With the new season just days away, experts from different media outlets are weighing in on the state of the Tennessee Titans and the rest of the league in their NFL power rankings ahead of Week 1.
Many experts are down on the Titans going into 2022 after the team traded away wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles and cut Julio Jones, leaving the team to completely revamp its receiving corps.
The season-ending injury to outside linebacker Harold Landry also didn’t help the Titans’ outlook.
As is usually the case, the Indianapolis Colts are the preseason darlings of the AFC South, as Tennessee’s division rival is favored to win the division going into 2022.
However, the Titans have had the Colts’ number in recent years, winning three of the last four meetings between the two en route to back-to-back division titles.
Now, a look at where experts are ranking the Titans ahead of Week 1.
Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: 17
Can the loss of Harold Landry be overcome? The Titans received crushing news last week when it was confirmed the team’s star pass rusher tore his ACL in practice. Landry’s season is over before it begins, and Tennessee must adapt on the fly without one of its most important players. The last time we saw Landry, he collected 1.5 of the Titans’ nine sacks of Joe Burrow in the Divisional Round loss to the Bengals. Landry was especially beastly on third down last year, recording seven of his 12 regular-season sacks on the money down. The 26-year-old’s brutal departure from the equation means opportunity for Rashad Weaver, the 2021 third-round pick who had an impressive camp in his return from his own season-ending injury last season.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 20
The loss of pass rusher Harold Landry to a torn ACL in practice is brutal for the Titans. If Mike Vrabel can get this team back to the playoffs, it will stamp him as a top-five coach in the NFL.
Bo Wulf, The Athletic: 14
The good news: Jeffery Simmons might be the best young interior defensive lineman in the league, Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry, and the AFC South is still pretty bad.
The bad news: Everyone is rooting against Ryan Tannehill because we want to see Malik Willis. And, uh, the team doesn’t really look better on paper than last season at any position.
Nugget to remember: The Titans are 10-2 over the past two seasons in games decided by three points or fewer. That’s far and away the best mark in the league and could be a hint at coin flips landing the other way this season.
Bleacher Report: 16
There may not be a team in recent memory that has been dismissed as quickly after being their conference’s No. 1 seed the year before than the 2022 Tennessee Titans.
Last year, the Titans won 12 games and were crowned AFC South champions for the second straight year. But this year, good luck finding anyone who views the Titans as any kind of legitimate contender.
There are some reasons for skepticism. The Titans traded No. 1 wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason. Top pass-rusher Harold Landry III tore his ACL last week in practice and will miss the entire season. When last we saw quarterback Ryan Tannehill, he threw three picks in an ugly playoff loss to the Bengals.
However, after watching the Titans in camp, ESPN’s Dianna Russini said that skeptics are writing Tannehill off too soon.
“This is Ryan Tannehill’s team, and I can tell you it’s Ryan Tannehill’s team because of the way he looks in camp. He looks fantastic,” Russini said.
“Ryan Tannehill looks like he has bounced back mentally [from last year’s playoff loss to the Bengals]. And I know there’s no A.J. Brown out there on the field, but he’s done a really good job of figuring out all the different weapons that he can use and finding their best characteristic.”
The Titans replaced Brown with veteran Robert Woods and used a first-round pick on Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks. Tennessee will also have a healthy Derrick Henry back in 2022.
After going 23-10 over the past two years, maybe the Titans’ best days are behind them. But it’s also possible this team is being written off prematurely.
Austin Gayle, The Ringer: 15
After surviving a Derrick Henry foot injury that had him sidelined for the last nine regular season games and earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Titans fell off a cliff. Henry was held to 3.1 yards per carry and Ryan Tannehill threw three picks in a 19-16 loss to the Bengals in the divisional round. Then, unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension, Tennessee traded away receiver A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft. The Titans spent a first-round pick on former Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks, but he’s not even in line to start Week 1. Tannehill, who finished tied for 12th in EPA per dropback last season, will somehow need to right the ship with downgrades in the receiving corps and Henry coming off an injury.
Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus: 17
Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus:
The No. 1 seed in the AFC a season ago, the Titans did not have an offseason for the ages. Acquiring Robert Woods was a nice move, but they also traded away A.J. Brown rather than give him the big-money contract he deserved. Rookie Treylon Burks is now under huge pressure to replace Brown. The Titans will be a good team again, but they lost ground to the rest of the contenders that clearly upgraded this offseason, so they will likely struggle to repeat last year’s finish position.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 8
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk:
8. Titans: Is this Ryan Tannehill‘s last chance to take the Titans to the next level?
Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: 20
Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football:
The Titans lost some key players like Rodger Saffold, Julio Jones, Jayon Brown and Janoris Jenkins prior to the 2022 NFL Draft. All of this now seems insignificant in the wake of A.J. Brown’s departure. I like Treylon Burks as much as the next guy, but there will definitely be a dropoff from Brown. Burks has endured a rough training camp and preseason, but that reminds me a bit of Ja’Marr Chase’s 2021 summer.
Josh Schrock, NBC Sports: 21
21. Tennessee Titans: Eventually, the bill comes due for even the best running backs. The Titans won’t be able to survive Derrick Henry’s absence if the bill comes due this season.
MMQB staff, Sports Illustrated: 15
MMQB staff, Sports Illustrated:
Points in poll: 150
Highest-place vote: 9 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 21 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. GiantsLast year’s No. 1 seed in the AFC comes in just barely ahead of the midpoint. But it feels like the Titans have overachieved their preseason projections each year under Mike Vrabel.
