In our final installment of training camp previews, we’re going to be taking a look at the Tennessee Titans’ special teams unit, which has one major question going into the 2020 season.
The Titans saw a revolving door at kicker in 2019 that led to the team sporting the worst field goal unit in the NFL.
After failing with the likes of Cairo Santos, Cody Parkey, Ryan Succop and kickoff specialist Ryan Santoso, the Titans settled on Greg Joseph, who attempted and made just one field goal in five games (including playoffs).
Entering training camp, the Titans’ biggest priority on special teams is making sure they have the right man for the job at kicker in order to avoid the disaster that their field goal unit was last season.
Let’s take a closer look at kicker, as well as a few other important special teams positions that will be of note in training camp.
*Note: If you missed any of our training camp previews, we’ve linked to them at the end of this article.
Punter
There’s nothing to see here, folks.
Brett Kern is arguably the best punter in the NFL, and he proved that once again last season after earning the nod as a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro. Kern finished fourth in average gross yards per punt, third in net average yards per punt, and first in punts placed inside the 20.
Former Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees even called the punter the team’s MVP on defense thanks to his ability to flip field position, which was particularly important when the Titans’ offense was struggling early on. He also played a huge role in the Wild Card Round win over the New England Patriots with his sensational kicks.
The only thing that can stop Kern from repeating his success in 2020 is an act of God, and even then he could probably overcome that to have a great season.
Kicker
On the roster: Greg Joseph, Tucker McCann
The competition: All eyes will be on the kicker competition that will take place between Greg Joseph and Tucker McCann at training camp.
Joseph has the clear advantage over McCann in the experience department, but it isn’t by much, as Joseph has only attempted 21 field goals during his career.
On the bright side, Joseph did make his lone field goal attempt with Tennessee and was able to notch touchbacks on over half of his kickoffs, something that was an issue for Titans kickers before he took the job.
The lack of experience in this competition is a bit troubling considering the Titans’ issues at the position last season. It’s quite conceivable Tennessee brings someone else in to add to the battle, with my personal pick being veteran and former New England Patriots kicker, Stephen Gostkowski.
In a competition that is looking for the answer to one of the team’s biggest question marks going into 2020, the more players who take part in it, the better.
Punt returner
Best options: Kalif Raymond, Cameron Batson, Adam Humphries, Rashard Davis, Adoree’ Jackson
The Titans struggled to find a spark in the return game for much of last season, but ultimately finished with 7.7 yards per punt return, tied for the 12th-best in the NFL.
Of the five players who returned punts for the Titans, four of them are still on the team in wide receivers Adam Humphries, Kalif Raymond and Rashard Davis, and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
After both Jackson and Humphries were forced to miss games due to injury in 2019, the Titans would be wise to not use them in this area — and that’s especially true for Jackson, who is vital to the defense’s success in 2020.
Raymond was the real game-changer for Tennessee in the punt return game, as the Holy Cross product averaged 11.3 yards per return, albeit in limited opportunities.
He should be viewed as the team’s No. 1 option going into 2020, but he’ll likely face competition for the role from fellow wideout and returner, Cameron Batson, who missed the entire 2019 campaign.
Kick returner
Best options: Kalif Raymond, Cameron Batson, Darrynton Evans, Senorise Perry
More options could emerge in training camp, but for now the top three choices for kick returner come down to Raymond, Batson and 2020 third-round pick, running back Darrynton Evans.
As far as Raymond and Batson go, both players could end up splitting return duties, with one taking kickoffs and the other handling punts. Batson has experience with the latter, but not the former.
As we already mentioned, Raymond excelled on punt returns last season, but he was just as good on kick returns. His 22.4 yards per attempt would have landed him in a tie for the 11th-best mark in the NFL, and he earned the eighth-best Pro Football Focus grade among kick returners.
The wild card of this group is Evans, who was an electric returner in college, as evidenced by his 25.7 yards per kick return and three scores during his career at Appalachian State.
Perry is one of the more under-the-radar options. The running back has averaged 19.8 yards per kick return during his career and could force the Titans to carry another back aside from Derrick Henry, Evans and Khari Blasingame if he can show out in camp.
Initial depth chart prediction
Here’s a look at how we think things will turn out on special teams, including who will be the starting kicker and what players will make up the starting and backup returners.
| PK | Greg Joseph | ||
| K | Greg Joseph | ||
| P | Brett Kern | ||
| PR | Cameron Batson | Kalif Raymond | Adam Humphries |
| KR | Kalif Raymond | Darrynton Evans | Cameron Batson |
| LS | Beau Brinkley |
Analysis: It’s possible this group sees a shake-up with an addition at kicker, but for now we’re going to base our prediction on who is currently on the roster. Joseph will easily beat out McCann for the job.
We previously picked Raymond and Batson to make 53-man roster at wide receiver, so the expectation will be that they split return duties, with Batson handling punts and Raymond handling kicks.
Evans could also get some opportunities during the season, although his lack of NFL experience will limit him to being a backup kick returner to start the season.
Other training camp previews: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
