Derrick

Morgan

Morgan wrote he entered 2018, his contract year, assuming it would be his last in the NFL, and now he has made it official. The No. 16 overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, Morgan spent all nine of his seasons with the Titans. He retires with 44.5 career sacks including a nine-sack campaign back in 2016.

Morgan suffered the injury in the first half of the Titans loss to the Ravens. Rookie Harold Landry is a solid fill-in option, but it is still a blow to Tennessee’s defense.

The Tennessee defense got its tail kicked in the trenches minus both Jones and Morgan, so this is a big help. Morgan, the more explosive pass rusher, is the weak-side end and should square off mostly with Ravens LT Bryant McKinnie Sunday. Jones is the left end, kicking inside to defensive tackle on pass downs.

The 16th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Morgan managed 2.5 sacks and 30 tackles in 15 appearances (10 starts) last season. “I think he has that potential, yes,” Munchak said. “We are excited about him. I feel like last year he was our fifth rookie starter. I think he has a year behind him with his injury, and we are expecting big things out of him.” The injury Munchak referred to was Morgan’s rookie-season ACL tear. He’ll be a full year removed in 2012.

Morgan replaced Jones as the team’s starting left end last Sunday and appears to be in line for more work as he becomes more acclimated with the defense. With current starter Dave Ball on a one-year contract, it would be in Tennessee’s best interest to try and get both Morgan and Jones on the field as much as possible, as both were heavily invested in as high-round draft picks.

The team has a few building blocks up front in DT Jurrell Casey, pass rusher Karl Klug, and 2010 first-rounder Derrick Morgan, but Jason Jones, Dave Ball, William Hayes, and Barrett Ruud are all free agents. At $35 million under the cap, the Titans are in “pretty good shape,” and Webster believes there’s a strong crop of free agents. The running game upgrades will likely come on the interior of the offensive line.

“Wimbley, your job is to get Morgan to get that double-team off you, to get that chip off you, because if you don’t they’ll chip you the whole year,” Gray said. Coming off a torn ACL in 2011, Morgan managed just 30 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 15 appearances (10 starts). He should regain explosion a full year removed.

Morgan tore his ACL during Week 4 of the 2010 season and managed just 2.5 sacks while wearing the brace in 2011. He says he was only 75-80 percent. Now the former first-round pick says he’s at 100 percent and feeling no pain. The Titans believe Morgan has turned the corner.

He’s practicing behind annual practice squad-type Pannel Egboh. Morgan has reportedly been assured by defensive coordinator Jerry Gray that he’s “still the starter” at left end. Morgan was the 16th overall draft pick three Aprils ago.

It’s a bad sign that Morgan, the No. 18 overall pick in 2010, can’t separate from a guy who has spent the last three seasons on practice squads. Egboh started the Titans’ preseason opener last week. It’s possible that Morgan will end up as a pass-rushing specialist while the bigger Egboh gets the early-down reps.