Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans: Brian Orakpo racking up sacks this season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Tennessee Titans have desperately needed help in the pass rush department, and former big free agent pickup Brian Orakpo has answered the call…

At the age of 30, Tennessee Titans veteran pass rusher Brian Orakpo is off to the best start of his NFL career, racking up six sacks in the last four games. Orakpo has half of the team’s 12 sacks this season, and was part of dismembering a Miami Dolphins offensive line this past weekend.

His performance against the Dolphins was of particular note, as Orakpo racked up six tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, and two additional hits on the quarterback.

Orakpo was a highly regarded prospect coming out of Texas in 2009, known for his ability to get after the quarterback, and after a great start to his career with the Redskins, injuries plagued him and prior to the 2015 season (his first with the Titans) he hadn’t played a full 16 game season since 2011.

For a team desperate for a presence off the edge, Orakpo has finally become what many hoped he would be in his prime years with the Redskins, and he’s building off of a solid seven-sack season a year ago. He has six in the last four games as I mentioned before, and in that four game stretch, the Titans have won both games he’s recorded multiple sacks.

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As is the case with many great pass rushers, sacks can come in bunches and right now, Orakpo is white hot. He’s one sack off of the league lead (Lorenzo Alexander has seven), and is starting to pave the way for his Titans teammates in getting to the quarterback.

With Orakpo’s success should come success for others by default. The Titans have plenty of talented players on the defensive front, including Derrick Morgan who finally got on the board this past weekend with two sacks.

The Titans’ pass rush came alive last week and forced the Dolphins to cut a couple of starting offensive linemen as a way of saying, ‘enough is enough.’

At any rate, it’s an encouraging start for Orakpo, who has really become an asset for this Tennessee Titans team, one that’s not as bad as their 2-3 record indicates. If Orakpo can spark a pass rush for this Titans’ defense, they have the firepower offensively to stay in most games and make a huge impact late.

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