Tennessee Titans first-overall pick Cam Ward just had the best game of his career in Sunday's Week 12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Everyone who is watching closely can see he is showing the signs of growth and improvement that fans have been desperate to witness.
This isn't a trend that is limited to just one rookie. Over the past month, players like Chimere Dike, Gunnar Helm, Kevin Winston, and Marcus Harris have all either rapidly improved or had their best game of the season. All three of Tennessee's touchdowns on Sunday were scored by rookies.
More time on task has helped this rookie class develop more than any other rookie class in recent memory. They have done more to help this team than the veterans they have been replacing. That trend should make Titans fans wonder when the Titans will fully commit to this youth movement.
Titans need to fully embrace youth movement after epic Week 12 performance
The Titans have a depth chart littered with young players as the franchise is trying to rebuild the roster. Despite that, there are still some veterans who have blocked some young players from getting on the field. If this coaching staff is committed to developing this rookie class, here is what the starting offense and defense would look like. (Words in bold signify changes, italicized words signify rookies or second-year players).
QB: Ward
RB: Tyjae Spears, Kalel Mullings
XWR: Elic Ayomanor
ZWR: Dike
Slot WR: Xavier Restrepo (over James Proche, Van Jefferson, and Mason Kinsey)
TE: Helm, Chig Okonkwo
LT: Dan Moore
LG: Peter Skoronski
C: Lloyd Cusheberry (or Corey Levin if is Cushenberry is hurt)
RG: Kevin Zeiter
RT: J.C. Latham
Jumbo OL: Jackson Slater (over Levin or Oli Udoh)
EDGE: Femi Oladejo, Arden Key, Jihad Ward, James Williams (new EDGE)
DT: Jeffery Simmons, T'Vondre Sweat
LB: Cedric Gray, Cody Barton
CB: Darrell Baker, Micah Robinson
SCB: Marcus Harris
Safety: Kevin Winston, Amani Hooker
You may notice that there are more than 11 names on each side of the ball. The reason for that is to signify the different packages that the Titans use. For example, the Titans can come out in 11 personnel, which would mean Restrepo is on the field. However, if they come out in 12 personnel, then Okonkwo would be the 11th man. They have also started to use jumbo sets with additional offensive linemen, which would be a perfect time to get Slater some reps.
One underrated and necessary change the Titans could make is at running back. Tony Pollard has been struggling in every phase, and the team would be better spent pairing Ward with the explosiveness of Spears or finding out what kind of bruiser Mullings can be.
The other changes are more about moving veterans into the background and putting the spotlight on the rookies, except for cornerback. Jalyn Armour-Davis can't do anything to convince a coaching staff that he is worth building around in the secondary. Instead, those reps would be better spent on Robinson, who is a relatively new rookie addition to the team from the Green Bay Packers.
This season is all about growth and building towards the future. The rookie class has some juice right now. Why not see how deep that goes by letting them feed off of each other and infuse this team with some much-needed energy and optimism for the future?