What is the Tennessee Titans missing link?

What are the Tennessee Titans missing?

The Tennessee Titans have been winning ugly games for most of the year. I will never complain about a win, but when you start losing the ugly games to worse teams then you have an issue.

There are two things we know for sure:

1. The coaching staff needs to be held accountable for the regression of Marcus Mariota. In just a year with improved weapons, this offense has turned a QB who had 45 TDs to 19 INTs (2.3 TD:INT ratio) into a player who has put up just 10 TDs to 14 INTs.

2. Dick LeBeau is much better than I gave him credit. In the early part of the season, either the defense just wasn’t fully gelled or he was being too conservative in his playcalling. While he still has some really strange calls, his defense has been lights out the last few weeks (aside from Pittsburgh).

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So what are the Titans missing? You should probably start with “a talented offensive mind on the staff” knowing that Mariota was one of the best young QBs in the NFL before this season.

Beyond that though, where could they use an upgrade in talent? Here are my quick thoughts.

EDGE 3

Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan aren’t going to end up in the top-5 in individual sacks, but there is a chance that they could combine for 18 sacks this year (already at 13.5).

That is a quality tandem, but after that the Titans are dangerously thin. Aaron Wallace is injured again, Josh Carraway was just brought up but wasn’t used on defense this week and Kevin Dodd is going to have a hard time staying on the roster at all this offseason.

As this defenses continues to develop I wonder more and more if the Titans can get by with what they have for another year, but I know this will be an issue sooner rather than later with Orakpo and Morgan both creeping towards the back half of their career.

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Boundary CB

The Titans are solid at their top two CB positions with Adoree Jackson and Logan Ryan which is a great spot to be in. The issue is that when Brice McCain or LeShaun Sims are on the field they become instant targets.

Unless the Titans fully commit to shadowing WRs with CBs down the road, they are going to put themselves in bad situations next year. Either situation will work as long as they have a solid CB as their 3rd/boundary CB next year, but it can’t work the way it is now.

Interior OL

This is really weird to write after last year, but I am no longer sold on any of the three interior OL spots as untouchable. I like what Quinton Spain, Ben Jones and Josh Kline can do at their best, but there is a consistent lack of push in the run game that is really concerning.

In a draft that could have some big interior line prospects, knowing Jon Robinson it would be crazier to see them pay Spain or Kline big money to stay rather than go after someone in free agency or the draft.

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Just a quick one here because we know this already. The Titans need a speed RB that can stretch plays out and attack teams laterally.

Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray are close to each other in terms of play style, but there is a chance next year that Murray takes a back seat to Henry. If that happens, his role could be heavily reduced and even phased out if the Titans got their version of Kareem Hunt or Alvin Kamara.

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