Tony Adams on Titans' First Game Without Amani Hooker

The Tennessee Titans will be missing a leader in the secondary on Sunday. 

Amani Hooker was traded to the Buffalo Bills for a 2027 second-round pick at the deadline. Hooker was having a tremendous season with the Titans before the trade. 

He leads the NFL with five interceptions and had three in his final game with the franchise. 

Now, the Titans will have to find someone to replace him at safety.  

The Titans have a tough task in front of them with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town. The Jaguars' offense is fourth in the NFL in points per game (28.6). 

The player expected to replace Hooker in the secondary is veteran Tony Adams. Adams is familiar with Robert Saleh's system after spending time with him at the New York Jets. 

Adams has already filled in at both safety spots this season. Hooker and Kevin Winston Jr. both missed one game each, and Adams started in their place. 

So far, he has 28 total tackles, one fumble recovery, one sack and one TFL. It won't be easy to replace Hooker's production. 

Adams spoke in the locker room on Friday about the impact that Hooker had on the team.

"First, I wanna say, Hook, he a tremendous player and even better person," Adams said. "I learned a lot from him. But the thing about this league, we know that things happen. If you stay stagnant, you gon die. So, it's a great opportunity. It's a great opportunity for us to go out here and get a win. You know what I'm saying? For the city and for these fans."  

Hooker had been with the Titans since 2019, after being drafted out of Iowa that year. Adams is in his first season with the Titans and is already going to have to step into a leadership role halfway through the year. 

The good news is that the secondary got multiple players back from injury thanks to the extra rest in the bye week. Marcus Harris, Jaylon Jones and Winston all appeared on the final injury report, but none of them had an injury designation. 

Adams is going to be one of the few veterans in the secondary, but he won't be alone. 

The Titans were only missing Carnell Tate, Tyjae Spears and Tommy Townsend in Week 8, but now they will be without five starters. 

Cody Barton, Anthony Hill Jr., Tate, Peter Skoronski and Townsend are all not playing. The Titans were able to put up a competitive showing against the Bengals, so we'll see if they have any magic left after having an extra week to prepare for the Jaguars. 

The Jaguars are 5-1 in their last six games and are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. The two will meet at Nissan Stadium this Sunday, as the Titans try to stun the Jaguars and hand them a rare loss. 

Kickoff is set for noon CT on Fox.