New Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon went to his old stomping grounds to find a new linebacker.
Azeez Al-Shaair is expected to sign with the Titans, taking the services of the talented defender from San Francisco to Tennessee.
Similar to the Andre Dillard signing from Monday, Al-Shaair is another high-upside player who was simply stuck behind arguably the best tandem at their respective position in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
The Tampa Bay native is an athletic linebacker that has an instinctive ability to read and react without over-thinking on his feet. Despite his limited playing time, Al-Shaair undoubtedly made an impact when he was on the field for the 49ers.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Florida Atlantic product finished the season with an impressive pass rush grade of 83.0 and a run defense grade of 79.7.
Al-Shaair + Rice is a solid LB duo. Titans need a pass rusher and a Day 3 CB and then they should be set on defense pic.twitter.com/QItBYAvd2d
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) March 14, 2023
His overall grade hovered just around 68, largely due to his inconsistencies in coverage that led to a poor grade of 53.6.
The former 49er is coming off a season in which he produced a total of 40 tackles over 313 defensive snaps on the year.
However, back in 2021, Al-Shaair played in a total of 13 games (nine starts), producing an impressive 102 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and one interception over that span.
This is an awesome signing for the Titans that has a ton of short- and long-term potential. Also, it gives the team a replacement for Long.
Truthfully, this is the type of player that can become expensive really fast now that Al-Shaair has the opportunity to be the main guy on a defense that allows him to clean things up behind Jeffery Simmons and Co.
Grade: A
