Quarterback

The Titans made the playoffs in three straight seasons from 2019-2021, including an AFC Championship appearance, but they fell apart pretty quickly, finishing the 2022 season 7-10 and the 2023 season 6-11. After the 2023 season, the Titans decided to go in a new direction. They fired old school, defensive minded Head Coach Mike Vrabel, who was their coach for all three of their playoff appearances, and replaced him with a young offensive mind in Brian Callahan, hoping he would help develop 2023 2nd round pick Will Levis, who was set to be the full-time starter in his second season in the league in 2024. At the same time, the Titans moved on from long-time feature back Derrick Henry, opting for a younger, speedier back in Tony Pollard, and they spent big in free agency to add a #1 receiver in Calvin Ridley.

The results were not what the Titans were hoping for, as they fell even further to 3-14. Levis failed to develop in his second season in the league and was benched on multiple occasions for veteran backup Mason Rudolph, who wasn’t much better. The big issue for the Titans in recent years has been drafting. They haven’t drafted a Pro Bowler since 2019, which coincidentally was the start of their 3-year playoff run. Since 2020, they haven’t drafted a single player in the first round who has proven to be worth the pick yet, taking several busts in the process. Former head coach Mike Vrabel did the best he could to get the most out of a roster devoid of talent in his final years with the team, but new head coach Brian Callahan could not do the same, resulting in last year’s terrible season.

The good news after a terrible season like that is you get a high draft pick, in the Titans’ case #1 overall, but this was one of the weaker drafts at the top in recent memory, so the timing of that #1 overall pick could have been better. Without a clear option at #1 overall, the Titans were faced with a choice atop the draft. They could have stayed put and taken the best non-quarterback in the draft, likely either edge defender Abdul Carter or wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, giving Will Levis another chance with hopefully a better team around him, with veteran insurance at quarterback being brought in just in case. They could have traded down with a team desperate for a quarterback, picking up a bunch of draft picks to build around Levis or whoever their long-term quarterback eventually ended up being. 

Ultimately, the Titans opted to stay put and take quarterback Cam Ward, starting over at the quarterback position with a prospect that has a high upside and that was definitely the top quarterback in the class, but that would not have been as highly ranked in some other recent quarterback classes. The Titans did not add a veteran quarterback this off-season, meaning their only other alternative to starting Ward week 1 is to continue starting Levis until Ward is ready, which seems unlikely, given that Levis has a QB rating of just 82.7 in 21 career starts. 

Ward has the traits to be a franchise quarterback long-term, but will definitely have some growing pains as a rookie, especially given the state of the roster around him, which is slightly improved compared to a year ago, but probably isn’t significantly improved. With Ward as the starter and Levis as the backup, this is likely to be one of the weaker quarterback rooms in the league this season, but they at least have upside at the position, if Ward proves to be ahead of schedule in his development.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

As I mentioned, the Titans haven’t drafted a player in the first round who has proven to be worth that pick since 2019. While some of those players have been complete busts, the jury is still out on a few as well. This year’s first round pick, Cam Ward, is an obvious one that the jury is still out on, but additionally the jury is still out on their 2023 and 2024 first round picks. Needing to rebuild their offensive line, the Titans selected Peter Skoronski with the 11th overall pick in 2023 and then they selected JC Latham with the 7th overall pick in 2024.

Skoronski has made 31 starts at left guard over the past two seasons, but has been about a replacement level starter, with PFF grades of 61.6 and 60.3. Ideally, you’d want more than that out of a player selected 11th overall, especially one who plays guard, which tends to be a relatively easy position to find replacement level starters at, but Skoronski has the upside to take a big step forward in 2025, still only in his age 24 season. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but it’s at least a strong possibility and this offensive line would benefit significantly if that happened.

Latham, meanwhile, was also a replacement level starter as a rookie, with a 61.8 PFF grade in 17 starts at left tackle. Latham also has the upside to take a big step forward in 2025, especially since he will be moving to an easier position at right tackle. At left tackle, the Titans have one of the two big free agent signings they made on the offensive line, former Steeler Dan Moore, who signed on a 4-year, 82 million dollar deal. Moore looks like an overpay, however, as the 2021 4th round pick was about a replacement level left tackle through his four seasons in Pittsburgh, finishing with PFF grades of 57.8, 62.4, 51.8, and 67.2 across a total of 66 starts. Now in his age 27 season, Moore likely is who he is at this stage of his career and is unlikely to get significantly better.

At right guard, the Titans signed Kevin Zeitler, who only got a 1-year, 9 million dollar deal, but who has a chance to be a more impactful signing than Moore in 2025. A 13-year veteran, Zeitler has consistently been one of the best guards in the league throughout his career, finishing above 65 on PFF in every season, including eleven seasons above 70, and four seasons above 80, most recently a 86.5 PFF grade across 16 starts in 2024. Zeitler is now going into his age 35 season, so he could drop off significantly in 2025, compared to his 2024 campaign which was the 2nd highest ranked of his career, but there is a good chance he remains at least an above average starter.

At center, the Titans have Lloyd Cushenberry, who was a big signing last off-season, coming over from the Broncos on a 4-year, 50 million dollar deal. Cushenberry had an impressive final season in Denver, finishing with a 73.2 PFF grade, but he was a one-year wonder, receiving grades of 40.5, 64.2, and 56.2 in his first three seasons in the league prior to his 2023 breakout season. In his first season in Tennessee in 2024, Cushenberry disappointed with a 55.4 PFF grade and then went down for the season after eight games with a torn achilles. Now going into 2025, it could take some time for Cushenberry to return to full health and, even if he does return to full health close to immediately, there is no guarantee he will bounce back to his 2023 form, which could prove to be a fluke, now having finished below 60 on PFF in three of five seasons in the league.

Even with two new starters being added this off-season, the Titans still have questionable depth on the offensive line. Of the ten players who made starts on the offensive line last season, only four remain, with three of them being starters. The fourth is backup center Corey Levin, who had a 55.5 PFF grade across 133 snaps last season and has overall made just five starts in eight seasons in the league, while finishing above 60 on PFF just once. Other reserve options include 5th round rookie offensive tackle Jackson Slater, as well as free agent additions Brenden Jaimes, Blake Hance, and Oli Udoh, all of whom are underwhelming reserve options.

James, a 2021 5th round pick, has played just 274 snaps in four seasons in the league, while finishing below 60 on PFF in three of those seasons. Oli Udoh has made 19 starts in six seasons in the league, with 16 of them coming in 2021, when he had a 54.4 PFF grade. Blake Hance, meanwhile, has made just ten starts in six seasons in the league, with eight of them coming in 2021, when he had a 56.7 PFF grade. This offensive line should be better than last season by default, but most of their starters could be replacement level starters, while their depth options are underwhelming as well.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

As I mentioned, Calvin Ridley was a big addition for the Titans last off-season. He had a solid first season in Tennessee, finishing with a 64/1017/4 slash line and 1.86 yards per route run, though he might not have quite been good enough to justify a contract that made him the 15th highest paid wide receiver in the league. The bigger problem was the rest of the Titans’ receiving corps though, as they didn’t have a single pass catcher aside from Ridley surpass 500 yards receiving.

This off-season, they overhauled their wide receiver room, losing every wide receiver except Ridley who had more than 100 yards receiving last season, but they aren’t necessarily better this season, as their replacements are an underwhelming bunch consisting of veteran additions Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett and a pair of 4th round rookies in Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. Tyler Lockett is by far the most accomplished of the bunch, averaging 1.69 yards per route run and a 66/859/6 slash line in 10 seasons in the league, but that fell to a 1.10 yards per route run average and a 49/600/2 slash line in 2024 and now he heads into his age 33 season. His best days are almost definitely behind him and he is likely to continue struggling in 2025. Van Jefferson, meanwhile, has just a career average of 1.06 yards per route run, including 0.64 yards per route run over the past two seasons. The two rookies are also unlikely to contribute in any sort of significant positive way in year one. 

The Titans still have Treylon Burks, who has been a bust since being selected in the first round in 2022, with 53 total catches and 1.17 yards per route run in three seasons in the league, including 4 catches and 0.43 yards per route run last season. He was buried on the depth chart last season, even in a weak position group and, even in another weak position group this season, that could easily remain the case. He’s only going into his age 25 season and could have some theoretical upside, but he is running out of time to display that upside.

Calvin Ridley will obviously remain the #1 option. Last season was his third 1000+ yard season of his past five seasons, with the exceptions being an injury plagued 2021 season and a 2022 season lost to suspension, and he has a solid career average of 1.84 yards per route run. The problem is he’s now going into his age 31 season and could start to decline in 2025, which would be a big blow to an already concerning wide receiver group. He should remain their #1 wide receiver by default by a wide margin and could benefit from Cam Ward being added, but he might not be as effective as he was last season.

With the Titans’ issues at wide receiver last season, it’s unsurprising that the Titans relied heavily on tight ends in the passing game last season, ranking 11th in the NFL with 25.6% of their targets going to tight ends, a number that could go up in 2025, with the Titans’ wide receiver group now arguably worse than a year ago. The Titans used three different tight ends for significant roles in the passing game, with Chig Okonkwo, Josh Whyle, and Nick Vannett receiving 70, 37, and 20 targets respectively and averaging 1.25 yards per route run, 1.42 yards per route run, and 1.39 yards per route run respectively.

