Titans Becoming Open to Alontae Taylor Playing Multiple Positions

There was an interesting situation with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor this past weekend. 

He wasn't on the injury report but was still ruled inactive for the Indianapolis Colts game. It was revealed to be a coach's decision by Robert Saleh. 

Without Taylor, the Titans were able to force two interceptions off Daniel Jones. Amani Hooker secured one in the first half, and then Cor'Dale Flott picked off Jones in the second half. 

The Titans went on to win 26-20 on the road in Saleh's first as their head coach. The team later explained why Taylor was benched, with Saleh saying it was to give him a chance to reset. 

With Taylor, he had to make an adjustment when he arrived at the Titans in the offseason. After spending most of his NFL career at slot corner with the New Orleans Saints, he has mostly played outside for the Titans. 

It's something he's had to get used to. 

The Titans were firm about where they wanted to play Taylor, but it seems they are starting to reconsider. 

Titans defensive coordinator Gus Bradley spoke to the media on Thursday. He was asked if the Titans are becoming more open to Taylor playing outside and inside cornerback. 

Bradley said the team is doing what it can to get Taylor on the field. Apparently, the Titans have tried this before. Bradley said the team looked at Taylor and Flott playing slot corner a couple of weeks ago in case of injuries at the position. 

"Yeah, I think we're looking at all options for him, and that's the conversation we've had with him," Bradley said. "We've had those conversations before. I think it was a couple of weeks ago where we had some injuries at the nickel spot and we said, 'Hey, what would happen?' You know, if we lost a couple guys. So, both him and Flott worked at nickel. We just looked at them and said, 'Hey, if we're ever in a pinch, we've still gotta go out there and execute at a high level.' And those two guys are the more experienced corners that maybe give us that flexibility." 

Taylor played some of the best football in his career as a slot corner at the Saints. He racked up 293 total tackles, seven sacks, 21 TFLs and four interceptions while he played nickel corner there from 2022-25. 

Unlocking Taylor's best position could be huge for the Titans' secondary. The Titans are currently 17th in passing yards allowed per game, at 235.3. Figuring out the best place to put Taylor could be crucial in turning things around. 

The Titans have also been without a few safeties over the last couple of weeks. Against the Houston Texans, the team missed Amani Hooker while he recovered from a concussion. 

Then, last Sunday, the Titans didn't have Kevin Winston Jr. on the field due to a quad injury. 

With how the season has gone so far, the Titans may want to try Taylor at slot corner again to see if it's the right fit. 

We'll see how the team handles this new approach as the season continues.