Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Rashad Weaver was the team’s biggest standout on defense in the preseason Week 2 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Weaver had multiple pressures in the contest, one of which led to a sack, and the other saw him get a piece of Bucs quarterback Kyle Trask’s arm, leading to an interception for linebacker Joe Jones. The Pittsburgh product added a fumble recovery for good measure, also.
“It’s good to be back at home, do that in front of the fans,” Weaver said, per Ben Arthur of the Tennessean. “Getting to make those plays was just a bonus on top of [winning the game].”
Making Weaver’s sack even more impressive was the fact that the second-year pro was held on the play, drawing the flag. It was yet another example of the relentless style of play Weaver brings to the table.
“Nothing comes easy in football, starting from college all the way to the NFL,” Weaver said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “You watch as outside linebackers, defensive ends, you talk about making sacks, rushing the passer. Most guys don’t get that home-run pass-rush move where they just get a clean sack. It’s about being relentless and continue to run after the ball.”
“Same with the recovered fumble,” Weaver added “I didn’t make the hit, I didn’t make the fumble, but I was running to the ball and benefitted from my teammates making big plays and helping the team out.”
“He wreaks havoc,” fellow outside linebacker Bug Dupree said of Weaver. “Tall guy, man. Long arms. He’s explosive as well. … That’s an advantage for him. He can put his hands on guys and move them out of the way.”
One of the points of emphasis for Weaver has been working in new pass-rush moves. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel noticed Weaver trying new things on Saturday night.
“He started working in some new moves, some new pass rush moves and trying to do some things off of what he was doing earlier,” Vrabel said. “It was good to see that it’s not just the same move over and over again. That probably showed up tonight.”
The more we see of Weaver, the more it’s evident he has the potential to make a big impact in 2022. However, he’ll have to do so against better competition in the regular season, something Weaver fully realizes.
“It’s preseason, so you always know the competition will be stiffer once you get into the regular season,” Weaver explained. “But it was a good showing [by the team] today, and we’ll keep building off of it. It’s what you expect to see from us. You’ve got all these great players around here and just doing our job and hustling to the ball. Effort and finish and making plays. And that’s what our defense is. Effort and finish and making plays. Those are our focuses and that’s how you win games in this league.”