Vannett is no longer with the team, replaced by 4th round rookie Gunnar Helm, who could have a similar role in year one as Vannett, with the upside for more. Okonkwo was the top tight end last season and, while he had the lowest yards per route run average, the 2022 4th round pick has averaged 1.52 yards per route run in three seasons in the league and could see his 2025 average be closer to his career average than his 2024 average. Josh Whyle, a 2023 5th round pick, should remain the #2 tight end. He has averaged 1.47 yards per route run in two seasons in the league and should have a similar season in 2025. A decent tight end room helps somewhat, but the Titans’ lack of depth at the wide receiver position figures to be a big problem in 2025.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

Tony Pollard was the Titans’ lead back last season with 260 carries. He only averaged 4.15 yards per carry, after averaging 3.99 yards per carry on 252 carries in his final season in Dallas in 2023, but Pollard did average 5.13 yards per carry across his first four seasons in the league from 2019-2022. Pollard only averaged 128 carries per season in those four seasons though, with a maximum of 193 carries. He benefited from being on a better Dallas offense in those seasons than the offense he is on in Tennessee, but it’s also very likely that Pollard would benefit from a smaller workload.

The Titans have mentioned giving him that smaller workload, which could be achieved if multiple things happen. For one, the Titans will need backup Tyjae Spears to stay healthy, as he averaged 7.0 carries per game in the 12 games he played last season, but missed five games, leading to Pollard averaging 22.0 carries per game in his absence, as opposed to 13.6 when both were healthy. The Titans could also get a third back involved in a bigger role, most likely 6th round rookie Kalel Mullings, a bigger back at 6-2 226, as opposed to the 6-0 215 Pollard and the 5-11 195 Spears. Mullings might not be ready for a big role in year one, but he at least has upside.

Mullings is not much of a pass catcher, with eight catches in his entire collegiate career, so both Spears and Pollard will remain involved in the passing game, perhaps even more so, given the state of the Titans’ receiving corps. Pollard had 57 targets to Spears’ 35 last season, but that is largely because Pollard played 16 games, to 12 for Spears. Spears was more efficient on his targets, taking them for 1.34 yards per route run and a 30/224/1 slash line, as opposed to 0.79 yards per route run and a 41/238/0 slash line for Pollard. Pollard does have a 1.12 yards per route run average for his career, but Spears has averaged 1.30 yards per route run in two seasons since going in the 3rd round in 2023, so he is the better pass catching option. If he can stay healthier, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Spears outproduce Pollard as a pass catcher. This is a decent, but unspectacular backfield overall.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

While the Titans’ offense was a mess last season, their defense was actually decent, ranking 8th in yards per play allowed and 12th in first down rate allowed. The strength of the defense was the interior defender position, where all of their top-3 interior defenders finished with PFF grades above 70, with Jeffery Simmons receiving a 80.0 PFF grade across 806 snaps (10th among interior defenders on PFF), T’Vondre Sweat receiving a 76.1 PFF grade across 699 snaps (15th among interior defenders on PFF), and Sebastian Joseph-Day receiving a 70.2 PFF grade across 483 snaps (25th among interior defenders on PFF).

For Simmons, the dominant season was not surprising, as he has now finished above 80 on PFF in three of six seasons in the league. He’s been a bit inconsistent, receiving grades of 70.4, 71.9, and 68.4 respectively in his other three seasons, but even at his worst he is still an above average starter, and he is still very much in his prime in his age 28 season. An above average run defender and pass rusher, Simmons is one of the best all-around interior defenders in the league. 

Sweat could have another impressive season in 2025 as well, as he was only a 2nd round rookie last season and has a very high upside long-term. Sebastian Joseph-Day is the one with the highest possibility to regress, as the veteran interior defender has only finished above 70 on PFF twice in seven seasons in the league and now is going into his age 30 season. The flip side of that is he has only finished below 60 once in those seven seasons, so, barring a significant decline, he should remain at least a solid rotational player, but the odds are against him repeating last season’s performance.

With those three leading the way, there wasn’t much need for anyone else to play a significant role at the interior defender position, with James Lynch (243 snaps) and Keondre Coburn (125 snaps) being the only other two interior defenders to see snaps for the Titans in 2024, receiving PFF grades of 60.1 and 45.1 respectively. Both return for 2025 and could continue being deep reserves, though the Titans did add veteran journeyman Carlos Watkins as competition.

Watkins has been mostly decent in his career, finishing above 60 on PFF in five of eight seasons in the league, albeit on an average of 271 snaps per season. He won’t need to play more snaps than that for the Titans in 2025, but he is now going into his age 32 season, so his age is becoming a concern. Lynch, meanwhile, has played just 882 snaps in five seasons in the league since being a 2020 a 4th round pick, while Coburn has played just 232 snaps in two seasons in the league since being a 2023 6th round pick. Given the talent at the top of the Titans’ interior defender depth, their lack of deep reserves isn’t a huge concern.

Grade: A-

Edge Defenders

The Titans did lose their top edge defender, Harold Landry, this off-season, after he received a 70.5 PFF grade across 878 snaps last season, the 5th most snaps played by any edge defender in the league last season. Landry was an underwhelming pass rusher, totaling 9 sacks, but only 6 hits and a 7.1% pressure rate, but he excelled as a run defender, ranking 6th among edge defenders on PFF in run defense grade. 

Landry will be replaced by free agent addition Dre’Mont Jones, who is kind of an opposite player, finishing above 60 on PFF in pass rush grade in all six seasons in the league, but finishing below 60 in run defense grade in four of those six seasons. He only had 4 sacks last season, but added 10 hits and a 12.0% pressure rate. He’s a downgrade from Landry overall though, as he finished with just a 54.3 PFF grade overall last season, his third season below 60 overall in the past four seasons.

Jones will start opposite Arden Key, who was pretty good with a 69.7 PFF grade across 734 snaps last season, receiving grades above 60 for both his run defense and his pass rush. Key has now received PFF grades over 60 in four straight seasons, primarily playing well as a pass rusher, with 23.5 sacks, 40 hits, and a 10.8% pressure rate in 67 games over that stretch, but also developing into a capable run defender as well. Still in his late prime in his age 29 season, I would expect more of the same from Key in 2025.

With Landry and Key both playing heavy snap counts last season, the Titans didn’t have much need for depth at the edge defender good, which is good because their top-2 reserves in terms of snaps played, Jaylen Harrell (286 snaps) and Ali Gaye (177 snaps), struggled mightily with PFF grades of 38.9 and 38.3 respectively, while combining for just a 4.0% pressure rate. With Landry gone and Dre’Mont Jones unlikely to play the same snap count as Landry did, the Titans needed to improve their edge defender depth and they sought to improve in that area this off-season by signing veteran Lorenzo Carter and using a second round pick on Oluwafemi Oladejo.

Oladejo could be a useful rotational player even as a rookie, while Carter is an underwhelming veteran, but should be an upgrade by default. In seven seasons in the league, Carter finished above 60 on PFF in each of his first six seasons in the league prior to last season, but he fell to a 43.0 PFF grade across 410 snaps last season and now is going into his age 30 season, so his best days are almost definitely behind him, even if he isn’t quite as bad in 2025 as he was in 2024. Swapping out Landry for Jones is a downgrade, but the Titans at least have better edge defender depth this season than last, albeit by default. 

Grade: B-

Linebackers

The position the Titans lost the most at this off-season was linebacker, as all five linebackers who played at least 200 snaps for them last season are no longer with the team. In their absence, the Titans’ only notable addition was Cody Barton, who is a decent, but unspectacular option. Barton has been a starter for the past three seasons, with snap counts of 894, 844, and 1,053 and he has mostly been decent, with PFF grades of 63.6, 53.9, and 66.1 respectively. The bigger problem is the other linebacker spot. 

Cedric Gray is probably the favorite to start there, but the 2024 4th round pick struggled with a 36.8 PFF grade across 48 snaps as a rookie. The Titans other options include 2024 7th round pick James Williams, who had a 51.9 PFF grade across 111 snaps as a rookie, Otis Reese, a 2023 undrafted free agent who has played just 178 career snaps on defense, Amari Burney, a 2023 6th round pick who has played just 190 career snaps on defense, Curtis Jacobs, a 2024 undrafted free agent who had a 39.8 PFF grade across 23 snaps as a rookie, and 2023 undrafted free agent Anfernee Orji, who had a 55.2 PFF grade in the first 147 snaps of his career last season. Whoever starts at the other linebacker spot figures to be a liability. With Cody Barton as the only competent linebacker on the roster, this is a concerning position group.

Grade: C

Secondary

The Titans looked like they had a good cornerback trio going into last season, but Chidobe Awuzie missed 9 games due to injury, L’Jarius Sneed missed 12 games, and while Roger McCreary only missed two, he had a down year compared to 2023. Going into 2025, Awuzie is no longer on the team, but Sneed should be healthier, while McCreary has bounce back potential. Sneed was added in a sign and trade last off-season at the price of a 4-year, 76.4 million dollar deal and a third round pick and, prior to last year’s lost season due to injury, he had PFF grades of 76.1 and 71.1 in his last two healthy seasons in 2022 and 2023 (33 starts). Still only in his age 28 season, Sneed has a good chance to bounce back in 2025 if he’s healthy, though that is not a guarantee, given the severity of his injury.

