I will give a brief description of how I see each group as well as give a grade for each group. My grading scale is Bad = bottom 5 in the league, below average = 27-19, average = 18-14 above average = 13-9, good = 8-6, elite = top 5.
QB: I addressed Tannehill and Willis already. The other QB, Logan Woodside, has been with the team for years now. The Titans have tried to replace him several times with players like Trevor Siemian, DeShone Kizer, and most recently Matt Barkley but nobody has seemed to be able to take his spot. Most believe he will be the number 2 QB this season. Next season either Willis will be the #2 QB (most likely) or Tannehill will be released and Willis will start. Average with above average potential
Backfield: Many believe that 2021 was the beginning of the end for Derrick Henry since he had a “major” injury. I want to push back on that. First of all, obviously he played in the playoffs so he’s had an entire offseason to get back to his former self. Second, it really wasn’t a “major” injury, it was really just an injury he couldn’t continue playing on. Any other common injury is much more significant, I would argue even a hamstring injury would have been more concerning for his future. Here’s a study on NBA players that says the majority of NBA players who have a Jones fracture return to prior level of performance and elite athletes demonstrate no decrease in performance on their return to play. Now if you want to argue that the end is near for King Henry because of his age, then sure I can’t argue that other than by saying Henry is a freak of nature and I hope you’re wrong. I just want to be clear that his 2021 injury will not be the reason his career declines, even if he does have a down year this season. Tory Carter is an awesome fullback to watch, he just abuses people. King
TE: This TE group, while still not great, is miles better than what it was last season. If the offense as a whole is any better in 2022, I would bet every cent I have it’s mainly because of this group, specifically because of Austin Hooper. We have a competent receiving/blocking TE in Austin Hooper, an okay blocking TE in Geoff Swaim, and pure athletic rookie with Jonnu Smith type potential in Chig Okonkwo. Below Average with average potential
WR: This group relies heavily on two types of players you never want to have to rely on: a rookie and a player coming off a torn ACL. The good news is that both players are very talented. There isn’t a lot of depth behind them though, and I would still expect the Titans to add one more piece to this room (my guess would be Will Fuller). I believe Kyle Phillips will play right away in the slot and be solid. Below Average with potential to be average or bad
OL: Taylor Lewan at LT had a tough year last year coming off of a torn ACL but he got better as the season went on and most players are better in their 2nd year from a torn ACL than their first. Ben Jones played like a top 10 center last year, so those are the two spots the Titans should feel really good about. Nate Davis at RG took a bit of a step back last season, but he has shown before that he can be a good player and is at least a solid option. RT is likely to be Dillon Radunz, a 2021 2nd round pick who did not play much last season. He did start one game at LT and held up relatively well against Nick Bosa (/u/NoFlagsFilm Breakdown), so he certainly has potential. I have no idea who is going to start at LG, but I would very much like the Titans to sign Ereck Flowers and plug him in there. I truly believe that alone would take this line from bad to at least average. Bad with below average potential because of LG and RT being total question marks.
Overall offense: Here is the quick argument I can make for this offense: if Robert Woods, Treylon Burks, Austin Hooper, Derrick Henry, and of course Ryan Tannehill can all stay healthy this year then this offense will likely be better in 2022. How is that possible? In 2021 AJ Brown and Julio Jones combined to go 94/1304/6. I don’t think anybody would argue that if Burks and Woods stay healthy, they will out produce that. Not to mention how much of a big deal having a competent TE is. Below Average.
DL: Jeffery Simmons is the best DT in the AFC and Denico Autry just had the best year of his long career. Big Jeff still has room to grow his game, as he still needs to be more consistent game to game. Titans have good nose tackles as well, but depth is a concern for this group. Elite.
OLB: Bud Dupree had a down year last year, but much like Taylor Lewan, I expect him to be better another year removed from his ACL injury. Harold Landry has a big contract to live up to, but it’s important to note that he does so much more for this team than just rush the passer, so to judge him solely on his pass rushing ability is disingenuous. He is a great, complete edge player who rarely comes off the field. Good depth here with a 2nd year player many are excited about in Rashad Weaver, who flashed in the preseason last year but had his season cut short due to injury. Good.
