. Like, for example, the defense, which finished second in both passing yards and overall yards allowed. Sure, that might have something to do with the short fields opponents were provided by a Titans offense that tied for the league lead in giveaways, but it’s still not nothing! And as ugly as the team’s turnover margin was (-16), Hooker did his damndest to pull the balance in Tennessee’s favor, racking up five picks and two forced fumbles, both career highs. He also posted the best EPA when targeted (-9.6) and second-lowest passer rating allowed (69.4) among Titans players with at least 100 coverage snaps last season, per NGS. Third-round pick Kevin Winston might line up as the eventual replacement for the seventh-year pro, who has one more season left on his current contract. But in the meantime, Hooker can try to help the defense give Ward the friendliest possible environment to develop into the player this franchise needs him to be.
