The Tennessee Titans lost to the Cincinnati Bengals for a third straight time since 2020 on Sunday, and the aftermath was understandably morose.
However, one Mike Vrabel quote hidden under the yuck stood out as a major spot of optimism.
It is no secret that the Titans’ top two corners, Kristian Fulton and Roger McCreary, struggled against Cincy, but the third corner, Tre Avery, had a nice performance most aren’t talking about enough.
Mike Vrabel is, though…
Tre Avery is a rookie undrafted free agent out of Rutgers. The only time Titans fans saw him through the first half of the season was in that bloodbath in Buffalo where Stefon Diggs took his lunch money.
#Titans HC Mike Vrabel: DB Tre Avery (@T21Avery) did excellent on Sunday. Of our group of corners, he probably did the best with his opportunities. Stood up to the challenge
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 28, 2022
But, c’mon, that’s Stefon freakin’ Diggs. He bullies everyone, especially a UDFA playing his first real snaps in a landslide game. Even if Avery didn’t deserve some slack, he still went to the pine.
Avery didn’t resurface again until Week 9 against Kansas City. Since that moment, though, take a look at what Avery has done…
Since getting back into the rotation in Week 9 Tre Avery has done this:
11 Targets
3 Catches
27 yards
3 PBUs
41.7 Passer Rating
75.5 Overall Grade
75.2 Coverage GradeAnother UDFA Gem for J Rob??
https://t.co/RNHJNGnhbV
— TicTacTitans (@TicTacTitans) November 28, 2022
On Sunday against the Bengals, Avery had an 82.3 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus. He was targeted seven times and gave up only two catches for 28 yards. He allowed a passer rating of 43.8 and had a fantastic pass break-up.
Also, if you listen to me or Mike Vrabel, we would tell you he was actually targeted six times and only gave up one catch.
So, without further ado, and as we do every week, let’s step into the film room and see how Avery did it…