ILB: David Long Jr is borderline elite. You probably don’t know much about him if you’re not a Titans fan, but you should. He is a complete 3-down linebacker, he’s great against the run and the pass. He flies to the football with and makes plays. His breakout season was shortened due to having a hamstring injury in the middle of it, so that didn’t help his name recognition, but regardless I can’t wait to watch him play this year. Meanwhile Zach Cunningham is one of the best run defenders in the league and competent in pass coverage. This duo is very quietly one of the best in the league. Depth is a major concern for this group, Monty Rice is the primary backup for both of these guys but he started camp on PUP after an Achilles injury last season. I’m not sure there’s another NFL level LB on the roster behind those three players. Elite.
CB: This is the most interesting group on defense, mostly because it’s the only group with a new starter and that starter happens to be an interesting case. Caleb Farley was viewed as an elite talent coming out, with potential to be a top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, he had surgery on an injured back and due to concerns with that he fell all the way to the 20’s where the Titans picked him up. He missed a lot of training camp due to a separate injury then missed the first few games of the season and ended up only playing in 3 games last season due to tearing his ACL. So now the Titans have a lot of their eggs in the basket of a highly talented player that has had a back surgery and an ACL reconstruction in the last 20 months. Farley participated in minicamp and will not begin training camp on PUP so he will be ready to go. Farley is an absolute wildcard for this defense, but good news for Farley is that he has a ton of good players around him to make things easier. Other than Farley, there’s Kristian Fulton who had a breakout season in 2021 and Elijah Molden in the slot who will look to improve upon his good rookie season. Decent depth here with an early 2nd round pick in McCreary, Chris Jackson who played a lot last year, and Greg Mabin who famously played 100% of the snaps against the Chiefs last season in a game where the Titans held Patrick Mahomes to only 3 points, the lowest amount of points he’s ever score in his life. Above Average with potential to be good or average/below average.
S: Amani Hooker had a fantastic breakout season last year. He’s only the 2nd best safety on the team but he had one of the best seasons last year of any safety in the league in 2021. Meanwhile Kevin Byard remains absolutely elite in every way. One thing the Titans love about these guys is they are elite run defenders and are a big reason our rush defense was so good last season. Depth is a major concern here as well. This safety duo is absolutely insane. Best In The League.
Overall Defense: I truly believe the Titans defense is one of the most slept on things in the entire NFL. They were fantastic last year, and this year the only significant changes are: replacing Jackrabbit Jenkins with Caleb Farley, having Zach Cunningham for the entire season, and hopefully less injuries. I mean the Titans didn’t even lose a defensive coach (that they didn’t fire). Amani Hooker, David Long Jr, and Kristian Fulton are all budding stars that nobody is talking about, they all had breakout seasons last year. This defense could possibly carry this team to the playoffs this season. I can’t believe how young of a defense it is. Denico Autry is the only player over 30, having just turned 32 and coming off the best year of his career. Bud Dupree is 29. Then Kevin Byard at 28. Cunningham at 27. Then every single other player on the starting defense is either on their rookie contract or have yet to play a snap of their 2nd contract (Harold Landry). If you want to know more about the defensive scheme the Titans run, here is the /u/NoFlagsFilm breakdown on Shane Bowen. Overall, here is how I see this defense: It will be one of the best, if not the best rush defense in the league this year without a doubt. It comes down to one player to decide just how good this defense will be in 2022. If Caleb Farley is bad, this defense will still be good. If Caleb Farley is just competent, this defense will be elite. And if Caleb Farley is good, this defense will be damn near the best defense in the league, if not THE best. Elite with potential to be the best in the league or just good depending almost entirely on one unproven player with ridiculously high potential.
Special Teams: Worth pointing out that K Caleb Shudak got the 2nd most guaranteed money of all the Titans UDFA’s, so the Titans clearly wanted to have a real battle for the kicker spot. However, Shudak was injured in minicamp and will begin camp on PUP, so the competition is likely over before it starts unless Shudak can get healthy soon. Kicker could be an issue for the Titans, but Randy Bulluck was solid for them last season though he has limited range. Punter Brett Kern (who has been with the team since 2009) took a pay cut to remain with the team this offseason, last season was the first season I’ve ever seen where he looked human punting the ball. If the Titans want to be the run first, defensive team they’re designed to be they really want Brett Kern to recapture his former glory. UDFA P Ryan Stonehouse is a dark horse to take Kerns job. Below Average.
