Tennessee Titans star pass rusher Harold Landry suffered a torn ACL during Wednesday’s practice, according to multiple reports.
A loss before the season even begins: Titans’ pass rusher Harold Landry tore his ACL during practice Wednesday, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2022
It likely ends Landry’s 2022 campaign before it officially began. It’s a crushing blow to the Titans defense. Landry enjoyed a career-best campaign in 2021 after recording 12.0 sacks, 74 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and one fumble forced en route to earning his first Pro Bowl appearance. Landry was rewarded with a five-year, $87.5 million extension with $52.5 million guaranteed in March.
Landry is a staple on Tennessee’s defense and often plays 90-plus percent of the team’s defensive snaps on a weekly basis. Landry has been extremely consistent and healthy throughout his career as a Titan. This is an unfortunate setback that can occur at any given moment given the physical nature of the sport.
Bud Dupree is now Tennessee’s unquestioned No. 1 EDGE defender. The expectations for Dupree to enjoy an improved season in 2022 just increased dramatically following last year’s disappointment. Ola Adeniyi and Rashad Weaver are reserves. One of them may be relied on to start in Landry’s absence. Weaver enjoyed a fruitful offseason but the Titans would be asking a lot of him to replace Landry. Denico Autry is also flexible enough to play outside on occasion. There’s truly no way for the Titans to replace Landry’s do-it-all role on the defense. David Anenih is also on the practice squad.
Perhaps Titans General Manager Jon Robinson begins searching for pass-rush help outside the organization. The Titans curiously restructured Derrick Henry’s contract on Thursday in a move that created immediate cap relief. Could the Titans be looking at free-agent pass rushers in a corresponding move? Jason Pierre-Paul is easily the most appealing EDGE defender on the open market.
Landry’s loss is massive.