McCreary, meanwhile, was a 2nd round pick in 2022 and seemed to break out in 2023 with a 71.3 PFF grade, after a 62.6 PFF grade as a rookie, but he then regressed back to a 61.3 PFF grade in 2024. Still, he’s only in his age 25 season and has always had a high upside, so he has a good chance to bounce back. With all of the issues the Titans had at cornerback last season, it was actually 5th round rookie Jarvis Brownlee who led this group in snaps with 911 and he is likely the favorite for the #3 cornerback job in 2025, with Awuzie no longer on the team, but Brownlee did struggle with a 59.4 PFF grade last season and isn’t a guarantee to take a step forward this season, in his second season in the league.

Brownlee’s primary competition for the #3 cornerback job is Darrell Baker, a 2022 undrafted free agent who had a 65.5 PFF grade across 626 snaps last season, after receiving a 52.9 PFF grade across 469 snaps in the first action of his career in 2023. He might be a better option, but he’s still very unproven. The Titans also have veteran journeyman Amani Oruwariye, who hasn’t finished above 60 on PFF since 2019 and who played just 286 snaps last season, as well as 6th round rookie Marcus Harris, who is unlikely to be ready to play a significant role as a rookie.

At safety, the Titans started last season with a solid duo of Amani Hooker and Quandre Diggs, who finished with PFF grades of 65.1 and 73.2 respectively, but Diggs missed the final nine games of the season and was replaced by Daryl Worley, who was an obvious downgrade. This season, Hooker remains, but Diggs and Worley are gone and Xavier Woods was added to start next to Hooker. Woods finished above 60 on PFF in each of his first seven seasons in the league, including four seasons above 70 and a career best 80.3 PFF grade as recently as 2023, but he fell to a career worst 57.0 PFF grade in 2024. Woods may have some bounce back potential, but he’s now going into his age 30 season, so his best days are almost definitely behind him and, if he bounces back, it won’t be all the way back to his 2023 form.

Hooker, meanwhile, has finished above 60 on PFF in all six seasons in the league and he’s still in his prime in his age 27 season, though he has missed 20 games with injury over the past four seasons. If he misses more time this season, or if Woods misses time, the Titans would likely turn to either Mike Brown, a 2022 undrafted free agent who had a 69.2 PFF grade across 384 snaps last season, after a 60.3 PFF grade across 113 snaps in the first action of his career in 2023, or they could turn to 3rd round rookie Kevin Winston. Brown is a solid backup, but could struggle if forced into significant action as a starter, while Winston has potential, but probably is too raw to contribute in a significant positive way as a rookie. The Titans’ secondary should be better due to the return of L’Jarius Sneed from injury, but this group still has some concerns. 

Grade: B

Kicker

The Titans had Nick Folk as their kicker last season and he ranked second in the NFL with 10.48 points above average, but they opted not to bring him back, ahead of his age 41 season in 2025. Instead, the Titans signed veteran journeyman Joey Slye, who figures to be a big downgrade. The 6-year veteran has finished below average in four of six seasons in the league, costing his teams a total of 18.27 points below average in his career. He will likely continue to struggle in 2025.

Grade: C

Conclusion

The Titans added quarterback Cam Ward with the #1 overall pick in the draft and made some off-season additions, but Ward is very raw as far as #1 overall pick quarterbacks go, they had some significant off-season losses, particularly on defense, and this roster is still underwhelming overall. They might not be quite as bad as they were a year ago, especially since they have one of the easiest schedules in the league, but they figure to remain one the worst teams in the league.

Update: The Titans have by far the easiest schedule in the division and Cam Ward has looked ahead of schedule in training camp and the pre-season. After some reanalysis on how much of an immediate impact rookies at different positions make, I give the Titans a slight edge in a wide open division.

Prediction: 7-10, 1st in AFC South

Quarterback

As recently as 2021, the Titans finished the season with a 12-5 record and the #1 seed in the AFC, but they were not nearly as good as their record, finishing 20th in DVOA, so it wasn’t too surprising that they fell to 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 in 2023, especially given some of the key players they lost over those two off-seasons. Now going into 2024, the Titans are going in a different direction. Defensive minded Head Coach Mike Vrabel was fired this off-season and replaced with a young offensive mind in Brian Callahan, while 2023 2nd round pick Will Levis is officially the full-time starting quarterback with veteran Ryan Tannehill gone, after Levis made 9 starts down the stretch last season when Tannehill got injured and then subsequently benched. 

The Titans aren’t completely rebuilding, spending significant amounts of money this off-season to build around their young quarterback, which I will get more into later, but if this team is going to improve significantly from a year ago, they will need better play out of Levis, who was PFF’s 32nd ranked quarterback out of 45 eligible last season with a 63.7 overall grade, while completing 58.4% of his passes for an average of 7.09 YPA, 8 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.

With Tannehill gone, the Titans signed veteran Mason Rudolph to backup Levis. He’s not a bad backup, but he’s also not a realistic starting option if Levis doesn’t progress. A 3rd round pick in 2018, Rudolph struggled in the only extended starting experience of his career in 2019, completing 62.2% of his passes for an average of 6.24 YPA, 13 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions and, while he has been better since then, it has come in such a small sample size, as he has started just 5 games in four seasons since, completing 65.7% of his passes for an average of 7.54 YPA, 6 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.

The Titans also still have 2022 3rd round pick Malik Willis, who at one time seemed like a potential long-term replacement for Tannehill, but has failed to progress as a passer, completing 53.0% of his passes for an average of 5.30 YPA, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on 66 career pass attempts. He is a great athlete who has added 144 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries (4.50 YPC) and, only in his age 25 season, he still could have untapped potential, but he will be no better than the third quarterback going into 2024, which means he isn’t necessarily guaranteed a roster spot. Overall, this is one of the most underwhelming quarterback rooms in the league, barring a big step forward from Will Levis in year two.

Grade: C+

Running Backs

In addition to parting ways with Mike Vrabel and Ryan Tannehill this off-season, the Titans also let running back Derrick Henry, their long-time face of the franchise, walk in free agency this off-season. It wasn’t a financial decision, as Henry signed a 2-year, 16 million dollar deal with the Ravens, while the Titans spent similarly to add his replacement Tony Pollard on a 3-year, 21.75 million dollar deal, making him the 9th highest paid running back in the league in average annual salary. Instead, it was a move that signals a change in philosophy, moving from an older, bigger back (6-3 245) to a younger, smaller (6-0 215) speedier back who can help in the passing game.

Even with Henry approaching 30 years old in 2023, he still rushed for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns on 280 carries (4.17 YPC), down significantly from his prime, but still a lot to replace, especially since Henry ranked 3rd among running backs with a 90.1 overall PFF grade had a 3.32 yards per carry average after contact (12th among running backs) behind an offensive line that struggled in run blocking. Pollard, a 4th round pick in 2019 who is only in his age 27 season, averaged 5.13 YPC in his first four seasons in the league combined, but he never had more than 193 carries in a season in those four years and he couldn’t maintain that efficiency in a larger role in 2023, averaging 3.99 YPC on 252 carries. 

That might be partially due to Pollard coming off of a broken leg suffered late in 2022 and not being 100% for much of the 2023 season as a result, so he has bounce back potential in 2024, but he probably will see a smaller role than he did in 2023, and, even if he doesn’t, he’s unlikely to see as many touches as Henry did a year ago. He’ll also be running behind a worse offensive line than he had in Dallas, which could easily have a big effect on his efficiency. 

Pollard having fewer touches than Henry did a year ago likely means a bigger role for second year back Tyjae Spears, a 5-10 200 back who is also very different from Henry. A 3rd round pick in 2023, Spears flashed potential with a 4.53 YPC average across 100 carries as a rookie, albiet against defenses that were mostly expecting the pass, and could be ready for a bigger role in year two. Both Pollard and Spears will probably be used more in the passing game than Henry, who had just a 28/214/0 slash line last season. 

Pollard has 133 catches in the past three seasons while averaging 1.21 yards per route run for his career, while Spears had a 52/385/1 slash line as a rookie with a 1.27 yards per route run average. This is a completely reinvented backfield with Pollard replacing Henry and Spears likely having a bigger role, but they won’t necessarily be better than a year ago and both backs could struggle in terms of YPC if their offensive line doesn’t significantly improve in run blocking from a year ago.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

In addition to struggling in run blocking, the Titans’ offensive line also struggled in pass protection last season. This off-season, they lost center Aaron Brewer, who was the best of the bunch with a 71.6 PFF grade in 17 starts, but they replaced him with Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, 50 million dollar deal, which could be a lateral move, and they also upgraded the left tackle spot, letting Andre Dillard and his 51.0 PFF grade leave in free agency and then replacing him with 7th overall pick JC Latham, who figures to start day 1 and be a significant upgrade even as a rookie.

