Prioritizing durability and technical precision over personal statistics, the veteran cornerback looks to stabilize a revamped Tennessee secondary and erase the memory of last year’s defensive struggles.
The Tennessee Titans found two of their starting cornerbacks in free agency after the massive spending spree the team went on.
Most of the biggest transactions were on the defensive side, with John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott all signing with Tennessee.
Franklin-Myers can play multiple different positions on the defensive line, but I believe he'll be best suited lining up next to Jeffery Simmons as a run stopper and to get after opposing quarterbacks when needed.
Although Taylor spent a lot of his time with the New Orleans Saints as a slot corner, he will be starting on the outside with Flott at cornerback.
Taylor is preparing for his fifth NFL season, and he's had plenty of personal stats to hang his hat on.
He hasn't made a Pro Bowl yet, but Taylor has 239 total tackles, four interceptions, seven sacks and 21 TFLs as a cornerback.
That's all good and well, but Taylor understands what's really important this time of year.
He appeared at Monday's press conference and was asked what a successful training camp and preseason would look like for him. First and foremost, Taylor wants to stay healthy.
Personal stats are great, but Taylor knows that making it to the preseason healthy is of the utmost importance.
"First, I'd say, you know, staying healthy," Taylor said. "You know, coming out of this staying healthy is the most important part, but, you know, just hone in on the technique. Just finishing plays and just, you know, getting better with the playbook and just building the team side. As far as PBUs, picks, all that stuff's good and great, but you know it matters come week one and throughout the season."
This is exactly the kind of mentality for Taylor, especially with how many problems the Titans had in the secondary last season.
L'Jarius Sneed was never able to play a full season with the Titans after his injury issues.
Roger McCreary and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. were traded to give the team more draft capital, and it was a revolving door of characters from there.
Rookies Marcus Harris, Micah Robinson and Kevin Winston Jr. all got the chance to start at cornerback. Darell Baker and Jalyn Armour-Davis played significant starting minutes at corner as well.
To no one's surprise, the Titans had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Tennessee allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game last season (248.3).
At the end of the day, making it to the preseason and regular season with as few injuries as possible is the goal. This is especially important given the limited depth at cornerback outside of Taylor and Flott.
Harris and Robinson started a combined five games for the Titans, but you would like them to have more NFL experience under their belt.
Then, there's undrafted free agent Jalen McMurray, who has zero NFL experience. Joshua Williams was with Mike Borgonzi at the Kansas City Chiefs, but he mainly played special teams last year.
Keydrain Calligan is in the rotation after spending all of last season on the Titans' practice squad. It's no wonder the Titans have trended toward adding more depth to the secondary with Mario Goodrich, Derrick Canteen, and Nazeeh Johnson.
The Titans need as few injuries as possible at cornerback for the sake of this defense.
