Roger

McCreary

With RB Tony Pollard (ankle) active, the Titans’ main inactive concerns lie on the defensive side of the ball. Roger McCreary (shoulder) was downgraded to a limited practice on Friday and will miss his second straight game. Jerome Baker (neck) returned to practice this week, but will also miss another game. The Titans defense has a tall task against the super-powered Bengals offense for Week 15.

The Titans’ inactives list contains multiple injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Though CB Chidobie Awuzie (groin) is returning and DT T’Vondre Sweat (shoulder) is active, CB Roger McCreary is out with a shoulder injury. Linebackers Kenneth Murray (hamstring) and Jerome Baker (neck) are also out for Week 14 against the Jaguars.

Awuzie is on injured reserve but doesn’t have a designation for Sunday’s game, meaning the Titans will activate him on Saturday. It’s good timing for the Titans after they listed fellow corner Rodger McCreary as questionable for Week 14 due to a shoulder injury.

Selected with the 35th-overall pick in this year’s draft, McCreary should see significant playing time as a rookie. Despite signing his contract just days before training camp, McCreary has been participating in minicamp and OTAs and should be up to speed with everything the team is working on heading into the season. Rookies are expected to report to Titans training camp on July 23 with quarterback Malik Willis being the only unsigned rookie from Tennessee’s 2022 class.

McCreary (6’0/190) showed out in his sophomore season with 10 pass breakups and an interception over 586 snaps. His PFF grades improved every year, going from 72.4 in his freshman season to 89.9 in his senior season. He earned a full-time starting role in 2020 where he posted a PFF grade of 80.8 with five pass breakups over 660 snaps. His senior season in 2021 was his best. Over 830 snaps, McCreary posted a staggering 13 pass breakups and a passer rating of only 57.8. He plays a very physical style that allows him to maximize his impressive play strength. He was highly effective using his ball skills at Auburn with 29 pass breakups to his name. He knows how to attack the ball in the air and time it right, but his arm length at 28.9-inches is way below the 30-inch threshold and could limit his effectiveness against bigger and longer receivers.

McCreary (5'11"/190) was one of the best coverage corners last season and his impressive showing at the Senior Bowl has further helped his draft stock. Press coverage is important in the NFL, a good CB should bump and run with a receiver to get him off his route and help contest passes. Last season McCreary was the best as he had 14 forced incompletions when lined up in press coverage, five more than the next CB. Those are shut down numbers that not only allow teams to trust a corner in one-on-one coverage but will force an offense to avoid throwing into that player’s area. If McCreary could have that type of presence at the next level, then he will be exciting to watch

McCreary (5'11/190) out up some good tape and some good numbers in his time at Auburn and helped himself further in offseason showings like the Senior Bowl. There are a host of reasons why McCreary is one of the best players at his position in this draft class, and the numbers reflect it. According to PFF, McCreary has the highest coverage grade by a Power 5 cornerback since 2019 (92.7), putting him ahead of both Trent McDuffie and Derek Stingley Jr.

McCreary (5'11"/190) had a great showing during the Senior Bowl and with his impressive sub 4.5 40-time is getting some attention. Pro Football Focus is very high on in as his 89.9 grade is the best amongst FBS cornerbacks. The length of his arms was a concern during the combine, but his speed and quick acceleration during coverage have teams high on him. He finished this season with an excellent 14 passes defended and has six interceptions over the last three seasons. He’s looking like a top 50 prospect in this year’s draft.

McCreary (5'11"/190) has great tape and had a great senior bowl game, but his stock took a hit after measuring very short arms at the combine. Running a pair of very solid 40 times will go a long way to helping his draft status. McCreary now has the speed and acceleration to combine with his great play, as he had the most INTs and forced INTs per PFF over the past few years. He had 14 passes defensed last year and has the playmaking in spades. The arms don’t seem to affect him too much their at least.

Mosher said that McCreary’s (5'11/190) 28 7/8" arms were a “concern” while also citing the average arm length of all-pro CBs since 2010. According to Mosher, all-pro CBs since 2010 have an average arm length of 31.4" with the smallest arm lengths (31.0") belonging to Johnathan Joseph and Stephon Gilmore. McCreary is regarded as one of the better cornerbacks of this year’s class, and is the 49th ranked player on PFF.com’s 2022 NFL Draft Big Board.