Where have the Tennessee Titans already improved this offseason?
The Tennessee Titans had a lot of work to do to make sure that the roster brought back key players this offseason. Unfortunately that means that so far, they haven’t really been able to go out and make many splashes in free agency.
In fact, the Titans have been mostly passive in terms of acquiring new assets while being aggressive in getting rid of players that they thought were too expensive or who just weren’t going to make an impact on the roster in 2020.
It is easy to focus on what the Titans are losing, and I am going to detail that in a later article where I bring up the positions Tennessee has gotten worse at this offseason.
However, with the 2020 NFL Draft a month away now it is important to look at what this team needs and what the Titans already have.
So, with that in mind we need to go over where the Titans have gotten better or at least where Tennessee could potentially think they have improved.
This is a focus mostly on the starters, though there is a unique situation where I think the Titans got better because of what they will likely do next. Why don’t I start there and then get back to the normal format.
3. Running back
The Tennessee Titans came into the offseason potentially backed into a corner. If they didn’t believe they could get Henry under contract for next year, they almost certainly wouldn’t have been able to cut Dion Lewis.
As the only two running backs on the roster with any real experience, you would expect that one was always going to be retained and obviously Derrick Henry made the most sense there.
Despite the cost, Henry is worth the cap hit in 2020 and a long term deal with less guaranteed yearly would be a great fit for both parties. However, just the fact that the Titans won’t be losing yards by giving it to Dion Lewis makes them better.
I think too often the cost of Lewis and the limitations of Henry on 3rd down led to snaps for Dion Lewis that just didn’t help anyone. Now we know that either one of two things has to happen:
-The Tennessee Titans are going to leave Derrick Henry in on 3rd downs more which would give Ryan Tannehill another home run threat.
Or
-At some point in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Titans are going to focus on running backs who are a threat out of the backfield or who are great pass blockers.
Either way it is going to be an improvement over Dion Lewis who didn’t really seem to have much left by the end of his time in Tennessee.
Addition by subtraction.
2. Defensive Tackle
Whew. Alright, I am prepared for a lot of push back on this one but let me explain why I think that the Titans are actually going to be better at DT this year.
So before I started this I mentioned that I specifically wanted to talk about starters. With DaQuan Jones locked in, it likely means that this comes down to Jeffery Simmons vs Jurrell Casey.
But this isn’t a shock right? I mean the compensation was, but at the same time this was always what you expected to happen when Casey was getting paid like a top-10 DT and the Titans turned around and drafted another DT in the 1st round.
Let’s look at some defensive tackles around the league and you tell me which ones you would rather have (minimum 100 pass rushes):
Player A: 1.5% sack rate on pass rushes, 1.4% TFL rate on run plays
Player B: 0.2% sack rate on pass rushes, no TFLs
Player C: 0.9% sack rate on pass rushes, 2.2% TFL rate on run plays
Player D: 0.9% sack rate on pass rushes, 1.7% TFL rate on run plays
I said around the league just to try and throw you off the scent, but those players were actually all Tennessee Titans last year and they are, in order: Isaiah Mack, DaQuan Jones, Jeffery Simmons, and Jurrell Casey.
Now, numbers don’t tell the full story but I would argue that in this case it all washes out because there are more than a few times where Casey lucks into a play.
Going off the only quantitative data we have that isn’t biased, it looks like the best 2019 DTs on pass downs were Mack and either Simmons or Casey, while the best run defenders were Simmons and Casey by a wide margin.
We can argue about whether or not the Titans should have sent DaQuan Jones or Jurrell Casey, but I have to assume that age and contract made the decision a little bit easier for Tennessee.
If Jon Robinson and Mike Vrabel made this move with the intention of adding another key piece in free agency, using Isaiah Mack more on pass downs, and making Jeffery Simmons the starter in place of Casey then I think this is an upgrade.
1. EDGE
Given the potential news about Jadeveon Clowney, this may seem premature. However, I think that the Titans are already in a solid spot at EDGE.
While they need a base down defender, they can find that in the draft or by bringing back Kamalei Correa if it gets really desperate. However, Vic Beasley is almost an underrated signing after it initially felt like a bad move if it was their “big move” of the offseason.
Beasley should come in and fill the Cameron Wake role of being a designated pass rusher. Between he, Harold Landry and Derick Roberson, Tennessee should have options on the outside to get to the quarterback with speed and bend.
Another underrated upgrade from last season to this season is the health of D’Andre Walker.
After a sport’s hernia prevented Walker from testing, he fell from a potential 2nd round selection all the way down to the 5th round in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Walker spent the 2019 season healing up and working with Shane Bowen and Mike Vrabel, so potentially the Titans could have a player who can play the run and the pass similar to Harold Landry (the team’s leader in TFLs and sacks).
That is great upside for a 5th round pick, and while I don’t think the Titans are done here let’s say that the Titans end up with this “depth chart”:
EDGEs: Harold Landry, Jadeveon Clowney (backup: D’Andre Walker)
DPR: Vic Beasley (backup: Derick Roberson)
That seems like a pretty good round of EDGEs to me, and potentially the best the Tennessee Titans have had since the peak Jim Washburn era.