Latham is the second straight high draft pick the Titans have used trying to rebuild this offensive line, using the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Peter Skoronski, who had a 61.6 PFF grade in 14 rookie year starts at left guard and could easily take a step forward in year two in 2024. The Titans also have 2021 2nd round pick Dillon Radunz, who struggled in limited action (404 snaps total) in his first two seasons in the league, but took a big step forward in 2023, finishing with a 67.2 PFF grade in 11 starts. He figures to be locked into the starting job at right tackle and, while he could regress, there’s a good chance he remains at least a capable starter.

Cushenberry is now the 4th highest paid center in the league on his new contract. If he plays as well as he did a year ago, when he was PFF’s 10th ranked center with a 73.2 grade, he should be worth that deal and an adequate replacement for Brewer, who was 11th among centers last season on PFF, but Cushenberry is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at that level, finishing below 60 on PFF in two of his three seasons in the league prior to last season, with his previous career best being 64.2 in 2021. It’s possible the 2020 3rd round pick who is now in his age 27 season has permanently turned a corner and will continue playing at the same level, but he could also regress at least a little bit.

Fellow veteran Daniel Brunskill completes this offensive line at right guard, going into his second season with the Titans after signing a 2-year, 5.5 million dollar deal last off-season. Previously with the 49ers, where he received grades of 73.0, 61.7, 61.4, and 69.0 while making 42 starts in four seasons from 2019-2022, Brunskill received a 67.1 PFF grade in 14 starts in his first season in Tennessee in 2023. Age is becoming a concern, now in his age 30 season, but he hasn’t shown any signs of decline and he could easily continue being at least a solid starter in 2024.

Depth is a concern for this group. Tackle Jaelyn Duncan, guard Andrew Rupcich, and tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere are the only reserves who saw significant action last season who are returning for this season and all three struggled with PFF grades of 32.9, 58.4, and 35.5. Duncan was a rookie and could be better in year two, but he was also only a 6th round pick and might not develop into even a decent reserve. Rupcich wasn’t terrible last season, but the 2022 undrafted free agent doesn’t have a high upside either and would be a very underwhelming starting option if forced into significant action by injury. 

Petit-Frere was at least somewhat highly drafted, taken in the 3rd round in 2022, but he struggled as a starter in 2022 (52.3 PFF grade in 16 starts) before struggling even more as a reserve in 2023, so his career is not off to a good start. The Titans did sign Saahdiq Charles from the Commanders in free agency this off-season, but the 2020 4th round pick was mediocre in 18 starts in four seasons in Washington, including a 55.5 PFF grade on 10 snaps in 2023. It’s very possible that all of these reserves would struggle if forced into significant action. Their starting five offensive linemen aren’t bad and, with JC Latham being added in the draft, they should be better than a year ago, but they also don’t have a great starting five and their depth is a big concern because injuries will almost definitely happen at some point.

Grade: B-

Receiving Corps

The Titans also spent big to sign wide receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency, giving him a 4-year, 92 million dollar deal that makes him the 10th highest paid wide receiver in the league in terms of average annual salary. He will play opposite DeAndre Hopkins, their big wide receiver free agent signing from a year ago, joining the team on a 2-year, 26 million dollar deal. The Titans also signed another veteran Tyler Boyd this off-season to be the slot receiver between Hopkins and Ridley, signing him to a 1-year, 2.4 million dollar deal. 

Hopkins did well as the #1 receiver in 2023 in his first season in Tennessee, finishing with a 75/1057/7 slash line on 137 targets with a 2.09 yards per route run average, despite the Titans’ shaky quarterback play. Hopkins is now going into his age 32 season, but he hasn’t shown any signs of decline yet, as his 2023 production was in line with his career production, as he had averaged 2.14 yards per route run in his previous nine seasons combined before 2023. There’s a good chance he starts to decline in 2024 though. Not only is age 31 to age 32 the biggest single season drop off in terms of elite production probability, but a 32-year-old wide receiver is about half as likely to top 1000 yards receiving in a season as a 30-year-old wide receiver and about a third as likely as a 28-year-old wide receiver, a steep drop off in a 4-year span. That being said, barring a massive dropoff, Hopkins should continue being at least a solid #1 option.

The addition of Ridley should take some of the pressure off of Hopkins, as their top-3 wide receivers in 2023 after Hopkins were Chris Moore, with a 22/424/0 slash line and a 1.39 yards per route run average, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, with a 28/370/3 slash line and a 1.13 yards per route run average, and Treylon Burks, with a 16/221/0 slash line and a 0.83 yards per route run average. Ridley had a 76/1016/8 slash line with a 1.57 yards per route run average in 2023. His best year came in 2020, when he had a 90/1374/9 slash line and a 2.44 yards per route run average, but he benefited significantly from having Julio Jones opposite that season and then was limited to a 1.43 yards per route run average in 2021, before missing all of 2022 with a gambling suspension, and then not being as good as 2020 upon his return in 2023. Now going into his age 30 season in 2024, Ridley’s best days are probably behind him, but he should still be a good #2 opposite Hopkins.

Tyler Boyd’s best days are also probably behind him, also going into his age 30 season, but he should still at least be a solid #3 receiver on the slot, with the potential to be more if he can bounce back a little from a down 2023 season. Boyd had a 67/667/2 slash line with a 1.15 yards per route run average in 2023, both his lowest since 2017, as he had averaged 901 yards per season and 1.71 yards per route run in his previous five seasons prior to 2023. He’s not totally over the hill yet and could bounce back a little bit, but his best days are probably behind him.

The additions of Hopkins and Boyd push Treylon Burks at least into the #4 wide receiver role, despite being just two years removed from being a first round pick. Burks showed potential as a rookie in limited action, with a 1.75 yards per route run average, but he missed six games with injury and then missed another six games with injury in 2023 and was not nearly as good when on the field. He still has upside, but probably won’t get enough playing time to show it and could easily continue being inconsistent and injury prone. Westbrook-Ikhine also remains, but he won’t have a big role either, which is fitting for a player with a career 1.11 yards per route run and a career high of 476 yards in a season in four seasons in the league.

With the Titans lacking wide receiver depth last season, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo was second on the team in targets (77), catches (54), and yardage (528), but I would expect his role to be scaled back slightly in 2024, given the wide receiver talent the Titans added in free agency. A 4th round pick in 2022, Okonkwo flashed a lot of potential as a rookie with a 32/450/3 slash line and a 2.61 yards per route run average, but he couldn’t translate that efficiency into a bigger role in 2023, with a 1.31 yards per route run average. Now going into his third season in the league, Okonkwo could be more efficient in 2024, but he’ll also probably have a smaller role.

Okonkwo was backed up by Trevon Wesco (423 snaps) last season, who was a decent blocker, but caught just one pass all season. Wesco is gone now, leaving either 2023 6th round pick Josh Whyle, who flashed some potential on 157 snaps as a rookie, or veteran free agent acquisition Nick Vannett, who has played just 562 snaps with a 0.93 yards per route run average over the past three seasons combined and now heads into his age 31 season. Whyle is probably the favorite for the #2 job, but he’s still pretty unproven, so their depth behind Okonkwo is questionable. This is a better receiving corps than a year ago, with Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd being added, but both are going into their age 30 season with their best days are probably behind them and it’s unclear if young quarterback Will Levis can make full use out of this group.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

Comparably, the Titans’ defense was their better side of the ball in 2023, ranking 18th in defensive DVOA, as opposed to 25th in offensive DVOA. Their defense could miss former head coach Mike Vrabel, but talent wise they are probably better than a year ago. Their biggest loss this offseason is Denico Autry, a hybrid edge defender/interior defender who led the team with 11.5 sacks, while adding 5 sacks and a 10.6% pressure rate. Autry wasn’t nearly as good against the run and is now heading into his age 34 season, but he will be missed, especially since the Titans didn’t really do anything to replace him.

At least Harold Landry (840 snaps) and Arden Key (727 snaps) do return after playing big snap counts on the edge in 2023. Landry was second on the team with 10.5 sacks, also adding 10 hits and a 10.8% pressure rate, while finishing with a 64.6 PFF grade, in his first season back from missing all of 2022 with injury. Prior to his injury, Landry had similar seasons, receiving grades of 68.6, 64.0, and 63.0 from PFF on snap counts of 953, 1,050, and 981 in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively, while totaling 26.5 sacks, 30 hits, and a 10.4% pressure rate. Still in his prime in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2024, solid play on high snap counts, possibly an even higher snap count given that Autry is gone and Landry is now another year removed from his injury.

Key, meanwhile, played a career high in snaps in 2023 and was not nearly as efficient as he was on snap counts of 375 and 475 in 2021 and 2022, when he totaled 13.7% pressure rate, as opposed to 6 sacks, 5 hits, and a 8.4% pressure rate in 2023. With Autry gone, Key won’t have a choice but to continue playing a heavy snap count and he could continue struggling in that role. The Titans will also have to give a bigger snap count to Rashad Weaver, who played just 240 snaps in a reduced role in 2023, after playing 640 snaps in 2022. 

A 4th round pick in 2021, Weaver has just a 7.5% pressure rate for his career and, already in his age 27 season, it’s unlikely he has much untapped upside, so he should continue struggling in 2023, this time in a much bigger role. The rest of this position group consists of 2023 undrafted free agent Caleb Murphy (4 snaps as a rookie), 2023 undrafted free agent Thomas Rush (no snaps as a rookie), and 7th round rookie Jaylen Harrell, so this is a very thin group with Autry leaving and not being replaced. Outside of Harold Landry, who is more of a snap eater than an impact player, none of these players can be trusted to consistently play a big role.

