With new faces around him, Titans veteran Amani Hooker is ready to lead the way

NASHVILLE – When veteran defenseman Amani Hooker looks around, he sees a lot of new things.

New head coach, new defensive coordinator, new position coach and a lot of new faces around him on defense.

Hooker, entering his sixth season with the Titans, wants to do his part to help lead the way.

“It’s a responsibility thing, for me too,” Hooker said. “It’s all new to me – it’s a new style, a new defense, a new scheme, so like everybody else is learning, I’m doing the same thing.

“But my job is to make sure that everyone is learning at a progressive level and that we are doing it together, as a unit.”

Hooker is the Titans’ second-longest tenured player, alongside defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, behind outside linebacker Harold Landry. Hooker and Simmons were part of the 2019 draft class, and have been mainstays on the team ever since.

Before looking ahead, Hooker looked back on last season, and it reminded him of the things he can do better in the future.

“(The things I can) improve on are ball disruption, ball play, whether it’s interceptions, pass breakups, forced fumbles,” Hooker said. “Overall, I just want to be the best safety I can be. I know I have a long way to go, but I know my abilities are there and I just have to get better in the offseason and help my guys around me.”

In five NFL seasons, Hooker played in 66 games, including 37 as a starter. He recorded 245 tackles, seven interceptions and 22 pass defenses, along with two quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles.

In 2023, while playing in 13 games, Hooker totaled 80 tackles and one interception, along with three tackles for loss.

Hooker said he’s excited about the additions the team has made around him, including the addition of veteran cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie.

“We have two dogs – we have Chido and Sneed on the field,” Hooker said. “I’m looking forward to going full speed with them, with the protections on. I’ve seen them make plays for the other team against us, so I’m excited to have them on our team now and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“These guys have proven that they can be in the right position to make plays, and when I’m on the field, I’m able to do my job now, and start looking for plays that come to me. Knowing that you have guys that are aggressive on the field, it allows me, as a safety, to have that same mentality that they do and bring that to our defense.”

Hooker said he’s also excited about new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and the mindset he brings.

Hooker said the guys are excited and see opportunities, whether they’re new to the team or have been around for several years like him.

“I would just say the defense is a lot more aggressive,” Hooker said of the defense. “They’ve been aggressive, there’s been times they could be and times they weren’t, so our coaches are doing a good job of teaching us that.”