Tennessee Titans: Will Derrick Morgan Be a Dominant DE This Season?

Heading into the Tennessee Titans 2011 season, one of the biggest question marks was Derrick Morgan and how he would rebound from his torn ACL. The answer was not well. While he registered a team-best 20 quarterback pressures, he finished the season with only 2.5 sacks.

That will change.

Morgan's weak 2011 campaign was the result of a number of factors. For one, torn ACL's often take over a year to fully heal (apologies to the Kenny Britt fans out there). He then suffered a complication with his knee just prior to the start of the season which required another surgery. To top that all off, he suffered an ankle injury that nagged him throughout much of the year.

This season will be a different story.

In 2010, his rookie season, Morgan came out looking dominant. He had 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles in 3 games before tearing his ACL early in week 4.

And some numbers from two years ago aren't the only reason to be optimistic about Morgan's future.

Morgan began coming on strong at the end of the 2011 season as his health recovered. In week 16 against Jacksonville, Morgan showed pure dominance, with seven tackles, three quarterback pressures, a tackle for loss and a pass defensed. He literally did it all.

While Morgan may never rack up 16 sacks in a season, he doesn't have to. He can pressure the quarterback, set the edge to defend the run and even drop back into coverage if necessary.

Derrick Morgan has the ability to be one of the most well-rounded defensive ends in the league.