Grade: C+

Interior Defenders

The Titans also didn’t bring back several interior defenders, but Teair Tart (350 snaps), Kyle Peko (342 snaps), Jaleel Johnson (270 snaps), and Naquan Jones (104 snaps) all struggled last season, with PFF grades of 57.1, 38.6, 54.0, and 45.9 respectively, so they won’t be missed, especially since the Titans probably upgraded with second round rookie T’Vondre Sweat and veteran free agent acquisition Sebastian Joseph-Day. 

The rookie Sweat could have some growing pains as a rookie, but the 6-4 366 pounder should be a big run stuffing nose tackle for them, while the 6-4 310 pound Joseph-Day is more well-rounded, showing decent run stopping ability in his career and totaling 11 sacks, 19 hits, and a 6.0% pressure rate in 71 career games, while playing snap counts of 702 and 604 over the past two seasons. He should continue playing a big role with his new team, but he’s more of a snap eater than an impact player.

Jeffery Simmons will continue being the Titans’ top interior defender, playing in base packages with Sweat and Joseph-Day and staying on the field in sub packages, where he’s a dominant interior pass rusher, with 26.5 sacks, 31 hits, and a 9.1% pressure rate in 68 career games, including 5.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 12.0% pressure rate in 12 games in 2023. Simmons was not as good against the run in 2023 as he normally is, but prior to last season he was always an above average run stopper too, leading to him having four straight seasons over 70 on PFF, including two seasons over 80, before falling to 68.4 in overall grade in 2023 because of his issues against the run. 

A first round pick in 2019, Simmons fell to the Titans at 19 because he tore his ACL in the pre-draft process, as he could have been a top-10 or even top-5 pick if that had not happened. He was limited to 315 snaps in 9 games as a rookie because of his injury, but flashed his potential immediately and has missed just eight games in four seasons since, with five of those coming last season. Prior to last season, he had played snap counts of 841, 933, and 840 in the previous three seasons, only falling to 657 in 2023 because of the missed time due to injury. Still only in his age 27 season, Simmons is still in the prime of his career and has a good chance to bounce back as a run stuffer, while continuing being a dominant interior pass rusher. There’s also a good chance he stays healthier than he did last season.

Depth behind their top-3 interior defenders is a bit of an issue for the Titans, with Marlon Davidson and Keondre Coburn likely to be their top reserves, even though they were both added mid-season last season. Coburn was a 6th round pick by the Chiefs in 2023 and bounced around from the Chiefs to the Broncos before joining the Titans and receiving a 66.6 PFF grade across 98 snaps in 4 games down the stretch last season. Davidson, meanwhile, was a 2nd round pick by the Falcons in 2020, but struggled across just 402 snaps in his first two seasons in the league, before missing all of 2022 with injury, winding up on the 49ers practice squad to start 2023, and then receiving a 59.2 PFF grade across 163 snaps in 5 games down the stretch for the Titans. Both are underwhelming reserve options, but the Titans at least have a solid top-3, led by Jeffery Simmons and, overall, this group should be better than a year ago.

Grade: B

Linebackers

The Titans also lost top linebacker Azeez Al-Shahir in free agency, after he received a solid 64.7 grade from PFF in 2023 across 1,101 snaps. The Titans replaced him by signing Kenneth Murray, a former first round pick bust for the Chargers, to a 2-year, 15.5 million dollar deal, which should be a downgrade. Selected 23rd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Murray has finished below 60 on PFF in all four seasons in the league, playing an average of 51.0 snaps per game in 59 games. Still only in his age 26 season, he could still have some untapped potential, but it’s more likely that he’ll be a noticeable downgrade from Al-Shahir. 

Jack Gibbens returns as the other starting linebacker. He had a solid 71.8 PFF grade in 2023, but he’s only a base package player, playing just 628 snaps and struggling in coverage in the rare occasions he played in sub packages. He’s also a 2022 undrafted free agent who is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at in 2023, playing 214 nondescript snaps as a rookie, and he could easily regress, given that he was not highly drafted. The Titans did add Cedric Gray in the 4th round of the draft and he probably will play at least a little bit of a rookie year role, but there’s a good chance he doesn’t make a significant positive impact as a rookie. With Murray likely to be a downgrade from Al-Shahir and Gibbens a candidate to regress, the arrow is pointing down with this group.

Grade: C

Secondary

The Titans front seven has a lot of issues and could take a step back from a year ago, but this defense is still probably more talented overall than a year ago because of the big additions the Titans made in the secondary this off-season. Cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting (57.6 PFF grade on 840 snaps) and Kristian Fulton (46.4 PFF grade on 644 snaps) left as free agents this off-season and were replaced by L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie, who didn’t come cheap, but should be obvious upgrades.

Sneed came over from the Kansas City Chiefs, who franchised tagged him and traded him for a 2025 3rd round pick to the Titans, who subsequently gave him a 4-year, 76.4 million dollar extension that makes him the 6th highest paid cornerback in the league in average annual salary. A 4th round pick in 2020, Snead flashed potential with a 72.9 PFF grade on 410 snaps as a rookie and then became a starter in year two, taking a year to adjust to the new role (64.1 PFF grade in 15 starts in 2021), but posting PFF grades of 76.1 and 71.1 over the past two seasons, while making a combined 33 starts. Still only in his age 27 season, he should remain at least an above average starter for at least a couple more years.

Awuzie, meanwhile, signed with the Titans on a 3-year, 36 million dollar deal, after spending the previous three seasons with the Bengals and his first four seasons in the league prior to that with the Cowboys. Awuzie flashed potential early in his career in Dallas, receiving a 78.4 PFF grade in a limited role (309 snaps) as a second round rookie in 2017, regressing in a bigger role in 2018 with 64.8 grade on 886 snaps, and then holding up as a full season starter with a 72.2 PFF grade on 1,020 snaps in 2019, but he struggled through an injury plagued contract year in Dallas, missing 8 games and finishing with just a 52.0 PFF grade on 452 snaps, leading to him having to settle for a 3-year, 21.75 million dollar deal with the Bengals in free agency.

Awuzie bounced back in a big way with a career best 83.3 PFF grade in 14 starts (777 snaps) in his first season in Cincinnati in 2021 and was off to a solid 2022 campaign with a 69.9 PFF grade through 8 starts (471 snaps), but he suffered a torn ACL that ended his season and he did not seem to be the same upon his return in 2023, finishing with a 62.6 PFF grade and getting benched mid-season, starting just 10 of the 15 games he played, with 722 snaps played total. Durability has been a concern for much of his career, missing time in all but one for his seven seasons in the league, but he’s not totally over the hill yet in his age 29 season and could bounce back at least somewhat in 2024, another year removed from his ACL tear. He has a good chance to at least be a solid starter, with the upside for more.

Sneed and Awuzie will form a talented trio with top holdover Roger McCreary, a 2022 2nd round pick who was solid as a rookie with a 62.6 PFF grade on 1,164 snaps and then took a step forward in year two in 2023 with a 71.3 PFF grade on 934 snaps. Still only in his age 24 season with a high upside, McCreary has a good chance to remain at least a solid starter in 2024 and could easily take a step forward and make 2024 his best season yet. He and Sneed are probably the Titans best two cornerbacks and will be the nominal starters, but Awuzie figures to have a big role in sub packages as the 3rd cornerback as well, as part of a talented trio of cornerbacks.

The Titans also bring back Caleb Farley, Tre Avery, and Eric Garror as reserves. Farley was a first round pick in 2021, but injuries and poor play have led to him playing just 164 snaps in three seasons in the league, with none of those coming in 2023. Farley still has theoretical upside, but is already going into his age 26 season and has injury issues dating back to his collegiate days, so it’s very probable he never comes close to developing into what the Titans expected when they selected him in the first round. In his only two seasons of action, Farley had very disappointing PFF grades of 45.7 and 42.5 respectively on snap counts of 60 and 104 respectively.

Avery and Garror, meanwhile, are recent undrafted free agents, Avery in 2022 and Garror in 2023, but both played more just last season than Farley has in his entire career, with snap counts of 360 and 350 respectively. Both struggled through, with PFF grades of 44.2 and 59.7 respectively. Avery was better as a rookie, with a 63.7 PFF grade on 289 snaps, but that was in a limited sample size and he could continue struggling as a reserve in 2024. Unless Farley takes a big step forward in year four and stays healthy, the Titans’ depth behind their top-3 cornerbacks should be suspect.

At safety, Amani Hooker and Elijah Molden remain and will start. Hooker was a 4th round pick in 2019 and showed potential with PFF grades of 66.0 and 66.5 respectively on snap counts of 335 and 470 respectively in the first two seasons of his career, before breaking out with a 83.3 PFF grade as a starter in 2021. However, Hooker hasn’t been able to repeat that season since and it looks like a fluke, with Hooker receiving PFF grades of 63.3 and 67.5 respectively over the past two seasons, while consistently having issues with durability. Hooker also missed significant time with injury in his dominant 2021 season and, in total, has missed 17 games over the past three seasons. He’s only in his age 26 season and has some bounce back potential if he can stay healthy, but I wouldn’t expect him to bounce back all the way to his 2021 form and he’ll probably miss more time with injury at some point.

