Weaver Looks to Raise His Game by Going Low

Outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow says the 2021 fourth-round pick continues to stress the importance of pad level to the 6-foot-4 edge rusher.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

NASHVILLE – A towering physical specimen, Rashad Weaver stands 6-foot-4, with 33.5-inch arms and an 82-inch wingspan.

One of the challenges as he readies for his second season with the Tennessee Titans? Making sure all that height, length and width works as an advantage – not a detriment.

The edge rusher, a fourth-round pick in 2021, was limited to just 12 defensive snaps over two games as a rookie before a broken fibula ended his season and led to surgery.

Weaver was back on the practice field during the offseason, and he wasn’t wearing a yellow non-contact jersey.

Still, in some respects, he is like a rookie after playing so sparingly last season.

That’s why Titans outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow wants him to make sure that -- in a sport where low-man leverage wins at the line of scrimmage – Weaver knows the importance of not getting too high.

“The biggest thing for him is getting his pads down,” Crow said. “He’s a tall human being and those guys can struggle with pad level. His number one thing this (offseason) is just get his hands rock-steady and get his pad level down.”

In college, Weaver put his physical assets to good use, posting a productive 2020 season after he missed all of 2019 with an ACL injury. Weaver totaled 35 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two passes defended in nine games during that final year at Pitt.

Pro Football Focus called Weaver “arguably the best run-defending edge” in the 2021 draft class, noting he “has the ideal combination of size and length that makes blocking him a chore.”

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler chimed in by saying Weaver’s “length and handwork at the top of his rush allows him to break down blockers.” But he also offered some words of caution similar to Crow’s, noting that Weaver “allows his pads to get upright.”

Crow said pad level will be a focus for Weaver when the Titans open training camp at the end of the month, along with reacquainting himself with the playbook.

“I think again for him, his pad level is always going to be a challenge, but (also) just getting more comfortable with the playbook,” Crow said. “(After his injury last year), we kind of took his mind a little bit off the scheme and implemented it more towards what’s going on in the game and helping him study the game. Now it’s bringing him back, getting him ready to play in our system and getting him caught up there. He’s doing a great job. It’s just day by day improvement.”

Crow believes Weaver did benefit from his rookie season, even though it came to such a quick end.

“I think he became a student of the game,” Crow said. “He had a little bit of playing time. That’s always invaluable. When he (came back from the injury), he was rehabbing and doing that stuff. But he kept fresh and learned and watched a lot of film and just studied it from kind of an outsider’s perspective, and now he’s translating that to when he’s on the field.”

Assuming Weaver stays healthy, uses his off-field education and remembers to keep a low pad level, he should add some intriguing versatility to the Titans’ already imposing front seven.

Weaver is big and strong enough to set an edge against the run, but also a good enough rusher that he could move inside on passing downs. His size and skill set are worth comparing to the Titans’ 6-foot-5, 285-pound Denico Autry, who piled up nine sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 44 quarterback pressures last year.

“I’m not exactly sure where (Weaver) is going to end up,” Crow said. “But I know wherever we put him, he’s going to do a great job.”