In a recent article listing three breakout candidates for the Tennessee Titans in 2023, we listed tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, wide receiver Treylon Burks and outside linebacker Arden Key as our choices.
If we were to pick a fourth, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair would be the choice, and that’s something Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday would agree with, as the PFF scribe listed the linebacker as the team’s breakout candidate.
Here’s what he had to say:
Signing Al-Shaair to a one-year deal might have been one of this offseason’s best free-agent additions when it comes to value and price. Al-Shaair managed to improve his PFF grade every year he was with the 49ers and ended up being the 18th-highest-graded linebacker in the league in 2022. Although he didn’t get on the field much behind Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, Al-Shaair impressed during his limited playing time, as he finished with the eighth-highest run-defense grade among linebackers.
After impressing as a reserve/rotational player during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, Al-Shaair stands to see the biggest workload of his career with Tennessee as he transitions to a starter in Nashville.
While Al-Shaair is a solid choice, I would still list Okonkwo, Burks and Key ahead of him if I were to rank breakout candidates.
Nevertheless, if he can answer the bell in his new role, Al-Shaair, who signed a one-year deal, could cash in big time once he hits the open market again in 2024.
