Few teams battled as much adversity as the Titans last season. Their roster was decimated by an injury crisis, yet they found ways to keep on winning. They finished 12-5 and were the AFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time since 2008, which saw Mike Vrabel win Coach of the Year. Their injury woes eventually caught up with them in the playoffs, but this will be a team entering 2022 with plenty of self belief.
Offseason additions and losses
The Titans might not have made headlines with their free agency activity this offseason, but their two most impactful moves were to re-sign two of the team’s lynchpins. The first was center Ben Jones, who is an instrumental part of their rushing attack. Jones returned to Tennessee on a two-year, $14 million deal. On the other side of the ball Harold Landry inked a five-year, $87.5 million deal to make him the seventh highest paid edge rusher in football. Aside from those, their most notable move was to trade a sixth round pick to the Rams for Robert Woods.
The losses the Titans suffered this offseason were noteworthy. They decided not to pay A.J. Brown and traded him to the Eagles on draft day, netting an extra first round pick in return. That was the departure that made the headlines, but there were two others that went under the radar but are likely to be impactful in 2022. The Titans saw both right tackle David Quessenberry and left guard Rodger Saffold depart in free agency. They ranked second and third respectively in percentage of offensive line snaps played for the Titans last season and will no doubt be sorely missed in 2022.
2022 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 1.18 | Treylon Burks – WR, Arkansas |
| 2.35 | Roger McCreary – CB, Auburn |
| 3.69 | Nicholas Petit-Frere – OT, Ohio State |
| 3.86 | Malik Willis – QB, Liberty |
| 4.131 | Hassan Haskins – RB, Michigan |
| 4.143 | Chigoziem Okonkwo – TE, Maryland |
| 5.163 | Kyle Philips – WR, UCLA |
| 6.204 | Theo Jackson – S, Tennessee |
| 6.219 | Chance Campbell – LB, Ole Miss |
The headline move here was Tennessee’s decision to trade away A.J. Brown and pick up his replacement in the form of Burks. Many people had compared Burks to A.J. Brown throughout the draft process, so it seemed only fitting that he ended up in Tennessee. The rest of the Titans’ draft was really solid. Roger McCreary might not be the biggest player, but he was one of the best man coverage corners in the class. Their next three picks were all developmental players with serious upside, with Malik Willis having the potential to develop into Ryan Tannehill’s long-term successor. The one other pick of note was Philips in the fifth – don’t be surprised if he has an impact from the slot as a rookie.
Offense
There will certainly be some familiarity with Tennessee in 2021. Derrick Henry is still in town and whilst he is getting older and coming off a foot injury, they will no doubt look to run their offense through him once again. Ryan Tannehill will also remain under center (for now at least). Aside from that, there will be plenty of new faces when they take to the field against the Giants in Week 1.
The receiving corps has been almost completely remodelled. Despite the departure of A.J. Brown, it isn’t a stretch to say it is improved either. Robert Woods is a legitimately impressive pass catcher, who averaged 88 catches and over 1,000 yards in his last three full seasons with the Rams. Burks is a raw prospect but he has bags of talent for Mike Vrabel and his staff to unlock. Adding Austin Hooper and Chig Okonkwo in free agency and the draft respectively has boosted the pass catching talent in their tight end room by a substantial margin too.
The concern with this unit will be twofold. Firstly, there will be an awful lot of new pieces that need to gel. As things stand, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the only projected starter at wide receiver or tight end who was with the team in 2021. Expecting the unit to hit the ground running from the outset might be a tad optimistic. There will also be concerns about whether the team’s fabled rushing attack can get back to its best. With Henry getting older and an offensive line missing two of its most important starters from a season ago, they could certainly have a tougher time in 2022.
Defense
Tennessee quietly had one of the better defensive fronts in football last season. Along with the Packers they were one of just two teams to have three players with 60+ pressures. They also ranked 10th in both adjusted sack rate and run stuff rate. In Jeffrey Simmons they have possibly the best interior pass rusher not named Aaron Donald. Harold Landry and Denico Autry were both very productive last season and they should also have Bud Dupree back to full fitness for 2022.
In addition to their front four, the Titans also boast one of the league’s best safety tandems. Kevin Byard has put himself firmly in the conversation as the best safety in football. He allowed just 340 yards in 17 games in 2021 and chipped in with 11 forced incompletions. Amani Hooker might not be able to match his teammate’s ball production, but he gave up just 219 yards on his 30 targets last season.
The one thing that stops this defense from ranking amongst the best in the AFC is their cornerback room. It certainly has plenty of upside, but it is acutely lacking in experience. Kristian Fulton leads the unit with just 604 career coverage snaps. Behind him is Caleb Farley, who played just 60 snaps as a rookie. Elijah Molden flashed his potential at times last season, but he will want to be more consistent entering his second season. If these players all take the next step it could be enough to propel this defense into elite territory, but that is a very big “if”.
Prediction
Tennessee won 12 games in 2021 and were the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They should once again be in contention for the AFC South title and a trip to the playoffs, but it is likely to be a much tougher route this season. With a stacked AFC, improved division rivals, and question marks hanging over their reshaped offensive line, they really do have their work cut out.
