Many of those around the Tennessee Titans feel certain players are underrated. Just a few weeks ago, there were posts on social media after safety Amani Hooker was snubbed by analysts breaking down the top safeties in the league. But what does it mean to be underrated?
John Sigler of Saints Wire recently undertook a project to identify which players have been underrated during their careers. To accomplish this, his team created some basic guidelines to sort through the vast number of players. First, the players had to demonstrate longevity, having played in at least 128 games during their careers. And second, they could be named to no more than two Pro Bowls.
When the dust settled on the offensive players from 2002 to 2024, four current or former Titans found themselves on the “Actually Underrated Team.”
Quarterback
Second team: Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill is a funny case. His numbers on paper are very solid: 34,881 passing yards (36th-most), 216 touchdown passes (41st), and a record of 81-70 as a starter. But he’s never been seen as the engine running his offense, even with being a former No. 8 overall pick. Still, he did well for himself, and his career is one many quarterbacks would be proud of, despite the lack of all-star recognition.
After struggling at the quarterback position in recent seasons, many fans would have welcomed Tannehill back to Nashville with open arms before drafting Ward. Tannehill was not spectacular, but he was solid and brought stability to the quarterback position.
Wide receiver
Second team: Derrick Mason
Mason entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Tennessee Oilers back in 1997, and the longevity of his career speaks for itself: 15 years, 12,061 yards, and 645 first-down conversions. He was recognized as a Pro Bowler only twice, and once as an All-Pro.
Earlier on Sunday, Titans Wire covered Mason being inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, and discovered exactly how much of an impact he made on the Titans’ record books. In his prime, Mason was a dynamic receiver who became a consistent target everywhere he played once he established himself as an NFL receiver. Looking back at his career, it is hard to believe he was only named to two Pro Bowls.
Left guard
Second team: Andy Levitre
Levitre moved around the NFL a bit after the Buffalo Bills drafted him in the second round, but every team he ended up on reached the same conclusion: he needed to be a starter. Both the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons trusted Levitre to start at guard, and though injuries cut his career shorter than it ought to have been, he still did really well for himself with over 9,000 snaps played. He was a key part of some fun Bills teams back in the day and more than held his own for some of the greatest Falcons teams of all time (and Atlanta still didn’t win a Super Bowl). At some point, he should’ve been a Pro Bowler.
Injuries prevented Levitre from living up to expectations after signing a six-year, $46.8 million deal with the Tennessee Titans in March 2013. In all, he played two seasons in Nashville before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
Right guard
Second team: Kevin Zeitler
At one time, Zeitler was the highest-paid guard in the NFL, which feels like a nice consolation prize for being recognized at just one Pro Bowl in his 13-year career. Zeitler is on to his sixth team in his 198-game career. But he was picked in the first round, so we’re putting him behind Garza, who was a fourth-rounder when he entered the league.
It’s hard to believe that Zeitler made this list. Widely regarded as one of the top offensive guards in the game, the fact that he has only been named to one Pro Bowl comes as a surprise. The Titans are his sixth team since entering the NFL, but he remains a high-level player, and Tennessee is counting on him to bring stability and leadership to their offensive line in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Current, former Titans named to ‘All-Time Actually Underrated Team’
