NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Brian Callahan and Jeffery Simmons both agree on what they want to see more this upcoming season from the Titans defensive lineman.
More sacks.
The three-time Pro Bowl lineman had just five sacks in 2024, his fewest since his second NFL season in 2020. Simmons ranked third on the Titans behind linebacker Harold Landry III, released in March, and linebacker Arden Key.
Worse, the Titans tied Carolina with 32 sacks for third fewest in the NFL behind only New England (28) and Atlanta (31).
Callahan said the goal is to see Simmons do more than just affect quarterbacks and take those players to the ground more. He knows the six-year veteran and first-round pick in 2019 can be better at that. He also believes Simmons is driven to do just that.
“He’s always working at something, and I think he’s grown as a person,” Callahan said Tuesday. “He continues to grow as a player. You’d like to feel like he’s sort of hitting his prime at this point with the experience that he has and the amount he’s played to get the best version of Jeff this year.”
Simmons was on the field as the Titans started their mandatory three-day minicamp Tuesday. Simmons said he’s lost about 20 pounds and weighed in Tuesday morning at 301.
The Titans have been talking about how to improve their sack numbers. Simmons said it’s a big emphasis for him and the defense knowing that simply pressuring quarterbacks doesn’t win games.
“We got to stop saying just affect the quarterback,” Simmons said. “We’ve got to sack the quarterbacks.”
Simmons, the 19th pick in 2019 from Mississippi State, finds himself as the longest-tenured member of the Titans’ defense along with safety Amani Hooker, a fourth-round pick that same draft out of Iowa.
Tennessee is trying to snap a skid of three straight losing seasons, the last a 3-14 mark in Callahan’s debut as head coach.
Simmons is a key piece of a defense that ranked second in the NFL in giving up 177.3 yards passing and 311.2 total yards per game. The Titans also were 26th against the run, allowing 133.9 yards and 30th in points per game (27.1).
That led to Simmons’ absence from the voluntary offseason program being criticized by outsiders. Simmons said working out on his own was a personal decision.
“It was a lot of different things that I did,” Simmons said. “The biggest thing was being consistent with my every day living from my meal prep to the way I was training. … I weighed in today on a good note.”
Simmons showed off his speed carrying fewer pounds, breaking through at one point for what would have been a sack of rookie Cam Ward — the No. 1 overall draft pick. Simmons also gave Ward a nice taste of trash talking having heard how good the rookie is at that part of football.
“I haven’t spent much time around them and talking smack to me and get back in the huddle and able to operate the offense, that’s exciting,” Simmons said. “And like I say, he got a lot of confidence.”
Waiting on Sneed
Callahan said cornerback L’Jarius Sneed probably won’t be seen during this minicamp on the field. The Titans traded for Sneed last offseason, and the two-time Super Bowl champ played only five games before landing on injured reserve.
The Titans coach said what they’ve seen from Sneed has been fantastic and they know his track record as a player. Now Callahan said Sneed has to prove that in Tennessee, which he hasn’t done yet.
“We just hope we need to get that version of him out here for us,” Callahan said.
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