Don’t Sleep on the Tennessee Titans
Photo courtesy of Mark Humphrey | AP
Nashville, Tennessee (PSF) - The AFC South was a toss-up division in the 2022 NFL season.
The Tennessee Titans held first place for most of the season but would fall off. Barring inconsistent quarterback play from rookie Malik Willis and Josh Dobbs following an injury to regular starter Ryan Tannehill, the team sputtered out of control and finished the season with a seven-game losing streak. The Titans would close out the year with a record of 7-10.
The upstart Jacksonville Jaguars, led by former Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson and star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, was able to steal the division on the final week of the regular season following a five-game win streak. The win streak was culminated by a Week 18 matchup with the Titans for a win-and-in situation that Jacksonville would win to earn a playoff berth for the first time since 2017.
With Tennessee's collapse and the emergence of talent in Jacksonville, sportswriters, experts, and fans alike have already picked the Jaguars to win the division with ease. However, the AFC South race may not be as easy as fans think, and this Titans team should still be in consideration for the division crown.
The Offense
Tennessee has been known for its one-dimensional smashmouth offense over the past couple of years.
Behind star running back Derrick Henry, the Titans have consistently ranked high in team rushing offense across the league, but have seemingly lacked any star-power in the passing game.
Photo courtesy of Courtney Culbreath | Getty Images
Despite a revolving door of offensive linemen, Tennessee ranked 13th in team rushing offense for the 2022 season, as Henry ran for 1538 yards and 13 touchdowns in his 16-game campaign.
However, Tennessee ranked 29th in passing offense, and was tied for the third fewest passing touchdowns by team for the entire league, with only 16.
Their leading receiver was an aging Robert Woods, who only had a 527 yards for the full season, and was the only Tennessee receiver with over 500 yards on the year.
With Henry’s dominance in the backfield, starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill acts as a game manager, who doesn’t often take risks and is there to limit mistakes and only pass the ball when necessary, hence the low receiving numbers by Tennessee receivers.
The Titans have addressed their lack of a passing game and offensive line through the offseason.
They started their offseason by signing former All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a two-year deal, finding a true WR1 for the 2023 season.
Photo courtesy of Christian Petersen | Getty Images
Although Hopkins has regressed and dealt with nagging injuries in Arizona, his 717 yards in only nine games for the 2022 season still would have led the Titans in receiving for the full season.
While questions still remain unanswered about Hopkins’ effectiveness at the age of 31, Tennessee obtains a red-zone threat and an improvement to the wide receiver room.
The Titans also signed veteran wide receiver Chris Moore, who was the former WR1 in Houston for the 2022 season.
In addition to the receivers, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo is poised to be a threat in the passing game after a promising rookie season. Okonkwo was tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns on the team with three, and had the fifth most targets on the squad for the 2022 season.
With the departure of Austin Hooper, Okonkwo is the primary tight end, and will look to have an increased target share alongside Hopkins and Moore.
The Tennessee receiving room now consists of effective red-zone targets in DeAndre Hopkins and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and explosive young receivers Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips and the aforementioned Okonkwo.
In addition to the receiving room, the Titans also made key improvements to the offensive line. The team drafted the number-one offensive tackle prospect in Peter Skoronski and signed veterans Daniel Brunskill and Andre Dillard.
Photo courtesy of Northwestern Athletics
While Dillard and Skoronski still remain raw prospects, Brunskill provides a veteran presence to the offensive line who has been an efficient run-blocking guard in the San Francisco 49ers scheme since 2019 and will look to have the same impact on the Tennessee offense.
The offense will still run through Derrick Henry, but expect Ryan Tannehill’s passing ability to be more involved with the offensive game-plan as a result of the improvements made to the receiver room in Tennessee. The team should be easily able to surpass their passing touchdown total of 16 from the previous year with these new acquisitions in the offseason.
The Defense
Tennessee’s defensive unit has remained one of the more underrated groups in the NFL.
All-Pro safety Kevin Byard headlines an improved secondary, and Pro-Bowler Jeffery Simmons anchors an underrated defensive line that has consistently ranked towards the top in run defense during defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s tenure in Tennessee.
Photo courtesy of Donald Page | Tennessee Titans
The Titans will also see the return of Pro-Bowler Harold Landry III, who missed the entirety of the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in practice. Landry’s return to the squad provides the team with a dominant edge threat, as Landry would record 12 sacks during his Pro-Bowl year in 2021.
With Landry’s return to the team, Tennessee becomes a strong defense on all three levels with a great secondary, solid linebacking corp, and run-stopping defensive line.
For the 2022 season, Tennessee’s linebacker room was the weakest part of the defense, and the team addressed this need in the offseason by signing veterans Azeez Al-Shaair and Arden Key.
Al-Shaair was an underrated piece of the 49ers defense and even racked up over 100 tackles in the 2021 season playing alongside All-Pro Fred Warner. Al-Shaair provides good coverage skills, solid run-stopping ability, and a veteran presence in the linebacker room alongside Harold Landry.
Key has been a journeyman in his short career, playing for the Raiders, 49ers, and Jaguars. Lining up mainly as an edge, Key is currently listed as a sub-linebacker, meaning he could see more playing time as a hybrid, lining up in coverage or in pass rush schemes for next season.
In addition to the linebacker room, Tennessee improved their secondary through free agency by signing Sean Murphy-Bunting, an important part of the Buccaneers defense that won Super Bowl LV.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas | USA Today Sports
Murphy-Bunting will become the number-one cornerback for Tennessee, alongside Kristian Fulton and Roger McCreary, both of whom had solid 2022 seasons. The former Buccaneer provides solid coverage skills and tackling abilities, as he logged over 40 tackles from 2019-2021, and had defensed seven passes in the 2022 season.
The knack on Murphy-Bunting has been his inconsistency in man coverage, but the upside and potential he brings in Tennessee’s 3-4 zone defensive scheme should see him flourish in his change of scenery.
Alongside their improved secondary and linebacker room, Tennessee retained the core of their defensive line that ranked number one in run defense for the 2022 season.
Jeffery Simmons, Teair Tart and Denico Autry will be the anchors of the line in Shane Bowen’s 3-4 scheme, and will look to continue their dominance in stopping the run.
Tennessee’s offseason signings have significantly improved their defense, and the unit’s success depends on staying healthy. Despite all the injuries the team suffered for the 2022 season, the Titans still ranked 14th in points against.
With Landry’s return and the offseason acquisitions, fans should expect this defense to finish the 2023 season at a higher rank.
The Titans have an aging, yet balanced team. With their underrated defensive unit and bulldozing ground game, they still remain in contention for the division crown in a weak AFC South.
With an easy schedule that consists of eight games against teams who went below .500 the year prior, Tennessee should be able to remain competitive if the team performs up to their potential.
