During a 36-35 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, he had five combined tackles and a season-high 2.5 sacks on December 30, 2018. In 11 games and 11 starts, he had 30 combined tackles (23 solo), seven pass deflections, and one pass deflection. He received an overall grade of 79.4 from PFF that year. In 2017, he started all 16 games for the first time in his career and recorded 59 combined tackles (47 solo) with 10 passes defensed and 1.0 sack. His 47 solo tackles were the most of any outside linebacker not playing at least 75 percent of the defensive snaps. He also ranked second among 4-3 outside linebackers with 7 passes defensed and was rated as the No. 3 edge defender by PFF. A first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2016 out of Vernon Beach High School in Staten Island, New York, he spent his first three seasons with the Giants before being traded to the Titans in 2019. He played 82.9 percent of Tennessee's defensive snaps in 2018 and made 63 combined tackles (50 solo) with 6.5 sacks, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble. He received an overall grade of 80.7 from PFF that year. Vernon's mother, Darlene, died in October 2017 after fighting cancer for two years.