Former Titans cornerback Logan Ryan will play for the New York Giants this season, signing a one-year deal worth $7.5 million on Monday according to Ian Rapoport.
During free agency of 2017, Ryan signed a 3-year, $30 million deal with the Titans and primarily filled the nickel or slot cornerback position in addition to being a veteran team leader and a great presence studying film and in the locker room. Last year, he led all Titans cornerbacks with 4 of the team’s 14 total interceptions in the regular season, trailing only Kevin Byard’s 5 for the team lead. He also delivered the final blow to the Patriots dynasty with his pick-6 of Tom Brady in last year’s wildcard round.
Ryan was also an excellent tackler and blitzer in his tenure in Nashville. He led the team in tackles last season and piled up four sacks in 2018. He was excellent in run support from the nickel position and rarely missed tackles in the open field.
In addition to his play on the field, Ryan was a part of a close-knit secondary. The group spent offseasons working out and training together with strength coach Jason Spray. Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro have shown their former teammate love on Twitter already.
Despite his productivity in Tennessee, at 29 years old now, Ryan is no longer a spring chicken. He gave up more catches and yards than any player in the NFL last season. According to ProFootballFocus, Ryan allowed 80 receptions (most in the NFL) for 940 yards (most in the NFL) and 6 touchdowns (tied for 8th-most) while in coverage in 2019.
Watch any of Tyreek Hill’s touchdowns against Tennessee—from either game last year—and you’ll likely see Logan Ryan getting beat somewhere in the replay…
Mike Vrabel spoke about the changing requirements for the nickel or slot corner in the NFL as we head into the 2020 season. Here were his comments from April 20:
“And more so now to be able to match up on some vertical routes inside. I think for so long, in the slot there was this horizontal thought—that guys had to work defenses horizontally. And now we’re seeing a lot more vertical routes that are coming out of the slot, so I think that’s something that’s always a challenge when you are looking for players that do all those things and do them very well.”
The Titans of course selected Kristian Fulton in the second round of April’s draft. Many pundits had him ranked as a first-round player; ProFootballFocus had him 13th overall on their big board. Fulton told me earlier this offseason that he expects to play in the nickel “a good bit” his rookie season, and the Titans also signed veteran Jonathan Joseph.
Those are the two leading candidates to pick up the majority of Ryan’s 1099 snaps from last season, a number that tied Kevin Byard for the team-lead in total snaps played on either side of the ball.
Going forward, I wish Logan Ryan nothing but the best. The man was a consummate professional in Tennessee, contributing to the Titans in a big way as well as the Nashville area community with the Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation. I hope he finds success as he continues his career in the Big Apple.