Molden, meanwhile, began last season as a reserve, but took over as the starter after veteran Kevin Byard (67.3 PFF grade on 389 snaps) was traded to the Eagles. In his first extended starting experience and a career high 700 snaps, Molden struggled with a 55.9 PFF grade. A 3rd round pick in 2021, Molden was decent as a rookie with a 64.1 PFF grade on 632 snaps as a reserve hybrid safety/slot cornerback, before missing almost all of the 2022 season due to injury (82 snaps), and struggling in 2023. 

Molden is still only in his age 25 season and could have some untapped potential, but he’s an underwhelming starting option going into his first full season as an every down starter. The Titans don’t have another choice though, with all of their reserves being recent undrafted free agents with minimal experience, which will also be a concern if and when Amani Hooker misses more time with injury. K’Von Wallace (75.9 PFF grade on 414 snaps) did very well as the third safety last season, but wasn’t retained this off-season. The Titans significantly upgraded their cornerback room this off-season and have one of the better cornerbacks trios in the league, but their safeties are shakier and their depth at both spots is questionable at best.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

The Titans added some talent on both sides of the ball this off-season, but they still look like they’re a long way away from competing even for a playoff spot in the loaded AFC, unless they get an unexpected breakout season from second year quarterback Will Levis. In fact, from a talent standpoint, this looks like one of the worst rosters in the AFC, even after some of their off-season moves, especially on defense, where they figure to miss Mike Vrabel’s leadership.

Prediction: 4-13, 4th in AFC South

Quarterback

The Titans finished the 2021 season with a 12-5 record, giving them the #1 seed in the AFC, but they went 6-2 in one-score games and finished just 20th in DVOA, so it seemed likely they would regress significantly in 2022, especially given the key players they lost last off-season. The Titans seemed to defy expectations to start the year, starting 7-3, but most of their wins were close against sub-.500 teams, so a regression still seemed likely and it came in a big way when they lost their final seven games to finish out of the playoffs at 7-10, while finishing 23rd in DVOA. 

This off-season, the Titans lost even more key personnel as they start to enter what looks like something of a rebuild. One player they didn’t move on from this off-season that they could have moved on from is quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is set to make a non-guaranteed 27 million in the final year of his contract. The Titans could have saved the whole amount against the cap by getting rid of him and he probably would have had at least somewhat of a trade market, but the Titans opted to keep him as the starter for the 5th straight season.

Tannehill burst onto the scene with the Titans in 2019, completing 70.3% of his passes for an average of 9.59 YPA, 22 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, good for by far a career best 117.5 QB rating, after previously maxing out at 93.5 in the first seven seasons of his career in Miami. He continued playing well in his second season in Tennessee, albeit not as good as 2019, completing 65.5% of his passes for an average of 7.94 YPA, 33 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. 

However, his production has dropped off across the board over the past two seasons, completing 66.5% of his passes for an average of 7.32 YPA, 34 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions, a drop off that coincided with the decrease in supporting talent around him on this offense. Now going into his age 35 season, Tannehill’s best days are likely behind him and he will almost definitely remain a quarterback who, at best, is only as good as his supporting cast. That’s not a good combination with a mediocre supporting cast and a rebuilding roster, so it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the Titans move on from him this off-season, but he’ll be back for another season.

One thing the Titans didn’t do this off-season was commit to Tannehill long-term, not only declining to give him an extension, even though doing so would have lowered his cap hit, but also selecting a possible successor Will Levis with the 33rd pick in the draft. Levis enters the league raw and will begin his career as a backup, but he has the upside to be a starter long-term and it’s likely the Titans view him as their starter in 2024 and beyond, perhaps even earlier if Tannehill struggles and/or the team falls out of contention this season. 

At the very least, Levis should give them a better backup than they had last season, when they struggled to replace Ryan Tannehill in the five games he missed with injury (four losses). The Titans first turned to Malik Willis, a 2022 3rd round pick who was drafted as a potential successor to Tannehill, but he struggled so much (42.8 QB rating) that the Titans benched him for career journeyman Josh Dobbs, who had a 73.8 QB rating in the first two starts of his 6-year career. Dobbs is no longer with the team, while Willis is likely to be cut or traded before the start of the season with Levis now the #2 quarterback and the long-term quarterback of the future. The Titans’ don’t have a bad quarterback room, but it’s a position group in transition with the aging, middling, and highly-paid Tannehill looking over his shoulder at a young, high upside, cheaper option.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Titans had the third most adjusted games lost to injury last season, which is unlikely to happen again, which would seem to give the Titans a some hope of improvement overall in 2023, but many of the key players who missed time with injury last season are no longer on the roster at all, so the Titans aren’t going to benefit significantly from players returning from injury. The offensive line is a good example, as left tackle Taylor Lewan, center Ben Jones, and right guard Nate Davis were limited to 2 starts, 12 starts, and 12 starts respectively last season and are all no longer on the roster. 

In their place, the Titans have free agent acquisitions Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill and first round draft pick Peter Skoronski out of Northwestern. Dillard has the best chance of the three to significantly upgrade a position, as he’ll play left tackle, where Taylor Lewan missed most of the season and where the Titans got very poor play in his absence, with Dennis Daley finishing as PFF’s 83rd ranked offensive tackle out of 87 eligible. 

Dillard hasn’t started many games at the NFL level, making nine starts in four seasons in the league, but that’s in part due to injury and in part because he was stuck behind one of the best offensive tackle duos in the league with the Eagles in Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. Dillard has been decent in limited action and was actually a first round pick back in 2019, so he comes with some upside, but he’ll mostly just be an upgrade because of how bad their play was at the position a year ago. The Titans may have overpaid by giving him 29 million over 3 years, although it’s possible he plays up to that level if he can stay healthy and show his top form consistently.

Skoronski has the most upside of the group, as is to be expected out of a rookie first round pick, but it’s unclear where he’ll play. Skoronski was a tackle in college, but is practicing at both guard and tackle this off-season and could conceivably start at either spot. If Skoronski plays tackle, it would almost definitely be right tackle opposite Dillard, where he would replace Nicholas Petit-Frere, who struggled with a 52.3 grade from PFF last season. Petit-Frere was a 3rd round pick who was just a rookie last season though, so the Titans may not want to give up on him just now, so Skoronski could start inside at either guard spot instead.

If Skoronski played right guard, he would struggle to be an upgrade over Nate Davis, who was PFF’s 16th ranked guard last season at 70.6. That’s true of anyone on the roster though and Skoronski would at least give them the best chance. At left guard, Skoronski would almost definitely be an upgrade over Aaron Brewer, who received a 59.9 grade in 17 starts last season, after receiving a 56.3 in 5 starts in 2021 in the first significant action of the 2020 undrafted free agent’s career. 

The Titans are thin enough on the offensive line that they’ll probably need Brewer to start somewhere, but that somewhere could be center, where they’ll need to replace Ben Jones, who had a 71.9 PFF grade in 12 starts last season. Daniel Brunskill, their other free agent addition, could also start at center, or he could start at one of the guard spots, as he has experience at both guard and center in his career. He’s mostly been a middling starter in his career, but he does have 42 starts over the past four seasons and the Titans need a reliable starter on the inside, so he wasn’t a bad addition on a 2-year, 5.5 million contract. He’ll likely start wherever Brewer doesn’t, with Skoronski possibly playing the other guard spot. 

If Skoronski ends up outside, that would open up a starting job inside for Dillon Radunz, a 2021 2nd round pick who has been terrible in limited action, but who theoretically still has upside. Radunz has only played snap totals of 124 and 280 in his first two seasons in the league and he received grades of just 49.7 and 40.3 from PFF for his limited action, so it seems unlikely he’ll suddenly turn into a solid starter in year three, but it’s a possibility. There’s some upside with this group, but there’s a lot of uncertainty with a group that has very little experience overall.

Grade: C+

Receiving Corps

Another veteran player the Titans moved on from this off-season was wide receiver Robert Woods, who would have been owed 13.75 million non-guaranteed in his age 31 season in 2023. Woods was their team leader in targets with 91, but he won’t be missed much as he was highly inefficient with those targets, turning them into just a 53/527/2 slash line. The Titans didn’t really replace Woods and will hope to get more out of young wide receivers in Woods’ place. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty underwhelming group of young players, especially given that the Titans don’t have any good veteran options either. 

Second year wide receiver Treylon Burks has by far the most upside of the group, as the 18th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Burks didn’t play much as a rookie, in part due to injury, but he still had a 33/444/1 slash line in limited action and averaged 1.75 yards per route run. If he can stay healthier and take a step forward in year two, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue being that efficient in a much larger workload. He’s a projection to a larger role and could be a little overmatched as a de facto #1 wide receiver, but the Titans don’t have a better option and he has a lot of upside.

The rest of the Titans’ options are underwhelming. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine saw significant action last season, but the 2020 undrafted free agent averaged just 0.95 yards per route run, after averaging 1.26 yards per route run in limited action in his career prior to last season. He probably shouldn’t continue being a significant contributor after that performance, but the Titans probably don’t have a choice and he could be as high as their #2 wide receiver, given their lack of other options.

