Tennessee Titans shoot up NFL’s triplet rankings.
For years the Tennessee Titans have fought to stay out of the basement in the NFL’s “triplet” rankings, but things are looking up for Mike Vrabel’s team.
In case you aren’t familiar with the term, “triplets” just refers to a team’s quarterback, running back and pass catcher. Generally, that pass-catcher is a wide receiver, but in the NFL’s latest triplet rankings they included tight ends as well.
These lists basically start off with the quarterback because of the three, QB is the only position that you don’t rotate without an injury. So, as you can imagine years of Vince Young, Kerry Collins, Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, Zach Mettenberger, and Marcus Mariota, have pulled the Titans down these rankings before analysts even got a chance to look past QB (not Mariota as much as the others).
However, now that the Titans have Ryan Tannehill putting up incredible efficiency numbers, Tennessee can finally make their case to be one of the top teams. And when you have the NFL’s leading rusher in Derrick Henry, and maybe one of the great WRs of this next generation in A.J. Brown, how high can the team be ranked?
Remember, no matter what the analysis is, every major media member is going to be lower on Tannehill than Titans fans because:
1. They didn’t watch every snap he took in 2019 and are primarily drawing their opinions from stats, the playoffs, and (at best) one or two regular season games.
2. The vast majority of the snaps that they have seen Tannehill play have come from his time with Adam Gase in Miami.
So, let’s look at where every AFC South team ranked on Ali Bhanpuri’s list.
Jacksonville Jaguars: 29th (down 5 spots from 2019)
Bhanpuri’s best quote:
"But while Gardner’s rookie stats look impressive on paper, the tape tells a more complete story. Jacksonville’s offense — almost unbearable to watch for extended stretches — ranked 26th in third-down conversion percentage (34.5%) and 27th in three-and-out percentage (23.9%)."
I think even the most confident Jacksonville Jaguars fans would admit now that Leonard Fournette may have been the right pick if he had worked out, but that hasn’t even gotten close to happening. He was always going to drag this list down, and Minshew gets a lot of credit for early success but after that, it wasn’t nearly as fun as people think.
The one shining light on that team right now is D.J. Chark who looked really good as the WR1, and if the Jags are going to evolve in 2021 they need to really consider going after Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne with two of their first three picks.
For now though, the QB and RB just feel like placeholders.
Indianapolis Colts: 23rd (down 14 spots from 2019)
Bhanpuri’s best quote:
"Although Mack just captured his first 1,000-yard rushing season, he’s a non-factor in the passing game and must hold off FBS’ third-leading rusher from last year, Jonathan Taylor. Fortunately for Mack, Taylor also isn’t known for his pass-catching prowess, so the fourth-year back’s experience could give him the edge over the rookie in 2020."
Losing Andrew Luck sort of exposed how much of the Colts offensive success was from Frank Reich, and how much was because Luck seemed to make everything look good.
I think it is fool’s gold thinking that Philip Rivers is going to come in and turn around the franchise, but even if he does the Colts are likely to be back in a similar spot in 2020 because their quarterback and receiver on this list of triplets (T.Y. Hilton) are both set to be free agents.
Again, even if these two come back you still have to worry about the concern that both are over 30 and are probably no longer close to their peak.
Still, the floor is probably above average for these three but there aren’t any standouts that should be considered top-15 at their position.
Houston Texans: 11th (up 6 spots from 2019)
Bhanpuri’s best quote:
"The lack of opportunities that doomed [David Johnson] in the desert shouldn’t be an issue in Houston. Not hard to imagine an agitated Bill O’Brien feeding Johnson the rock every which way he can to stick it to the critics who have counted both of them out. And with the uncertainty at the receiver position, the coach might not have any other choice."
It is hard to imagine that the grading system for this wasn’t weighted strongly towards quarterback play because if it isn’t, then someone is going to have to explain to me why the consensus is that Deshaun Watson is so much better at playing QB compared to last year, that they move up six spots despite not having Nuk Hopkins.
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David Johnson feels like a player who starts off as the 20th-ish best running back on paper, but then when you see him play you will quickly remember his age, injuries and supporting cast, and he will plummet.
Will Fuller isn’t the receiver on this list, but he is the only receiver on this roster that I think could come close to fitting into the hole in production that Hopkins left behind. Unlike the Colts, the Texans skill positions seem to have more upside but they have bigger injury concerns and less consistency.
Tennessee Titans: 9th (up 15 spots from 2019)
Bhanpuri’s best quote:
"I recently heard a rumor that at least 37 DBs contemplated retirement this offseason after helplessly chasing after Brown and Henry last year. Holy hell, is there an RB-WR combo more frightening running with the ball than this one?"
If Ryan Tannehill can even come close to his production in 2020, then the Titans will have one of the top-5 triplets in the NFL.
Right now, I would argue that Tannehill is a top-10 QB in the NFL. Removing Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers, that leaves five spots left in that top-10 group.
You can pencil in Deshaun Watson (even though we have never seen him succeed without an elite WR until this year), but after that, I can’t really see an argument for anyone being clearly better than Tannehill based on everything we have seen from him in Tennessee.
Derrick Henry is undoubtedly a top-2 running back in the NFL, and anyone arguing against that is just being a contrarian.
I have written before the A.J. Brown was incredibly efficient with his yards after the catch, but even if he regresses he will still be a Pro Bowler in 2020. Just adjusting to average passing volume he could still end up somewhere between 1,200 and 1,600 yards receiving depending on how far his YAC regresses.
If Brown joins Tannehill and Henry as Pro Bowl players in 2020, how is this trio anything short of top-5?