Who can the Tennessee Titans build around this offseason?

If you are a Tennessee Titans fan reading this, now is the time to ask yourself what the ceiling for this team is.

Just a warning, this article is going to get negative before it gets positive, which is probably a great descriptor of what the next 18 months will look like.

After beating the Green Bay Packers on the road in a primetime game, it felt like this could be a team that could get hot and win a game or two in the playoffs.

The slow decline of the 2022 Tennessee Titans

Then the Titans lost a close one to the Cincinnati Bengals. A team that really had no reason to care about the Titans went into Nissan Stadium and bullied Mike Vrabel’s team on both lines of scrimmage in a game that absolutely mattered to them.

At that point, sentiment dropped to a team that might be able to win a playoff matchup as long as they didn’t have to see the Bengals again because Cincinnati has Tennessee’s number.

Next came the Philadelphia Eagles game where everyone in the building and watching at home knew that they would force-feed A.J. Brown as much as possible. I should rephrase that, everyone knew that was the game plan except for the coaches, who were much more concerned about the running game.

After that, it felt like this was a team that was destined to make it to the playoffs and put up an embarrassing performance in front of a home crowd.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars game behind us, it is safe to say that fans are getting a little nervous about making the playoffs at all.

When Amy Adams Strunk fired Jon Robinson and kept Mike Vrabel, she signaled that she believed that he was a coach that was capable of winning a ring with the right roster. We won’t know whether she was right until Vrabel’s time in Tennessee is over (whether he has a ring or not), but we do know that change is coming.

As the world crumbles around the current Tennessee Titans roster, fans are considering whether they want to bundle up and make a trip to Nissan Stadium just to see the Titans put up 14 points while the defense allows players to have career days.

In times like this, it helps to remember what players this team can focus on building around this offseason.

Above-average veterans and potential Pro Bowlers

This list is going to be in flux over the next three months and a lot depends on what the Tennessee Titans think their timeline is.

The whole reason behind the Jon Robinson firing was that she wants to win a ring and I don’t think she is expecting a full rebuild this offseason. If she thinks that this team can bounce back and compete after one offseason, then this is the list of players that I believe will be on the roster.

Derrick Henry, RB

This is a safe space and if we are all being honest we can admit that the last month and a half has been disappointing for Derrick Henry. Some frustrating days on the ground and two fumbles as a receiver have been the low points of this stretch for Henry.

Having said that, Henry won’t turn 30 until the 2024 season so he still might have some time left as a featured runner in the NFL.

Denico Autry, EDGE

As long as the Tennessee Titans pass rush has Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry, I believe they can figure everything else out. Having said that, Denico Autry has been incredible over the last two years and even with a big contract, he is still a great value. If not for his injury, he would have been a Pro Bowler.

Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker, S

This is going to be a common theme, but injuries robbed us of seeing these two together at full strength for more than a month. These two can be the best safety tandem in the NFL, but Hooker has to stay healthy and Kevin Byard has to be allowed to take more risks and try to become a playmaker instead of just another guy in the secondary.

Ben Jones, OL

Jones has earned a spot on this roster as long as he wants one. Mike Vrabel isn’t going to cut him and he makes everyone around him better despite his age.

Harold Landry, EDGE

Landry will have a full offseason to attack rehab and get better from his ACL injury that happened just days before the opener. It is going to take time for him to get back to full strength, but for perspective, he should be more than a month ahead of where Robert Woods and Taylor Lewan were when they started the season in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

Jeffery Simmons, DL

If Simmons wasn’t playing through an ankle injury he would be an All-Pro and there has never been a player in NFL history that has more leverage over a GM than Simmons does.

Teair Tart, DL

A great UDFA find, Tart is another player who was having an incredible season over the first two months, but wear and tear and injuries have slowed down his domination.

Nate Davis, iOL

I don’t think Nate Davis is a top-5 guard in the NFL and he probably isn’t a top-10 guard in the NFL. However, the Titans have to start building their offensive line and they need to do it in a hurry.

Nicholas Petit-Frere has been as good as you can expect from a rookie right tackle and Dillon Radunz (more on him later) should absolutely win the left guard job next season. If they can upgrade left guard internally and find a left tackle, they could turn this offensive line around quickly.

David Long Jr., LB

Will he be back? I wasn’t sure before the offseason and the late-season I.R. stint doesn’t make him a sure thing, but remember how this all started. The GM that replaces Jon Robinson is going to have to fight off the untrue stigma of “the Titans don’t pay their good players” and that can’t start by letting David Long and Nate Davis walk in free agency.

He is a great linebacker when healthy and he adds an injection of speed and playmaking ability into a boring position, which is valuable.

Ryan Stonehouse, P

Stonehouse might be an All-Pro this season.

If AAS believes that a rebuild is going to take more than one offseason, the Tennessee Titans may need to consider moving on from Derrick Henry and Denico Autry given that they will be two years older by the time this team is ready to compete. History is not kind to players at their positions when they are that age.