Kyle Phillips is another second year receiver, but the 5th round pick saw just 64 snaps as a rookie and is a complete projection to a larger role. Tennessee-Martin’s Colton Dowell was a 7th round pick in this year’s draft, but will almost definitely be overmatched in a larger role as a rookie. Racey McMath went in the 6th round in 2021, but has played just 171 snaps in two seasons in the league and doesn’t look like a realistic option for significant playing time. 

The one veteran the Titans added to this group this off-season was Chris Moore, but the 48/548/2 slash line he had last season was a career best for the 7-year veteran, who has averaged just 1.08 yards per route run for his career and now heads into his age 30 season. Aside from a potential breakout year from Treylon Burks, there is not much to be excited about at the wide receiver position in Tennessee.

The Titans also let veteran tight end Austin Hooper walk in free agency. He wasn’t bad with a 41/444/2 slash line and a 1.39 yards per route run average, but the Titans want to give more playing time to 2022 4th round pick Chigoziem Okonkwo, who flashed a lot of potential with a 32/450/3 slash line and a 2.61 yards per route run average in limited rookie year action. Okonkwo still has work to do as a blocker and he’s very unlikely to be as efficient as he was in 2022 in an expanded role, but he doesn’t have any real competition for the starting job and could easily be a big part of a passing game that is in desperate need of weapons.

With Hooper gone, free agent acquisition Trevon Wesco will probably be the #2 tight end, but he’s a blocking specialist with 8 career catches who has never played more than 214 snaps in a season so, even as a backup, he’s an underwhelming option. The Titans also added Cincinnati’s Josh Whyle in the 5th round of this year’s draft and he at least gives them some passing game upside that Wesco doesn’t, but he’s not much of a blocker and, even as a receiver he is raw, so he probably won’t have much of a role as a rookie unless Okonkwo gets hurt, in which case he would almost definitely be a significant downgrade. This is a very unproven and underwhelming group, without much upside beyond Burks and Okonkwo, who are both second year players who only saw part-time roles as rookies.

Grade: C+

Running Backs

Another player the Titans could have moved on from this off-season but didn’t is running back Derrick Henry. Henry has been one of the best players in the league at his position for years, but he’s getting around the age (age 29 season) where even elite running backs start to drop off quickly and the Titans would have saved 11 million and likely received a high draft pick in return if they traded him, so it would make sense that the rebuilding Titans at least considered moving on from him this off-season.

However, the Titans likely viewed Henry as too valuable to move and will bring him back to once again handle the vast majority of the touches in this backfield. In 2022, Henry turned 349 carries (most in the NFL) into 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns, his third season with over 300 carries over the past four seasons, with the exception being 2021, when he missed seven games due to injury and was on a 300+ carry pace before getting hurt. I would expect more of the same from him in 2023. The Titans used a third round pick in this year’s draft on Tulane’s Tyjae Spears, with an eye on the future beyond Henry, but he’s unlikely to significantly cut into Henry’s workload in year one.

Henry’s YPC average has dropped from 5.16 YPC over his first three seasons as a starter to 4.36 YPC over the past two seasons, but that has more to do with the decreasing amount of talent around him on this offense than it has to do with Henry declining significantly. Still, Henry’s age is a concern, as age 29 running backs are 40% less likely to surpass 1,000 yards than age 27 running backs, a steep drop off in a short period of time. Henry should be one of the best running backs in the league again this season, but he might not quite be his old dominant self and he might not find a ton of running room on this offense.

One area where Derrick Henry actually had a career best year in 2022 was in the passing game, as his 41 targets, 33 catches, and 398 yards were all career bests. The Titans still liked to spell Henry on some passing downs with veteran backup Dontrell Hillard last season, but Hillard is no longer with the team, leaving some passing game work up for grabs. It’s possible the Titans could give Henry more passing game work, but that might not be the best strategy because it would likely have to come at the expense of early down work, or they could risk overloading the aging running back.

The rookie Spears flashed some potential as a receiver in his final year in college (22/256/2), but he is probably too raw as a receiver for a significant passing down role as a rookie. The Titans also used a 4th round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on a running back Hassan Haskins and, while it’s unlikely the Titans still view him as a potential successor to Henry, considering he played just 154 snaps as a rookie and then watched the Titans draft another running back this year, it’s still possible Haskins could see a bigger role in year two, especially in passing situations, with Hillard gone. 

Regardless of how the backup touches are split up, this is still Derrick Henry’s backfield and he figures to see the vast majority of the touches again. The Titans probably want to avoid overloading him though, so young running backs Hassan Haskins and Tyjae Spears will likely be sprinkled in here and there to spell the aging veteran. Henry might not be what he used to be this season, but he should still be one of the best running backs in the league and the Titans’ depth situation isn’t bad either.

Grade: A

Edge Defenders

As they did on offense, the Titans also had an above average amount of injuries on their defense last season and their edge defender group was as affected as any position group, with expected top edge defender Harold Landry going down for the year before the season even started and replacement starter Bud Dupree limited to 453 mediocre snaps in 11 games by injuries of his own. Dupree is no longer with the team, with the Titans understandably wanting to save 17 million by moving on from the injury prone veteran, but Landry will return for 2023, which should be a big boost for this position group, assuming Landry is something resembling full strength.

A second round pick in 2018, Landry was one of the most durable players in the league before the injury, only missing one other game back in his rookie season, while playing snap counts of 953, 1,050, and 981 in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively, which were among the league leaders in snaps played by an edge defender in all three seasons. He hasn’t always been the most efficient player with his high snap counts and he may benefit from playing more of a rotational role, as his 10.2% career pressure rate is about average and his PFF grades have been in the 60s in all four healthy seasons, but he does have 31 sacks and 38 quarterback hits across those four seasons, so he has a good amount of production, even if you’d expect more out of someone who hardly ever came off the field. It’ll be interesting to see how much he plays in his return and if he becomes more efficient in a smaller role.

Regardless of his role, Landry’s return will be a welcome one for this group as his primary replacements Bud Dupree (58.2 PFF grade), Mario Edwards (56.0 PFF grade), and Rashad Weaver (60.6 PFF grade) were all mediocre at best. Edwards is also no longer with the team, which could be addition by subtraction, leaving Landry, Weaver, free agent acquisition Arden Key, and top holdover Denico Autry as their primary options on the edge. Weaver was mediocre last season, but it’s possible the 2021 4th round pick could be better in his third year in the league in 2023, especially if he plays a smaller snap count (640 snaps in 2022) in what looks like it will be a better group than a year ago.

Landry’s return is part of why this group should be better in 2023, but Arden Key could prove to be a smart signing on a 3-year, 21 million dollar deal as well. He’s mostly a rotational option, having not played more than 500 snaps in a season since his rookie year in 2018 when he struggled, but he has received grades of 69.5 and 81.3 from PFF over the past two seasons respectively on snap counts of 375 and 475, while totaling 11 sacks, 27 hits, and a 13.7% pressure rate in his limited role. The former third round pick has been a bit of a late bloomer, but he’s always had a lot of upside and he is only in his age 27 season, so has a good chance to continue being an efficient pass rush option in a situational, rotational role for the third straight season, now in his new home in Tennessee. 

Denico Autry (531 snaps) was the best of the bunch last season and could still be the best of the bunch even with Landry returning and Key being added. He probably won’t be as good as he was a year ago though, in part because of how good he was last season, with a 82.8 PFF grade and 8 sacks, 12 hits, and a 13.9% pressure rate in just 12 games, but also because he’s now going into his age 33 season. 

Autry has been a reliable player for a long time and has received average or better grades from PFF in six straight seasons, but prior to last season he had never received a grade higher than 72.9 and it’s unlikely that he’ll repeat the best season of his career again in his 10th season in the league in 2023. He should still be an above average option, assuming he doesn’t suddenly drop off a cliff at his age, but I wouldn’t expect him to be as good as he was a year ago. Even still, he could be the best of a group that lacks a high upside overall, but that should be better than a year ago.

Grade: B

Interior Defenders

The Titans also lost interior defenders Kevin Strong (305 snaps) and DeMarcus Walker (427 snaps) this off-season. Strong was mediocre with a 59.5 PFF grade in his limited action, so he won’t really be missed, but Walker played at a pretty high level with a 72.8 PFF grade, especially excelling as a pass rusher with 7 sacks, 9 hits, and a 11.7% pressure rate. The Titans also didn’t do much to replace them, only adding veteran journeyman Jaleel Johnson in free agency, even though he’s never received even an average grade for a season on PFF in 6 seasons in the league, on an average of just 311 snaps per season, with a 43.6 PFF grade on 181 snaps in 2023.

With no other reserve options on this roster with any experience and no draft picks used on the position, Johnson will likely be one of the top reserves along with holdover Naquan Jones, who played just 156 snaps last season and received a 46.5 PFF grade, after the 2021 undrafted free agent received a 44.3 grade on 328 snaps as a rookie. He and Jones are very underwhelming reserve options who would almost definitely be major liabilities if forced into significant action by injuries ahead of them on the depth chart. Even as rotational reserves, they could easily be overmatched given their histories of poor play.

