Tennessee Titans Roster Profile: S Amani Hooker

Welcome to Music City Miracles’ Tennessee Titans 2023 Roster Profile! Between now and August, MCM will feature more than two dozen talents. The main goal is to highlight underrated contributors and key rotational players. We’ll throw in the odd superstar or roster-bubble player, but we’re mainly focused on spotlighting the middle of the roster. That’s where key depth helps define a roster’s ceiling.

Today, we’re analyzing safety Amani Hooker.

Basic Info

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 210

College: Iowa

Entered League: No. 116 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft

Experience: 5

Years with team: 5

Contract Status

“Amani Hooker signed a 3 year, $30,000,000 contract with the Tennessee Titans, including a $10,000,000 signing bonus, $17,150,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $10,000,000. In 2023, Hooker will earn a base salary of $6,185,000, while carrying a cap hit of $8,870,294 and a dead cap value of $13,685,000.” Spotrac

The Good

Amani Hooker quickly developed into a starting caliber safety next to Kevin Byard. A fourth-round steal in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Titans signed Hooker to a well-deserved three-year extension ahead of the 2022 campaign. Hooker has become a mainstay for a top-ranked Titans defense.

Hooker was once again outstanding throughout the 2022 campaign. He recorded 45 total tackles and was credited with making 11 stops. Hooker is a balanced defender that offers terrific versatility. He can roam center field in single-high looks, can defend the run, and can come downhill to lock-up opposing tight ends in man-to-man coverage. There’s nothing Hooker can’t do.

Opposing quarterbacks saw a passer rating of just 86.1 when targeting Hooker in coverage. The former Iowa standout allowed 10.0 yards per reception. Hooker earned a pass-coverage grade of 71.5 from Pro Football Focus.

The Bad

Hooker has been somewhat injury prone throughout his tenure with the Titans. Hooker participated in a career-low nine games in 2022 thanks to recurring knee and shoulder injuries. Injuries limited Hooker to 12 regular-season appearances in 2021. Hooker played 16 games in 2019 and 2020, so his recent string of injuries is a fairly new development.

2023 Outlook:

Hooker and Byard help form one of the league’s most fearsome safety tandems. There’s little depth behind them. When healthy, Hooker is a 110-percent competitor that doesn’t leave the field.

Hooker has recorded six career interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He’s one of the most combative safeties in coverage across the league. If Hooker can stay healthy, 2023 is shaping up to be another standout campaign for one of Tennessee’s most underrated defenders.