TAKING STOCK: TENNESSEE TITANS

BY ADAM GREENE

I’m not sure who was more shocked when the Baltimore Ravens ended the Tennessee Titans’ season by stomping on their logo; them or me. I certainly didn’t see it coming and while I correctly determined, over the 2020-21 season’s final six weeks that the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs were destined to meet in the AFC Championship, the Titans looked to me like an Elite Eight team. Instead, they watched their season end in the Wild Card round to a team that they had dominated in their last two meetings and should have again.

So now it’s back to the drawing board for Tennessee, a team that was a game away from a Super Bowl berth two years ago and claimed an AFC South title this past season before being unceremoniously dumped from contention in January.

In the Taking Stock series, we’re looking at each playoff team, going from worst to first, and outlining exactly what they must do to avoid being one of the five or so franchises who miss the postseason the year after making it.

TENNESSEE TITANS

2020-21 Record: 11-5 (AFC South Champion)

Playoffs: Lost 20-13 to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round

2021-22 AFC Championship Odds: +1600

Previously: Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Washington Football Team

NOW WHAT?

In past editions of this series I’ve used this area to discuss the team’s issues at quarterback and what they should do. The Titans have no such problems as Ryan Tannehill has not only solidified that spot, but can lay claim to being one of the best in the league since joining Tennessee in a trade from the Miami Dolphins an offseason ago. Last year, Tannehill went 11-5 as a starter in the regular season and completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,819 yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. It’s an elite QB year by anyone’s standards and good for a 90.3 grade from PFF. The Titans are set.

They’ve also got the best running back in the league, Derrick Henry. He rushed for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, leading the league in both categories for the second year in a row and became only the seventh runner to ever cross 2,000 yards.

Both Tannehill and Henry are under contract. They have one of the best offensive lines in front of them and the other skill positions are hardly lacking. Wide receiver A.J. Brown recorded his second 1,000 yard season in just his second year. They were loaded on offense last season, so what was the problem?

It was the team’s defense that was abysmal, finishing fifth worst in the league in total yardage and No. 24 in points allowed. It was the defense that folded to a predictable and embarrassing Baltimore offensive attack that was held to virtually nothing by the Buffalo Bills a week later. You might expect the team’s defensive coordinator’s head to roll after such a performance, but that’s just it. The Titans didn’t have one last season.

Mike Vrabel is a defensive guy, but wasn’t a particularly good defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans before landing the Tennessee head job. Needless to say, whatever system they had in place last season was a disaster.

Tennessee promoted outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen officially to the defensive coordinator job, but he was apparently calling the plays last season. We saw how that worked out. With the actual title and, conceivably, authority can Bowen do better? The Titans better hope so.

FREE AGENCY

Tennessee has no free agents in the wind they can’t afford to lose, but it would probably be smart to at least try to keep wide receiver Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith. After all, the offense is the one thing that worked in 2020 most of the season. Davis had a career high 984 yards to go with 65 catches and five touchdowns, also a career mark. Smith too had his best season as a pro, catching 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns.

Stephen Gostkowski’s kicking woes (as well as the Titans’) were connected last season, but he’s probably still their best option at PK. Guys like cornerback Breon Borders and defensive tackle DaQuon Jones would probably also be smart to keep.

Tennessee has already cut wide receiver Adam Humphries to save some cap. After a bad defensive season, they could do the same with cornerback Malcolm Butler. I’m not sure they will, but they need defensive upgrades across the board and can’t afford to count on doing it just in the draft.

Bargain guys like Carlos Dunlap and Olivier Vernon need to be on their radar. If they can find the money to steal a good guy, why not go for Matt Judon, if for no other reason than to keep the Ravens from re-signing him.

DRAFT

Tennessee needs to enter this draft with the specific goal of building up their defense. As such, picking at No. 22, they need to add the best defensive player available, whoever that turns out to be. Luckily for them (and every other team not looking for a QB), quarterbacks are at a premium in this draft with as many as five going in the first round. As such, Tennessee’s selection could be solid trade bait to move down a little and add picks later in the draft for a team looking to nab Mac Jones or Trey Lance.

If they keep the pick, a guy like Jaelean Phillips out of Miami, Jayson Oweh from Penn State or Tyson Campbell out of Georgia make a lot of sense at that spot.

AFC SOUTH

Depending on how the Carson Wentz experiment goes in Indianapolis, the Titans remain the team to beat in the AFC South. The Houston Texans are in shambles and the Jacksonville Jaguars are once again rebuilding. Tennessee has to enter this season with a “win now” mentality while it has Tannehill healthy and Henry on his second contract. The windows don’t stay open very long, so it’s surprising that Vrabel didn’t do something more creative with his DC hire. If Bowen does have the chops, and Tennessee spends its draft and free agency capital wisely, they can propel themselves right up into the Bills’ and Chiefs’ league and be real contenders.

Projected 2021-22 Record: 12-4, AFC South Champion

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