One of the bigger exaggerations that have taken place this offseason is how the Tennessee Titans “gutted” their roster after a dismal 2022 season.
This narrative that the Titans got significantly worse because they parted ways with the likes of Taylor Lewan, Bud Dupree, Robert Woods, etc., is borderline ridiculous.
The reality is, Tennessee got rid of a lot of dead weight that wasn’t doing much outside of taking up salary cap space, mostly due to injuries (Dupree and Lewan) and lackluster performance (Woods).
Tennessee’s decision to part ways with those veterans, as well as letting guys like David Long and DeMarcus Walker leave in free agency are some of the reasons why Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report feels the Titans “are not a better team on paper” going into 2023.
Knox also believes the Titans are one of five teams that are failing at their rebuild and believes the team would’ve been better off in their rebuild had they unloaded Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry during the offseason.
Here’s some of what Knox had to say:
Trading Henry and parting with Tannehill would have been the right way to rip off the proverbial Band-Aid and perhaps have a shot at a top 2024 QB prospect. However, Henry’s value dropped significantly after teams addressed the running back position in the draft and players like Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook hit the open market.
Tennessee also failed to move up for one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft—Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson—leaving them with an unfinished product in 33rd overall pick Will Levis.
Tennessee could still save $27 million in cap space by cutting Tannehill, but he now appears likely to start, as he has been “head and shoulders above” Levis and Malik [Willis] in early offseason workouts, according to ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
It feels like the Titans will be just good enough to miss out on a top 2024 quarterback, meaning their future at the game’s most important position is a “Levis-or-bust” scenario for at least the next two years.
Knox mentions the Titans’ 23rd-ranked defense as part of the reason the Titans should have focused more on that side of the ball in the 2023 NFL draft but doesn’t even discuss how dominant the unit was prior to being destroyed by injuries.
On paper, the Titans are not a better team than they were a year ago, especially after focusing entirely on offense in the draft. Tennessee didn’t use a single selection to address a defense that ranked 32nd against the pass and 23rd overall last season.
Bear in mind, the Titans were 7-3 before the wheels came off, mostly due to injuries at several positions.
The #Titans defense continues to dominate.
Since Week 3, they’ve only allowed an average of 15.1 PPG while ranking:• 1st in Success Rate
• 1st in Rush EPA
• 1st in Rushing Success Rate
• 6th in EPA/play
• 6th in Dropback Success Rate*6-1 record over that span* pic.twitter.com/N2QtuiBcoZ
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) November 15, 2022
The Titans were entering the year expecting their front four to lead the way once again.
Instead, Harold Landry was lost before Week 1, Dupree and Denico Autry eventually landed on injured reserve, and Jeffery Simmons battled an ankle injury throughout the back half of the season.
Not to mention the other injuries suffered by Kristian Fulton, Amani Hooker, David Long, Zach Cunningham, etc.
There’s a reason why the defense fell off toward the end of the year. It’s not as black and white as “they finished 23rd, so they aren’t very good” like Knox makes it seem.
last season the titans defense played at such a high level at times that they were able to take the eventual super bowl champions to overtime in a game where they completed 5 passes pic.twitter.com/CNsph1L8FQ
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) July 4, 2023
As far as the departures go, Lewan missed a ton of time over the last few years and was adequately replaced this offseason with either Andre Dillard or Peter Skoronski.
Dupree was making nearly $20 million to be the fourth-most productive guy on the defensive front. Adding to that, he missed a lot of time since signing his lucrative contract.
Dupree was replaced by someone who produced 90 pressures and double-digit sacks over the last two years in Arden Key, and on a much cheaper contract.
Meanwhile, Woods was a shell of himself in Tennessee and didn’t deserve another year at his price point. It’s true, the Titans haven’t exactly replaced his veteran presence just yet, but Tennessee is possibly one DeAndre Hopkins signing away from patching that hole up, and then some.
The list goes on and on, and there was logic behind every single move the Titans made. Truthfully, the Titans’ biggest loss of the offseason was probably Ben Jones, yet he’s not even mentioned.
Knox also goes on to discuss the Titans’ quarterback scenarios, but he believes the team is stuck with Tannehill for the year since Will Levis and Malik Willis don’t appear to be ready just yet.
Spoiler alert: Tannehill was always going to be the starter in 2023 barring injuries or an unforeseen phenomenal showing from either of the two younger signal-callers.
Also, if the Titans do end up struggling early on, they can still trade Derrick Henry and/or Ryan Tannehill before the trade deadline. In fact, Tennessee would probably get more for them at that point depending on how desperate a contending team is to acquire them.
No one is claiming this Titans team is going to be Super Bowl favorites or anything of that nature, but to act like this team is supposed to just cave it in and commit to a rebuild is ridiculous in and of itself.
And, to go a step further and claim that Tennessee is already failing that rebuild is a bit absurd, especially when you consider this team has put itself in position to have a ton of money to spend in 2024.
