Can Tennessee Titans Become A Contender With Philip Rivers?
By Les Bailey
If the Tennessee Titans were to pull off an impossible trade with the San Diego Chargers for veteran quarterback Philip Rivers during the 2015 NFL Draft, could they become a factor in the AFC South? I think they could depending on how the trade goes down.
The Indianapolis Colts have probably made too many good moves during free agency, and seem to be focused on the Super Bowl in 2015, but the Titans could certainly contend for that second spot. They would have that franchise quarterback that Houston continues to search for.
If they were able to pull off the deal mentioned in Will Lomas’ post yesterday, “Two All Pro Trades For Tennessee Titans” and also get Adrian Peterson, then Indianapolis might have to look in the rear-view mirror. That acquisition is pretty far-fetched, but while we’re dreaming, why not dream big?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have made some nice moves during free agency and with a good draft, could better the 3-13 season they had in 2014 but still have an unproven quarterback. And after all, they are still the Jaguars.
The Houston Texans are re-tooling at wide receiver but still haven’t solved the quarterback issues. They finished at 9-7 in 2014, but the team has taken on a completely different persona from the team that was built by, now Denver Broncos head coach, Gary Kubiack, so it is a wait-and-see situation.
I still think that even with Philip Rivers in Music City for the 2015 season, 8 and 8 is still a realistic goal for a team that is not just a quarterback away from major success. In other words, there are still too many holes to fill in the opening day lineup.
Couple that with the 2015 opponents, and we should still be happy with a .500 season and maybe second place in the AFC South.
We don’t know the schedule at this point, but we do know the opponents. The Titans will play all four teams in the AFC East this year, and all four teams made major improvement in free agency, and all four are very serious about getting to the playoffs.
Not only do they have to face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, they also have to take on a much-improved New York Jets team and the Miami Dolphins with Ndamukong Suh threatening the health of our quarterback on every play.
Add that to facing J.J. Watt twice, and we will be lucky if Charlie Whitehurst isn’t calling signals late in the season again.
Philip Rivers will need some protection while playing in Tennessee, and that protection needs to come with the 17th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. There will be some nice offensive linemen available with that pick, and that pick is a priority for any deal with San Diego.
I don’t expect Iowa tackle, Brandon Scherff or Stanford’s Andrus Peat to still be on the board at 17, but I do expect some good options.
Ereck Flowers from Miami(Fl), T.J. Clemmings from Pitt and La’el Collins from LSU should all be available if the Titans were to land San Diego’s pick.
Of course another option here is a really good target for Rivers. Amari Cooper, Kevin White and probably DeVante Parker will be gone, but Devin Smith from the National Champion, Ohio State Buckeyes, or Laelen Strong from Arizona State should still be on the board.
I think the Offensive line is a must with the 17th pick, but wouldn’t be surprised if General Manager Ruston Webster and Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt went for a speedy outside receiver with this selection.
Even foregoing the number of picks the Titans should be able to get in a trade with someone else, I think Philip Rivers still makes the most sense for this franchise at this time.
Like I said earlier, it’s okay to dream, so if I’m going that route, I’m going to dream big!
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