The Tennessee Titans have a great case study of veteran vs young talent in their secondary
The Tennessee Titans have a position duo of Kevin Winston Jr and Amani Hooker that describes a bigger theme of how Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans constructed their team in 2026
Video Transcript
So the perfect starting duo on this Tennessee Titans team to be the case study for are they too reliant on young talent, too reliant on lower ceiling veteran, or really good combination of both, is the starting safety duo.
It's Amani Hooker and Kevin Winston Jr. 'Cause Amani Hooker is a pro's pro, he is a proven vet, he is a reliable player, he is a former team captain.
Don't know who the team captains are yet, but I'm guessing he's going to be a active team captain.
He's a leader in the locker room, and if Titans fans don't recognize how much say Amani Hooker has in that locker room, take what you think it is and just add to it.
Amani Hooker is so well-respected, but we all know he's never been the RAS score freak athlete.
You know, he's never been the guy that's just jumped off the page and made this spectacular play.
He's a smart player, he's a gritty player, a tough player, a veteran, a pro.
Then you have Kevin Winston Jr. All over the place.
Just amazing athlete.
RAS score, elite status.
Hits, flies, runs, jumps, aggressive, mindset, go get it, hungry.
But he might run really fast the wrong way, and the Seahawks running back runs for six, nine yards for a touchdown, or Elijah Royo has a, an easy walk-in touchdown and it freezes the game.
Or he has an interception, the next drive it gets wiped off by a dumb penalty that should've been a penalty, right?
So, it's a boom or bust Kevin Winston versus a steady Eddie Amani Hooker.
What do you think about the Is that what you thought I was gonna say, or- Yes or what were you thinking?
No, that's ex- that is exactly the position.
Because there's only two of them out there, usually.
I mean, we'll, see Tony Adams out there a little bit.
I can't imagine we'll see those two, Tony Adams and Marcus Harris out there, so.
Maybe we will.
I don't know.
But for the most part, it's going to be those two out there at the safety position, and that's it.
And it is a fantastic case study, because I do think that, once again, going back to that Seattle Seahawks busted coverage play.
Like, that is the chance for you to see the real development there, is, is, are these two guys going to be able to work together well to ensure that doesn't happen?
And I think that's where you get to see the real, real difference between this team.
It, like you s- it's the perfect one-to-one case study for this team.
And because it also is a position where it is pretty easy to get burnt.
Like, I, I think that is something, like, the safety position, especially in Robert Saleh's defense, is very, very important, and they have to be in the right place at the right time, and understanding as the kind of last line of defense, the eyes- Yeah seeing everything else in front of them.
They have to be the guy, to be in their perfect spot nine times, 9.99999 times out of 10.
And so the guy who h- barely has double digit starting experience versus a guy who is, here comes the math again, what?
On his seventh ye- Eighth year eighth year?
Senior's just- Eighth year with the Titans.
Yeah.
And eighth year in the league, that is.
It's gonna be fascinating to watch.
And I, I think, like, the defense has a lot of great examples of this, because let's move up a, a level.
Linebacker.
Cody Barton, Cedrick Gray, or Cody Barton, Ant Hill.
Wh- whatever two linebackers, it's Cody Barton and young p- player that I think everybody should be excited to see get more experience to grow and grow and grow and develop.
I think that's a good one too.
And I think Cody Bal- Barton has a lower ceiling than Amani Hooker.
I think, I think both of those guys are required for what they bring to the table, but also need to have competent players around them.
Like, Amani Hooker was, was doing, wearing too many hats last year.
Like, he was having to c- guys off the street elevated from the practice squad starting at corner, or starting next to him, and he's like, "Oh, God."
Like, that's gotta be a, a headache of a year for him.
And it, and it made him look bad, 'cause he was the last thing that he took care of, his own responsibilities- Mm-hmm.
Yeah 'cause he had to get everybody else set up first.