Fortunately, Jeffery Simmons and Teair Tart return as the starters, after both fared well with PFF grades of 81.1 and 73.1 respectively on snap counts of 840 and 520 respectively in 2022. For Simmons, that was no surprise, as the 2019 first round pick broke out as one of the better players in the league at his position in his second year in the league in 2020 and has posted grades of 83.6, 71.9, and 81.1 respectively over the past three seasons since, on snap counts of 841, 933, and 840 respectively. Also a talented run defender, Simmons excels as a pass rusher with 19 sacks, 26 hits, and a 8.8% pressure rate over the past three seasons and, still in his prime in his age 26 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2023, perhaps even more if he has further untapped upside.

For Tart, last year’s strong performance was a big surprise, after the 2020 undrafted free agent struggled with PFF grades of 48.7 and 59.2 respectively on 155 snaps and 344 snaps respectively in the first two seasons of his career. Tart was always a decent run stopper, but improved in that aspect last season and especially took a step forward as a pass rusher, finishing with 1.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 8.5% pressure rate, after just a 3.8% pressure rate in his first two seasons in the league combined, which allowed him to stay on the field for more snaps. It’s possible Tart could prove to be a one-year wonder and even if he doesn’t, he might not be as good again in 2023 as he was in 2022, but he still has a good chance to remain at least a solid starting option, probably on an even bigger snap count given their lack of depth. Simmons and Tart are an above average starting duo, but their lack of depth hurts their overall grade and would be a serious problem if Simmons or Tart missed significant time with injury.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Off ball linebacker Zach Cunningham is yet another player who missed significant time with injury last season who is no longer on the roster at all, with the Titans moving on from Cunningham to save 11.25 million after an injury plagued season in which he played just 205 middling snaps in 6 games. A bigger loss will be free agent departed David Long, who received a 76.2 PFF grade in 740 snaps in 12 games last season, making him PFF’s 14th highest ranked off ball linebacker in the league. Also gone is veteran Dylan Cole, but he received just a 53.3 grade from PFF on 439 snaps so he won’t be missed too much.

In place of Long, Cole, and Cunningham, the Titans signed veterans Azeez Al-Shaair and Ben Niemann and will likely give more playing time to 2021 3rd round pick Monty Rice, who was decent on 366 snaps last season after struggling on 179 snaps as a rookie the year prior. He could take a step forward in year three and will compete for one of two starting roles with the two veteran free agent additions Al-Shaair and Niemann.

Al-Shaair is the more promising of the two additions, coming over from the 49ers on a 1-year, 5 million dollar deal. Al-Shaair was often buried on the depth chart in San Francisco behind Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, arguably the best linebacker duo in the league, so he only played 305 snaps in 2020 and 313 snaps in 2022, but he did see 730 snaps in 2021 and he has received PFF grades of 61.0, 64.8, and 67.8 over the past three seasons respectively, so he should be at least a decent starting job for the Titans. Niemann, meanwhile, was signed for close to the minimum and, while he’s played an average of 478 snaps per season over the past four seasons, he’s never been more than a middling option. Al-Shaair is the heavy favorite to win at least one of the starting jobs, with Rice and Niemann perhaps splitting snaps at the other spot. It’s an underwhelming group overall.

Grade: B-

Secondary

Injuries affected the Titans’ secondary significantly last season as well. Cornerback Elijah Molden and Caleb Farley were supposed to play significant roles, but were limited to 82 snaps in 2 games and 104 snaps in 5 games respectively by injury, while starter Kristian Fulton also missed 6 games with injury as well. With their lack of cornerback depth, the Titans frequently used three safeties in sub packages, with Amani Hooker playing more slot cornerback than safety, but he struggled by his standards out of position, falling from a 83.3 PFF grade as a more of a traditional safety in 2021 to 63.3 last season, while also missing 8 games of his own with injury, which further hurt this secondary.

With what should be a healthier cornerback group, Hooker is expected to move back to safety, which will be necessary because Andrew Adams (726 snaps) and Josh Kalu (494 snaps), who saw significant action at safety last season with Hooker hurt and playing out of position, are no longer with the team. Both played pretty well in their limited action, receiving PFF grades of 70.9 and 68.0 respectively, and the Titans are left without any other experienced safeties behind Hooker and fellow starter Kevin Byard, so they will desperately need them to both stay healthy all year.

If Hooker stays healthy, he has a good chance to bounce back now in a more natural position for him, but he is somewhat of a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he did in 2021, with PFF grades in the 60s in each of his other three seasons in the league, so there’s a good chance he doesn’t bounce all the way back to his 2021 form, even if he should remain an above average option, still in his prime in his age 25 season. 

Byard, meanwhile, is no one-year wonder, with his 79.5 PFF grade in 2022 being his 5th season above 75 in the past six seasons, with his best years coming with grades of 87.0, 87.9, and 90.2 in 2017, 2018, and 2021 respectively. Byard is going into his age 30 season and could start to decline this season, but, even at less than his best, he should remain at least an above average starter and he could easily remain one of the best players in the league at his position, as he has been for years. Byard and Hooker could be one of the best safeties duos in the league in 2023 and they arguably were the best in 2021, when they both finished in the top-5 on PFF, but depth is a significant concern if either player gets hurt.

The Titans’ depth is better at cornerback than safety, but they have several players coming off injury plagued seasons and they are a very young group overall. The only cornerback the Titans have who isn’t on a rookie deal is free agent acquisition Sean Murphy-Bunting, who signed a 1-year, 3.5 million dollar deal for his 5th season in the league in 2023, coming over from Tampa Bay, with whom he was a 2nd round pick in 2019. Murphy-Bunting has mostly been a starter in his career, starting 36 of 53 games played in four seasons in the league, but injuries have been a big problem for him the past two seasons, missing 16 of a possible 34 games, and his play has been inconsistent overall. After a 66.2 PFF grade on 42.9 snaps per game as a rookie, Murphy-Bunting saw his snap counts increase to 55.3 per game and 51.3 per game in 2020 and 2021, but also saw his PFF grade fall to 55.9 and 61.7 respectively. That grade jumped to 76.6 in 2022 on 430 snaps in 9 games and he’s still only in his age 26 season, so he has some potential if he can stay healthy and permanently turn the corner as a player, but he also comes with a significant history of injury and inconsistency.

Fulton is second the most experienced of the bunch, with 26 starts since being selected in the 2nd round in 2020, including 24 over the past two seasons, but he’s been middling at best with PFF grades of 66.1 and 63.8 over the past two seasons respectively and injuries have prevented him from ever playing more than 13 games in a season. Still only in his age 25 season, it’s possible he could have further untapped potential if he can stay healthy, but I wouldn’t expect him to be more than a solid starter and he could easily miss more time with injury. Caleb Farley is the highest drafted of the bunch, selected in the first round in 2021, but injuries have limited him to 164 snaps total in two seasons in the league and he’s struggled mightily even when on the field, receiving PFF grades of 45.7 and 42.5. Farley is still young, but injuries were a concern with him going into the draft and it’s very possible he never stays healthy enough to develop into the cornerback he was expected to be when the Titans drafted him in the first round. He won’t be guaranteed a starting job.

Elijah Molden was the lowest drafted of the bunch, but the 2021 3rd round pick had a solid rookie year with a PFF of 64.1 on 632 snaps, before hardly playing due to injury last season. The 5-10 192 pounder is a slot specialist who probably isn’t a realistic candidate to start outside, but he should have the inside track to be the starter on the slot if he can stay healthy in 2023. The only Titans cornerback to stay healthy last season was Roger McCreary, a rookie second round pick who made all 17 starts. McCreary wasn’t great with a 62.6 PFF grade, but he could easily take a step forward in year two and should remain a starter, which he almost definitely will. 

The Titans should be healthier at cornerback than a year ago and have a pretty deep group when healthy, even if they aren’t very experienced, but they will need them to all stay healthy because the Titans don’t have the safety depth that they had last season to help mask their lack of cornerback depth. The Titans have a very talented safety duo if they both stay healthy and could have a solid cornerback group if they all stay healthy, but their lack of safety depth and their lack of cornerback experience hurt their overall grade in this position group.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

The Titans were one of the most injury plagued teams in the league last season and are just a season removed from being the #1 overall seed in the AFC with a 12-5 record, but a lot of the players who missed time with injury last season are no longer on the team, meaning the Titans won’t be getting as much help from players returning from injury as you would expect from a team that had the third most adjusted games lost to injury in the league last season. 

The Titans also weren’t nearly as good as their 12-5 record in 2021 and their regression to 7-10 was not all that surprising, with their DVOA actually only decreasing slightly in 2022, ranking 23rd after ranking 20th in 2021. On top of that, the Titans don’t have the same team as 2021, with several key players missing, and, overall, they appear to have a below average roster. They’ll benefit from playing in a weak division, but they also play in by far the tougher of the two conferences, so winning their division is their only real path to the post-season and they should still be significantly behind the reigning division champion Jaguars, so it’s very likely the Titans finish out of the post-season picture and quite possibly finish below .500 again. I will have a final prediction at the end of the off-season when all previews are completed.

Prediction: 6-11, 2nd in AFC South