How the Defense Fared in Joint Workout with Cardinals

Safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker showed their well-rounded games, rookie linebacker Chance Campbell continued to show up and more.

NASHVILLE – For the second week in a row, the Tennessee Titans got to see something different on the practice field.

Wednesday, the Titans conducted a joint workout with the Arizona Cardinals at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park. The work between the teams was limited to 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 periods as well as several attempts at the two-minute drill to conclude the session. Along the way, the clubs separated and went through team (11-on-11) work against themselves.

“This was easy communication, open communication about what they wanted to get done and what we wanted to get done,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “… Things ran smoothly.”

Here is a rundown of some of the notable moments for Tennessee’s defense on the day:

• Starting safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker were heavily involved with the cornerbacks in the 1-on-1 period against Arizona’s wide receivers. They certainly did not look out of place.

Byard did not allow a completion in three 1-on-1 reps, and when the drill shifted to 2-on-2 near the goal line, he was in the right position after a short completion to stop the receiver well short of a touchdown. Hooker allowed one completion on three one-on-one reps with help from a drop on his first one.

“It’s just about matchups [and] what we’re doing as a defense,” Hooker said. “If we want to work in playing man-to-man on receivers of if we want to work in playing man-to-man on a tight end – we’re going to do both. We just want to make sure we’re getting our work in.”

Coach Mike Vrabel said injuries that limited the Cardinals’ numbers at tight end were a factor in the decision. Without Byard and Hooker, the rest of Tennessee’s safeties were enough to match up there.

• Rookie inside linebacker Chance Campbell made the first notable play of the team period, when the Titans offense worked against its own defense. He knocked the ball free from wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, after a short reception.

“I think that’s the name of the game – just try to make plays,” the sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss said. “You can correct some mistakes with effort, and I think also when you fire to the ball those things happen. I just have to keep bringing that along.”

Campbell gotten a lot of work recently in practice and in the preseason games. Part of it is because veteran Dylan Cole has missed time with an injury, and part of it is because he has shown he can handle the extra duties.

“If an opportunity arises, he pops in there,” Vrabel said last week. “He has studied. He's learned multiple positions and he has tried to take advantage of his opportunities when he's been out there. Special teams would try to probably be his primary role. But he is certainly giving himself a chance just by knowing a couple of different positions.”

• Arizona wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, capped the first period with a reminder that there is only so much a defensive back can do sometimes.

In a 2-on-2 rep, the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Hopkins battled 5-foot-11, 197-pound cornerback Kristian Fulton for a jump ball in the end zone. Hopkins used his body to shield Fulton and then reached up with his right hand only and plucked the ball out of the air.

Hopkins has scored nine touchdowns and averaged just under 100 receiving yards per game (99.7) in 14 career contests against the Titans. In this case, he showed he is just as much of a problem in practice.

• The 1-on-1 work between the offensive and defensive linemen did not have many notable moments.

One, however, was when Harold Landry flashed a lightning-like spin move. The problem was that it was so fast, Tennessee’s three-time sack leader spun himself right to the ground. He easily won his next rep when he started to the outside then quickly broke to the inside and shot past the blocker almost untouched.

• Third-year cornerback Chris Jackson had a couple of moments he’d like to do over. In 7-on-7 work in the red zone, he allowed a receiver to elude him following a short catch and run to an opening that likely would have resulted in a touchdown. In the two-minute drill, he slipped at about the same time his man caught a pass on a short out route. With Jackson out of the way, the receiver raced untouched to the end zone.

• Inside linebacker Zach Cunningham is known more for his work against the run than against the pass, but he showed he is not exactly a slouch in the latter. In the 7-on-7 period, he broke of a fade in the end zone to running back James Conner, who has had at least 34 receptions each of the last four seasons.

• The Cardinals took a couple shots deep against Titans’ backups in the 7-on-7 period. On one, cornerback Greg Mabin was called for pass interference. On another, undrafted rookie Tre Swilling got beat and allowed quarterback Jarrett Guarantano to connect with wide receiver Andy Isabella for a touchdown.