The Tennessee Titans were defeated 30-24 in an exciting showing by the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Week 12 game. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward stole the show, but he wasn’t the only Titans rookie to continue trending in the right direction. Safety Kevin Winston Jr. and cornerback Marcus Harris also continued to impress on defense.
Harris became the team’s starting nickel cornerback following the Roger McCreary trade. The sixth-round pick out of Cal has routinely impressed. Harris played 30 total snaps
against the Seahawks and Pro Football Focus assigned him an elite defensive grade of 89.0 for his performance.
Harris was targeted three times in coverage. Sam Darnold didn’t complete any of those throws. Darnold’s passer rating was 39.6 when targeting Harris. The rookie cornerback almost intercepted a pass intended for running back Kenneth Walker III. It would have been a potential pick-six. He also logged a quarterback pressure on a blitz.
Meanwhile Winston earned 48 snaps on defense as the primary safety opposite Amani Hooker. Winston led the Titans defense in tackles with 10, including one for loss. PFF didn’t credit him with a single missed tackle either.
Winston was targeted three times in coverage, giving up all three receptions for 66 yards. Context matters. The majority of those yards occurred via a 56-yard completion to superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. No safety should ever be the primary coverage defender on a receiver who is currently leading the league in receiving, but the Titans made the mistake of getting Winston aligned opposite Smith-Njigba on that play.
Winston is looking like a long-term solution at safety for the Titans. The former Penn State standout has been all over the field in recent weeks. The Titans need to revamp their cornerback room this offseason, but Harris also looks like a useful member of the secondary moving forward.
Mike Borgonzi’s first NFL Draft class continues to impress. Winston and Harris are solutions on a rebuilding roster.
