The @TItans top graded players from 2016 pic.twitter.com/FCOgYq3B3C
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 12, 2017
It’s not going to surprise anyone that Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin are the Tennessee Titans top graded players here. The offensive line was the unquestioned strength of the team in 2016, thanks in large part to the bookend offensive tackles. But, you give me a hundred guesses, and I never would’ve said Johnathan Cyprien. I mean, yeah – mainly because I wouldn’t have been thinking about guys who didn’t play on the team last year. But, also because the reaction to his signing was so negative – because the Titans needed Jamal Adams according to most fans – that you would have thought he was the worst safety in the NFL. Some Titans fans acted as if they had just signed Paul Kuharsky to come in and play safety.
I came out right away in support of the Cyprien signing and got grilled for it. So, yeah – I’m taking a minor victory lap here. As it turns out, the dude grades out pretty well from a statistical standpoint.
I can already hear the moans and groans coming out of Titans Facebook. The first thing they’ll say is, “Cyprien didn’t even play for the Titans in 2016.” And, they would be right. Cyprien indeed did not play for the Titans – he was a Jacksonville Jaguar. But, he still played football, and thus, he still earned a grade from the fine folks at Pro Football Focus.
The second thing they’ll say is “well stats don’t tell us everything.” They’re right – there’s a lot that goes in to evaluating a player. But then, when they need to bolster their argument, guess where they turn – stats. So, get out of here with that argument.
You look at the eye test and Cyprien’s a good player – the dude’s entering his 5th season in the NFL. You don’t stick around that long if you’re a veritable drill cone like the haters make him out to be. Plus, he fits what the Titans are trying to do here.
Dick LeBeau’s defense needed a guy in the secondary who could stuff the run. And, like it or not, Cyprien is the favorite to start alongside second year standout Kevin Byard. We’ll see how it pans out over the course of training camp – it is only June, after all. We have a long way to go.
But, for now – let’s just take a moment to appreciate the guy and be happy that he’s playing in two-tone blue this Fall.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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