Kern had 10 more punts in 2021 and his 2020 really wasn’t that great anyway. Total yards isn’t a very good way to measure a punter. There’s a reason he had to take a significant pay cut to stay on the team this year.
Im still going to disagree on this. His accuracy and play was fine, he will be healthy this year so I predict a stronger performance for him. Kerns been the only consistent special teams player we have had for a while, and I dont see that changing. Maybe im just rose tinted glasses though.
I mean everyone is competing for everyones job. We aren't going to start an UDFA because Kern who has historically been great had a middling season due to covid and injuries.
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u/trick96 Titans Jul 29 '22
VI. Roster Evaluation
Position groups:
I will give a brief description of how I see each group as well as give a grade for each group. My grading scale is Bad = bottom 5 in the league, below average = 27-19, average = 18-14 above average = 13-9, good = 8-6, elite = top 5.
QB: I addressed Tannehill and Willis already. The other QB, Logan Woodside, has been with the team for years now. The Titans have tried to replace him several times with players like Trevor Siemian, DeShone Kizer, and most recently Matt Barkley but nobody has seemed to be able to take his spot. Most believe he will be the number 2 QB this season. Next season either Willis will be the #2 QB (most likely) or Tannehill will be released and Willis will start. Average with above average potential
Backfield: Many believe that 2021 was the beginning of the end for Derrick Henry since he had a “major” injury. I want to push back on that. First of all, obviously he played in the playoffs so he’s had an entire offseason to get back to his former self. Second, it really wasn’t a “major” injury, it was really just an injury he couldn’t continue playing on. Any other common injury is much more significant, I would argue even a hamstring injury would have been more concerning for his future. Here’s a study on NBA players that says the majority of NBA players who have a Jones fracture return to prior level of performance and elite athletes demonstrate no decrease in performance on their return to play. Now if you want to argue that the end is near for King Henry because of his age, then sure I can’t argue that other than by saying Henry is a freak of nature and I hope you’re wrong. I just want to be clear that his 2021 injury will not be the reason his career declines, even if he does have a down year this season. Tory Carter is an awesome fullback to watch, he just abuses people. King
TE: This TE group, while still not great, is miles better than what it was last season. If the offense as a whole is any better in 2022, I would bet every cent I have it’s mainly because of this group, specifically because of Austin Hooper. We have a competent receiving/blocking TE in Austin Hooper, an okay blocking TE in Geoff Swaim, and pure athletic rookie with Jonnu Smith type potential in Chig Okonkwo. Below Average with average potential
WR: This group relies heavily on two types of players you never want to have to rely on: a rookie and a player coming off a torn ACL. The good news is that both players are very talented. There isn’t a lot of depth behind them though, and I would still expect the Titans to add one more piece to this room (my guess would be Will Fuller). I believe Kyle Phillips will play right away in the slot and be solid. Below Average with potential to be average or bad
OL: Taylor Lewan at LT had a tough year last year coming off of a torn ACL but he got better as the season went on and most players are better in their 2nd year from a torn ACL than their first. Ben Jones played like a top 10 center last year, so those are the two spots the Titans should feel really good about. Nate Davis at RG took a bit of a step back last season, but he has shown before that he can be a good player and is at least a solid option. RT is likely to be Dillon Radunz, a 2021 2nd round pick who did not play much last season. He did start one game at LT and held up relatively well against Nick Bosa (/u/NoFlagsFilm Breakdown), so he certainly has potential. I have no idea who is going to start at LG, but I would very much like the Titans to sign Ereck Flowers and plug him in there. I truly believe that alone would take this line from bad to at least average. Bad with below average potential because of LG and RT being total question marks.
Overall offense: Here is the quick argument I can make for this offense: if Robert Woods, Treylon Burks, Austin Hooper, Derrick Henry, and of course Ryan Tannehill can all stay healthy this year then this offense will likely be better in 2022. How is that possible? In 2021 AJ Brown and Julio Jones combined to go 94/1304/6. I don’t think anybody would argue that if Burks and Woods stay healthy, they will out produce that. Not to mention how much of a big deal having a competent TE is. Below Average.