Like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tennessee Titans had solid losing season streak going until last year, when they broke through with a 9-7 record. Unlike the Bucs, the Titans had a real shot at making the playoffs until quarterback Marcus Mariota broke his leg on Christmas eve in a 38-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans were down 25-10 when Mariota went down with less than three minutes to go in the third quarter. That’s a whole other quarter with which to come back from a two-touchdown deficit and even with Mike Mularkey at the helm, I’d not count against it.
But, it didn’t happen. The Titans lost that game and it effectively eliminated them from playoff contention. Of the other six games they lost, four were by a touchdown or less. This is a team right on the cusp and the only thing holding them back is the worst head coach currently in the NFL. Let’s see if Mularkey and general manager Jon Robinson added any bullets to the rifle for 2017.
Free Agents Kept
Matt Cassel, Quarterback
Karl Klug, Defensive End
Phillip Supernaw, Tight End
Nate Palmer, Linebacker
Free Agents/Players Gained
Darren Bates, Linebacker, formerly of the Oakland Raiders
Jonathan Cyprien, Safety, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Logan Ryan, Cornerback, formerly of the New England Patriots
Sylvester Williams, Defensive Tackle, formerly of the Denver Broncos
Eric Weems, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons
Tim Lelito, Offensive Lineman, formerly of the New Orleans Saints
Eric Decker, Wide Receiver, formerly of the New York Jets
Free Agents/Players Lost
Anthony Fasano, Tight End, signed with the Miami Dolphins
Sean Spence, Inside Linebacker, signed with the Indianapolis Colts
Chance Warmack, Offensive Guard, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
Al Woods, Defensive Tackle, signed with the Indianapolis Colts
Kendall Wright, Wide Receiver, signed with the Chicago Bears
Brian Schwenke, Offensive Guard, signed with the Indianapolis Colts
Josh Aubrey, Safety, currently a free agent
Jason McCourty, Cornerback, signed with the Cleveland Browns
Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver, retired
Bennet Okotcha, Cornerback, retired
Daimion Stafford, Safety, signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Corey Davis, Wide Receiver, Western Michigan
Round 1: Adoree’ Jackson, Cornerback, USC
Round 3: Taywan Taylor, Wide Receiver, Western Kentucky
Round 3: Jonnu Smith, Tight End, Florida International
Round 5: Jayon Brown, Linebacker, UCLA
Round 6: Corey Levin, Offensive Lineman, UTC
Round 7: Josh Carraway, Outside Linebacker, TCU
Round 7: Brad Seaton, Offensive Tackle, Villanova
Round 7: Khalfani Muhammad, Running Back, California
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Marcus Mariota
RB: DeMarco Murray
WR: Corey Davis
WR: Rishard Matthews
WR: Eric Decker
TE: Delanie Walker
LT: Taylor Lewan
RT: Jack Conklin
LG: Quinton Spain
RG: Josh Kline
C: Ben Jones
Offensive Outlook
Getting a healthy Mariota back under center is the key to everything the Titans can accomplish this season. For my money, he’s the top-ranked quarterback to come out of the draft since Andrew Luck and last year he delivered it on the field. Mariota completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 349 yards and two scores.
The Titans backfield is almost too deep, with DeMarco Murray the entrenched starter and second-year back Derrick Henry holding down the future. Tennessee has an out with no dead cap money on Murray’s contract after this season, so don’t be surprised to see him share the load with Henry, who will become the feature back in 2018.
While everyone will want to look at rookie Corey Davis, I see Eric Decker as the most important upgrade in the Titans’ receiving corps. Rishard Matthews had the best season of his life in 2016, catching 65 passes for 945 yards and nine touchdowns. If Davis can turn into a No. 1 receiver, Matthews is a solid No. 2 and even more solid slot guy with Decker on the outside. Delanie Walker continues to show he’s one of the top tight ends int he league. Last year he caught 65 passes for 800 yards and seven touchdowns.
The same offensive line returns from last season, led by Taylor Lewan at left tackle. This unit is arguably the second best in the league outside of Dallas.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: DaQuan Jones
DT: Sylvester Williams
DT: Jurrell Casey
OLB: Derrick Morgan
OLB: Brian Orakpo
ILB: Wesley Woodyard
ILB: Avery Williamson
CB: Logan Ryan
CB: LeShaun Sims
FS: Jonathan Cyprien
SS: Da’Norris Searcy
Defensive Outlook
Up front, the Titans have just one change in bringing in Sylvester Williams to replace Al Woods at defensive tackle. Frankly, neither guy is worth much other than a body to take up space. DaQuon Jones and Jurrell Casey aren’t much better. Both guys combined for just 6.5 sacks last season.
In Dom Capers’ defense, the pressure is designed to come from the linebackers and Tennessee got that, with Brian Orakpo posted 10.5 sacks to go with with his 46 tackles, one forced fumble and four passes defended. Derrick Morgan had nine sacks, 33 tackles and one pass defense. Wesley Woodyard took over at an inside linebacker spot alongside Avery Williamson in the second half of the season and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 53 to go with two sacks, five passes defended and one pick. Williamson, for his part, is an underrated player who posted his second straight 100-plus tackle season, recording 104. He added two sacks, one forced fumble, one pass defense and a pick.
The Titans corner position was a mess last season. The team cut starter Perrish Cox in November and replaced him with LeShaun Sims, who will probably keep that job opposite free agent acquisition Logan Ryan. Ryan replaces Jason McCourty, a guy I don’t think the Titans could afford to cut. The Titans made just as bad a decision in letting safety Daimion Stafford walk. He was easily their best safety. While Jonathan Cyprien is a solid replacement, he’ll be playing alongside Rashad Johnson who took over at free safety for the final seven games last season.
Grade: C-
The addition of Decker should make a real impact on the offense, but the Titans couldn’t afford to lose talent on a defense that was already hovering in the middle of the pack. For a team that lost four games by a touchdown and won six by that same margin, there’s no room for error. One play flips per game and this was a team that could have gone 13-3… or 3-13.
O/U wins: 7.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: at New York Jets
Week 2: Carolina Panthers
Week 3: Chicago Bears
Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: Oakland Raiders
Week 2: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 3: Seattle Seahawks
Week 4: at Houston Texans
Key game: The Titans face both their first AFC South opponents on the road, with a rematch from the final game of the 2016 regular season here with the Houston Texans. Tennessee won but Houston still made the playoffs even though both squads finished 9-7. Getting a game up this early could keep that from happening again.
Week 5: at Miami Dolphins
Week 6: Indianapolis Colts
Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: Baltimore Ravens
Week 10: Cincinnati Bengals
Week 11: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 12: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 13: Houston Texans
Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals
Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 16: Los Angeles Rams
Week 17: Jacksonville Jaguars
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