Young starters that may have the potential to be above-average starters or Pro Bowlers.

The players on the last slide are all probably going to be back, but cap space might be a motivating factor if the Tennessee Titans just felt like they could get more than they were giving.

These players are the guys who have clearly shown enough to start next season. Given the value of rookie contracts, it would be a bad football decision and a bad financial decision, if these players weren’t on the roster and starting in 2023.

Treylon Burks, WR

Don’t be distracted by the box score, Treylon Burks is far and away the best receiver on this roster. While that might not be a high bar, the difference when he is in a game is clear and he has been one of the best rookie deep threats in the NFL.

Roger McCreary, CB

It is hard to play cornerback in the NFL and rookies usually struggle to adapt. Despite that, McCreary has played more snaps than anyone else on the Tennessee Titans roster this year and he has been close to so many big plays. Next year will be about the gap between nearly making a big play, and making a big play.

Kristian Fulton, CB

I am not going to judge any Tennessee Titans player who gets injured. Over the last two years, this team’s health has either been historically mismanaged or they just have the worst luck in the NFL.

When Fulton is healthy, he is great and it is as simple as that.

Elijah Molden, SCB

Molden hasn’t been quite as good as Fulton when he is healthy, but he has been a very effective slot corner. He should absolutely have the starting job locked up unless the Titans luck into a great slot corner on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT

NPF has the tools to be an above-average starter in the NFL and he is going to go into the offseason as the presumptive starter at right tackle. There is no reason to think that he won’t develop, but he will need to become more consistent in year two.

Chig Okonkwo, TE

He is the best rookie tight end in this draft class and it isn’t even a debate. If Todd Downing had realized that he was better than Geoff Swaim in Week 1, Okonkwo might be on his way to the Pro Bowl.

Players lurking in the background that could develop

This is the collection of young players on the roster who have had their bright spots and have an argument to be on the field more right now.

However, the difference between this group and the group above is that the coaching staff has either been unwilling to give them that chance or they haven’t done enough to break through and become a clear starter at this point.

Dillon Radunz, OL

It doesn’t matter whether you put him at left tackle or left guard, he would instantly be an upgrade in 2022. There is no reason why Dennis Daley should be in a Tennessee Titans uniform again and Aaron Brewer needs to focus his efforts on getting bigger and playing center.

Kyle Philips, WR

One of the most exciting players in training camp and in Week 1, Philips has been hurt for the majority of the season despite missing almost no time in college. Once again, it is curious how Mike Vrabel can’t/doesn’t see that there might be an issue with what his training staff is doing.

Monty Rice, LB

Without getting too much into it, Rice came into the season recovering from a bad injury that he got late in the 2021 campaign. Right now Mike Vrabel is making him pay his dues, but it is clear that he has a lot of the same positive qualities that David Long Jr. had in the years when Mike Vrabel was making him ride the bench behind Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown.

Rashad Weaver, EDGE

Weaver has had more bend this season than in the past, but after he hurt his back early in the season he really hasn’t been as effective.

Malik Willis, QB

I think that it would be a smart move to keep Ryan Tannehill for another season because he is the Tennessee Titans’ best chance to win football games. However, there might be a bigger market for him than people realize:

Malik Willis had some good moments and some very bad moments, but he is a rookie and he has all the tools to be a very good starter. However, he is going to need a lot of reps and it is going to cost the team some wins, so keep that in mind.

Tre Avery, CB

After a very rocky start, Avery has looked great for a UDFA. He seems to have the speed and technique to play on the outside and even if he doesn’t start he can be a great backup at a very low-cost next season.

Current Tennessee Titans roster evaluation

A quick tally shows that you should have:

-1 quarterback (developmental)

-1 running back (above average starter/Pro-Bowler)

-2 wide receivers (one young starter and one developmental/backup)

-1 tight end (young starter)

-4 offensive linemen (two above-average starters/Pro-Bowler starters, one young starter, and one developmental/backup)

-3 EDGEs (two above average/Pro-Bowlers, one developmental)

-2 defensive linemen (two above-average/Pro-Bowlers)

-1 linebackers (above average/Pro-Bowler)

-4 cornerbacks (three young starters, one developmental)

-2 safeties (above-average starters/Pro-Bowlers)

-1 punter (above-average/Pro-Bowler)

There is clearly work to be done, especially along the offensive line and at wide receiver, but it isn’t a hopeless situation at all. If the players not on this list are cut or traded, then it would also mean that the Titans would have $76 million before the deals to secure Nate Davis, David Long Jr., and Teair Tart.

With a lot of money and a full complement of picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, this team could get back up to speed quickly. Well…as long as they have someone competent calling plays on offense and as long as they aren’t one of the most injured teams in NFL history.

But that part shouldn’t be too hard, right?