Harold

Landry III

Landry was upgraded to a full participant in Friday’s practice, which suggests he’s trending on the right side of playing in Week 1. The Titans EDGE rusher was lost to a torn ACL just days before the start of the 2022 season, but totaled a career-high 12 sacks the last time he was on a field. We’d be surprised if Landry didn’t suit up come Sunday.

Landry suffered the injury in Wednesday’s practice. It’s a massive blow for a player coming off a career-high 12 sacks, and a team that signed Landry to a five-year, $87.5 million extension in March. The only good news is that Landry is still only 26 years old, and should recover in time for Week 1, 2023. It places huge pressure on fellow EDGE Bud Dupree, and leaves a Titans defense that is seemingly always operating off its back foot from a personnel perspective once against adjusting on the fly.

He gets $52.5 million guaranteed. Landry doesn’t turn 26 until later this summer and was curiously left un-tagged ahead of the deadline Tuesday afternoon, and now we know the reason. Landry is coming off a career-high 12.5 sacks last season, and the Titans are hoping it wasn’t a contract-year fluke. The former second-round pick is theoretically headed into his prime.

“It’s no secret that I love playing for the Titans, and my family loves living in Tennessee. So hopefully we can get a deal done,” Landry told reporters. Landry’s coming off a career-high 12 sack season and Titans GM Jon Robinson has noted that they’ll do “everything they can” to keep Landry. It sounds like the franchise tag might still be on the table for the Titans, but it looks like both sides want to stay together if possible.

Terry McCormick of Titan Insider reported recently that Tennessee could franchise tag Landry if the two parties can’t agree on a long-term deal. Robinson’s statement today implies the Titans want to keep Landry on the team for the long haul, but it seems like the tag could be a last resort to keep the star linebacker off the open market. Landry set a career-high with 12 sacks in 2021.

Landry set a career-high with 12 sacks this season and, per Sports Info Solutions, had a career-high 62 pass pressures as well. He would undoubtedly be one of the best defenders on the market if he made it there, and will turn 26 in June. The Titans are in a somewhat precarious cap situation, but franchising Landry would make a lot of sense.

With nine sacks in as many games, Landry is in the midst of a breakout campaign. He’s only a half of a sack away from his career-high over the course of a season. His status warrants monitoring throughout the week. Bud Dupree was also absent from practice due to a knee issue.

Landry was on the field for 86 percent of the team’s snaps in 2019, leading all Titans front seven defenders. It is uncommon for a pass rusher to do that. Bowen’s point is that a better rotation would allow Landry to “get the biggest bang for his buck.” After being selected in the second round, Landry already has 13.5 sacks to his name, including nine in his second season. Look for Kamalei Correa and De’Andre Walker to see more playing time along with the addition of Vic Beasley.

Landry had an underwhelming rookie year, though he did manage to generate 4.5 sacks on 591 snaps. He was highly inconsistent on a week-to-week basis. An early-season ankle injury undoubtedly played a part. Landry has had a healthy offseason.

Despite the questionable tag, Landry is fully expected to make his NFL debut after sitting out Week 1. Fellow rookie ILB Rashaan Evans (hamstring) is also expected to play.