Piece By: Peter Jurich
After adding Julio Jones via trade this past weekend, the Tennessee Titans have quietly created one of the most dangerous and dynamic offenses in the NFL. While the Titans offense has recently been associated with a ground and pound attack, as Derrick Henry has gained 1,000 yards or more each year since taking over in 2018, the emergence of receiver A.J. Brown in the past two seasons has swayed the public’s perspective. Jones now joins Brown, a 1,000-yard receiver in his own right, as quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s main weapons, especially considering the departure of tight end Jonnu Smith in free agency. With an above average offensive line anchored by tackle Taylor Lewan, the offense should be humming next year in Tennessee.
While the offensive side of the ball seems to be fully loaded, there are still many concerns about the Titans’ defense. Led by head coach Mike Vrabel, this unit took a sharp decline last year compared to the previous season. The front seven is in pretty good shape, as Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans play the traditional off the ball linebacker roll, with Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry III, and the newly acquired Bud Dupree making up the majority of the pass-rush. The front-seven is young and has promise, but there are far more problems in the secondary. First of all, if you do not know who Kevin Byard is, I beg you to look him up. For some reason, Byard has consistently been the best player that no one has heard of. He has proven himself to be an elite center-field safety, but there are still a lot of question marks around him in the secondary. Byard’s counterpart safety, Amani Hooker, is an unproven player who is still looking to cement himself as the starting strong safety for the season. Outside of drafting Caleb Farley (a steal at number 22 in the 2021 NFL Draft), the cornerback room is somewhat depressing, as the only other notable player is Janoris Jenkins, who seems to be on the decline of his career, heading into his eleventh season in the NFL.
So, what are the expectations this year in Tennessee? In three years with Vrabel, the Titans have gone 29-19, making the playoffs twice, winning the division once, and getting all the way to the AFC Championship game back in 2019. After going 11-5 last year, is it a realistic goal for this team to win 11 games again (indicating an 11-6 record due to the NFL’s new 17 game season in 2021)? The Titans have the luxury of playing in the AFC South, where two teams, the Texans and the Jaguars, seem to be fully in the rebuild phase. The Colts pose the only immediate threat within the South, but it is fairly reasonable for the Titans to go at least 4-2 in the division. Unfortunately, for the Titans, they face somewhat of a gauntlet outside of their division rivals, having to play through the entire NFC West and AFC East, as well as the Chiefs, Steelers, and Saints. It can be hard to predict continuity year by year in the NFL, but the Titans seem to play about ten different playoff-to-Super-Bowl caliber teams, not including the Colts twice. This team will be battle tested by the time the playoffs roll around, and no matter what seed they can get, this Tennessee Titans team is a great threat in the post-season.
Floor: 9-8
Ceiling: 13-4