Full Tennessee Titans Awards at Halfway Point of 2014 Season
It's hard to find anything positive within the 2-6 record the Tennessee Titans have at the halfway point of the 2014 season.
Their lone wins came against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and an average Kansas City Chiefs team. The season is basically over, and the Titans will enter another meaningless back end of the regular season to get these inexperienced players some valuable playing time.
However, there are bright spots within this roster if you look hard enough. After some serious searching on my part, here are your midseason awards for the Titans.
Rookie of the Year: Avery Williamson
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The Titans found themselves a gem in the fifth round when they took Avery Williamson. He's making the most out of his opportunity to fill in for the injured Zach Brown.
Williamson's early maturity has kept the Titans from suffering a big drop-off from losing Brown early in the season. He's ranked among the best rookie linebackers in tackles this season, per NFL.com:
- C.J Mosley, BAL: 76 tackles
- Preston Brown, BUF: 60 tackles
- Anthony Barr, MIN: 54 tackles
- Khalil Mack, OAK: 43 tackles
- Avery Williamson, TEN: 36 tackles
I'm not sure where the Titans would be if Williamson wasn't playing so well this early in his career. Yes, the Titans defense hasn't looked very good, but Williamson has helped keep the ship from completely sinking. He has a bright future, and it will be interesting to see how he can finish out his rookie year with plenty of playing time.
Comeback Player of the Year: Kamerion Wimbley
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Kamerion Wimbley's numbers won't jump off the page at you by any means. He has two sacks during a season where he has moved from defensive end to an outside linebacker.
He recorded his last sack against the Houston Texans in Week 8.
It was looking like Wimbley wouldn't even make the 53-man roster in the middle of the offseason. He seemed to be a complete bust from when he was signed as a free agent the same year that the Titans missed out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.
I like what I've seen from Wimbley this season as he's been able to play more to his strengths rushing the passer. His future might still be limited in Tennessee since his contract could be dumped at the trade deadline, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
With that said, Wimbley has quietly revitalized his career after getting the opportunity to play in an aggressive 3-4 defense. I didn't think he had any shot at remaining in a Titans uniform for 2014, so he gets the Comeback Player of the Year for the Titans through eight games.
Offensive Player of the Year: Delanie Walker
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This one is a no-brainer on an offense that is struggling thanks to having no stability at quarterback. Delanie Walker is on pace for more than 900 yards receiving, but that pace will probably drop off with a rookie quarterback taking over.
Walker gave the Titans a chance to beat a very good Dallas Cowboys team back in Week 2, and his numbers have certainly been impressive. He's once again found himself as being the only viable tight end for the offense to turn to.
Ken Whisenhunt loves to incorporate tight ends into his offense, so Walker will continue to see plenty of targets to possibly reach 1,000 yards and get some Pro Bowl votes.
If the Titans had a reliable running game, then who knows what kind of numbers Walker would be putting up.
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Defensive Player of the Year: Jurrell Casey
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Jurrell Casey's 2014 campaign may not be as eye-opening as last season was, but he's still a major positive within a defense that is suffering some huge growing pains.
The Titans defensive line has shown modest improvements each week, and Casey has lead that charge. He's managed four sacks in a transition year to defensive end.
Casey's grade ranked second among defensive ends in 3-4 systems in Week 8 against the Houston Texans, per Pro Football Focus. He didn't record a sack, but he was able to put pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick for most of the day, which he does to nearly every quarterback he faces.
The inept Titans offense has done this transitioning defense no favors in 2014. Due to the lack of lengthy drives, the Titans defense has played more defensive snaps than anyone in the NFL, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:
"Titans have played the most defensive snaps in the league: NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans ha... http://t.co/bcN5AUv820 #Titans
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 27, 2014"
Despite being on the field a lot, Casey has still showed that last season was no fluke. He wins this award narrowly over Wesley Woodyard and Jason McCourty.
Most Valuable Player: Kendall Wright
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I'm completely convinced that Kendall Wright would be a Pro Bowl player if he had a stable quarterback situation. However, Wright has still managed to put up solid numbers and continues to grow into a fine player no matter where he lines up.
His heart and determination cannot be questioned this season, unlike another young Titans receiver who lines up next to him. He brings life to the team whenever he's given the opportunity to get tough first downs.
Here are Wright's numbers through eight games, per NFL.com:
| Player | Receiving Yards | Avg. | TD | Yds/Game |
| Kendall Wright | 350 | 10.0 | 4 | 43.8 |
The offensive woes the Titans have showed have not been Wright's fault. If anything, he's kept them from being nonexistent. Wright will flourish if he can ever get a solid quarterback. Maybe he can begin to build some chemistry with Zach Mettenberger over the last eight games.
His numbers alone don't make him more valuable than Delanie Walker's great start to the season. What makes Wright the most valuable is how lost this team would be without his talents lining up all over the field. The offense would be so much worse than it is.
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