Rookie OLB Harold Landry is making waves in the NFL. But for the Tennessee Titans, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The pass rush needed an overhaul heading into the 2018 season, and that’s just what they got. Now, Landry is a key contributor for one of the best defenses in the NFL. Not to mention, Pro Football Focus has him graded as the best rookie edge defender in the league.
Harold Landry is the highest graded rookie edge defender in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/acz2r8m21o
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 19, 2018
Bradley Chubb is having a stellar rookie season, so to be graded above him is saying something. Early on in the season, there were some faint rumblings of Landry being in the ‘Defensive Rookie of the Year’ running, but it never panned out. It definitely won’t now that Derwin James and Darius Leonard have solidified their spots as contenders. But, just the fact that he’s in this sort of company, and he hasn’t even been the regular starter all season, is pretty wild.
But, the dude is an outright freak of nature.
.@Titans @HaroldLandry has great movement. When you study him he has explosive lateral movement. It keeps showing up in different areas of the game. Bright future. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/I12GdaKoNb
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 17, 2018
Sure, the Giants don’t exactly have the best offensive line known to man, but damn, Landry takes two steps and has homeboy dead to rights. This dude wasn’t alone – Landry was stuffing the run and putting pressure on Eli Manning all afternoon last Sunday. Plenty of Giants were victimized.
After seeing this level of play over the bulk of the season, I can’t help but feel like the Titans have found their guy. The next stud sack artist in two-tone blue, and he’s only going to get better with age. Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan are both going to be unrestricted free agents after this season. They’re both getting a little long in the tooth anyway. They’ve been a formidable edge duo, but it’s been looming for a couple of years now….how do you generate more pressure? Who’s going to step up? Fixing the pass rush has been a concern for years now.
It’s hard to imagine Morgan in any other uniform than a Titans one, but it’s also hard to imagine that both of these guys are going to stay put in Nashville. That remains to be seen, but it sure looks like if the Titans elect to let one or both guys go, they’ll have a future stud waiting in the wings. Factor in the production of Sharif Finch and Jayon Brown, and the improvement of Rashaan Evans, and the Titans have quite the formidable young linebacking corps.
As a side note, I’d like to join the ranks of those who are over the ‘Honor Landry’ joke. I believe that we here at SoBros Network have a decent grasp on humor, and it feels like this ship has sailed. Give it up, guys – it was funny for a week or two, but still dropping it on tweets about Landry in December is too much.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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