When Alontae Taylor was brought to Nashville this offseason on a three-year, $58 million deal, nobody expected the highly touted CB to be benched in Week 6. More than likely, nobody expected the Titans to bench him at all. But the Titans did, and then the Titans won.
In Taylor's first game fully on the sidelines, Tennessee's secondary came down with two interceptions. Amani Hooker, who filled in for Taylor in covering Indianapolis Colts' WR1 Josh Downs, had what may have been the best game of his career.
Naturally, discussions about Taylor's role in Robert Saleh's defense caught fire. It seems clear now that Saleh sat him for football reasons (which paid off), but talks of a potential midseason trade picked up and haven't let off since.
Nobody wants to see one of Tennessee's premier offseason pickups give way to a trade that would likely see the Titans settle for mid-to-late-round draft compensation. All the same, if the team is better without him, it'd be better to rip that bandage sooner rather than later.
However, Coach Saleh isn't ready to give up on his big-pickup corner just yet. The Titans' coach plans to shift Taylor away from being solely played at the CB spot. The change has the potential to save Taylor's waning reputation in Nashville.
Saleh's change could save Taylor's reputation with Titans
First things first, Taylor is taking the right steps for a player who was suddenly benched. Saleh acknowledged Taylor's positive energy during the game in spite of not playing, noting that the CB has had a good week of practice since.
When it comes to Taylor's return to the field, Saleh said, "We've gotten him some nickel reps... he's attacked the heck out of it."
"Our nickel is a lot different than the nickel that most nickels play, where it's a lot of man coverage." Saleh expressed a desire to identify Taylor's "fastball," between his ability to play both corner and nickel.
Taylor's roadblock to a major role at nickel
Taylor impressing in reps at the latter spot may be his key to working into the impactful position that the Titans brought him in to achieve in the first place. The roadblock in place for Taylor is, of course, Marcus Harris, who has played well at nickel for Tennessee.
"He still has to go earn it," Saleh added, praising Harris' work in his defense. "You've got to have multiple players at multiple spots."
Taylor's height and athleticism, at 6'1" 200 lbs, presents a promising physical makeup for a corner. But his career eight sacks (including one this season) speak to a potential advantage that he may have in the slot.
We're playing a waiting game that will likely last the entirety of this season to see where Taylor ends up in Saleh's defense. However, after a slow start to his first run in Nashville, Saleh giving Taylor the chance to shine in a different spot should be a hugely promising sign for Titans fans.
Tomorrow's duel with the Cleveland Browns could serve as a telling test for Taylor, depending on how much he sees the field. All eyes on Week 7.
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