Tennessee’s Nashville With the hiring of coach Brian Callahan last month, the Tennessee Titans are optimistic that their road back to the postseason has begun.
The Titans are adding personnel to Callahan and general manager Ran Carthon as they start to focus on improving the squad, which needs improvement at several areas.
Carthon stated that the previous season was a teaching moment. In his first season as general manager, he had to add another playmaker to the offense, cover four starting offensive line spots, and monitor potential long-term replacements for quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry.
When the next league year starts in March, Henry is scheduled to become a free agent. With 1,167 yards, he was the second-leading rusher in the league, demonstrating that he is still a capable player. The Titans have the cap flexibility to try to remedy some of those weaknesses, but losing Henry would merely add to the long list of things to focus on.
Although the salary cap for the 2024 campaign has not yet been made official, the Roster Management System projects that the Titans will have $65.52 million in cap space in addition to seven draft picks, starting at No. 7 overall. Tennessee is tied for sixth place in the Roster Management System with 22 pending free agents.
Chad Brinker, the president of football operations for the Titans, stated on the Official Titans Podcast, “When you look at the draft, that’s wholesale.” It’s inexpensive, but there’s a chance it may be quite successful. Adding impact players through the draft or free agency is the goal. There is a fee associated with having free agency. These teams frequently won’t let those guys go, so we need to proceed with caution.”
Here are the Titans’ two most urgent needs heading into the offseason:
offensive line
Last season, the Titans tied for the third-highest number of sacks allowed in the NFL with 64. While not all of the sacks were the offensive line’s fault, a significant percentage of them were.
The Titans were unable to deploy a consistent line that could grow the requisite cohesiveness to allow plays time to develop because of injuries and inconsistent play.
In January, Carthon stated, “I know that’s an area where we didn’t play as well.” “I will mention one thing regarding the offensive line position: it’s not always about the individual. The whole is what matters.”
Andre Dillard, a free agent who was brought in to start at left tackle, presented Tennessee with a challenge. Ultimately, the Titans selected Jaelyn Duncan, a sixth-round pick in 2023, over other options. Out of all offensive lineman, Duncan allowed the third-most sacks (16) in the previous season. With 13 turnovers, Dillard was tied for sixth place with Titans left guard Peter Skoronski, the team’s 2023 first-round selection.
The Titans’ improvements begin, quite simply, at left tackle. Two more areas that need to be improved are acquiring a right tackle and adding more strength at center.
Nine offensive linemen are included in ESPN’s Matt Bowen’s list of the top 50 free agents. It would be prudent for Tennessee to add a veteran to its line by dipping into the free agency pool. In addition to perhaps selecting one of the gifted offensive lineman in this year’s draft class with a first choice, that action is also warranted.
Jordan Reid, an ESPN draft analyst, has ranked 12 offensive lineman among the top 50 prospects. The Titans will benefit from whatever additions up front thanks to Callahan’s father, Bill, who is their new offensive line coach and one of the best in the business.
Nashville still has room for growth when it comes to receiver. Last season, Carthon signed DeAndre Hopkins to a two-year contract, which was a positive step. The Titans have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since A.J. Brown’s 1,075-yard campaign in 2020, but Hopkins was the only standout member of the receiver group.
The team’s 2022 first-round selection, Treylon Burks, showed potential in training camp but had setbacks that hindered his progress. Though they are still unrestricted free agents, veteran wideouts Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine have had some significant moments.
Reid has three wide receivers in his top 10, so there will be some good possibilities for the Titans, who will select at No. 7 in the April selection. Callahan may find himself in a similar predicament to one he faced in 2021 as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, as it is likely that the Titans will select between a top receiver and offensive line prospect.
With needs at those two positions, the Bengals held the fifth overall pick. The best prospects in their positions were offensive guard Penei Sewell and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Cincinnati made the decision to select Chase and paired him with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. Before, Cincinnati made it all the way to the Super Bowl thanks in large part to Chase.
“When it came down to having to win the game, we had players that were able to win one-on-one matchups,” Callahan said on 102.5 The Game. “When push comes to shove, do you want to have someone that can go score touchdowns and go win versus tight coverage? In that debate, Penei was fantastic. I landed on the Ja’Marr Chase side because I saw what he can do for our offense.”
Callahan stressed that every situation is different. Cincinnati had the luxury of seeing Chase and Burrow work their magic en route to a national championship in college.
However, the emphasis on the ability to be a playmaker in the passing game remains the same.
“There’s a philosophy where I tend to lean towards the guys that can score touchdowns,” Callahan said. “If you’re playing the quarterback position well, you can negate some of the issues in pass protection if you’re playing on time and throwing the ball accurately.”
Tee Higgins, Bowen’s top-ranked free agency receiver, and Tyler Boyd are two more notable free agents that Cincinnati has at the receiver position. Callahan might advocate for going back to Nashville to be with one or both of them. Expect the Titans to acquire one or two veteran receivers in free agency, even if they don’t land either.
