NASHVILLE – Harold Landry III arrived in Nashville four years ago, a young player eager to learn.
With the Titans, he's developed into one of the NFL's top pass rushers.
"As a player, I've just grown so much," Landry said on Thursday. "Like run game, pass game, my hands, setting the edge, coverage and … from a mental standpoint, just understanding situations," Landry said on Thursday. "That's something (coach Mike Vrabel) does a great job of teaching us. That's something I've grown in over the years. The game has slowed down for me. I'm seeing formations easier, that the offense comes out in. That triggers something in my head saying, 'This is a pass, this is a run,' stuff like that."
Now Landry is ready to take his game to another level, while lifting the Titans.
After signing a lucrative new contract with the Titans, Landry said his plan is to get even better while lifting those around him.
"There's always room for improvement," Landry said. "For me, personally, I am picking one or two things that I know I can improve on going into this offseason while enhancing on things that I know I do well. I am sure the coaches are already working on it. I know for a fact that we are going to go over the things that we do well, but also the things, mainly the things, that we know we can improve on to take this group to the next level. So, I am excited for that. I am excited to get back to work and being able to take that next step as a group."
A second-round pick of the Titans in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Boston College, Landry racked up 12 sacks and 49 quarterback pressures in 2021.
The sack total ranked 10th in the NFL and led the team, and it finished off a four-year stretch in which Landry accumulated a team-high 31 sacks, the second-highest total by a Titans/Oilers player in his first four NFL seasons since 1982, when individual sacks became an official NFL statistic 1982 (37 by Jevon Kearse).
During a year when he went to his first Pro Bowl, Landry also tied for second on the squad with 75 tackles while also leading the team with 14 tackles for loss. He joined Micah Parsons, Aaron Donald and Cameron Heyward as the only NFL players in 2021 to post at least 75 tackles and 10 sacks.
In 2022, Landry said the Titans are hungry for more.
In addition to Landry, defensive lineman Denico Autry (nine sacks), defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons (8.5 sacks) and edge rusher Bud Dupree (three sacks) will all return ready to wreak havoc for the Titans in 2021.
"We got some dogs on our front four," Landry said. "And I just feel like none of us are ever content, we're always hungry, always looking to improve. And I think that's the most important thing. I think all four of us kind of share that same mindset as to every time we step on the field, we want to be the best players on the field. I just think that's a characteristic you need to lead the charge and to have that impact on a team to go out and win a Super Bowl."
"We're real confident that we have the team to go out to win the Super Bowl. I think our front four can lead the charge. That's another reason why I came back here, because the culture here is a winning culture. It's a proven, winning culture. That was really important to me because we know we have the team to do it."
