2021 Offseason
The 2020 Titans offseason was terrible, but once it actually came to playing football, they picked up right where they left off in January. They enjoyed getting their way to an 11-5 record and AFC South title on the back of Derrick Henry's 2000 yard season, and overall arguably the best offense they have ever had.
They had far from a perfect roster, and it showed when they fell to the Baltimore Ravens at home in the wildcard round by a 20-13 score. It was disappointing, but they were still in the middle of their open window, so it was time for Robinson and company to get back to work.
The Titans lost three important pass catchers, as Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith hit free agency, and Adam Humphries was cut as a cap casualty. Both starting cornerbacks in Malcolm Butler and Adoree Jackson were also cut to save money, and right tackle Dennis Kelly suffered the same fate.
That is not to mention that the Titans were still lacking big time at edge rusher after the previous offseason's moves failed. Robinson had to make many moves and many good moves at that, and not all of them were equally bad, but as in 2020, most of his decisions this time around were duds.
The only truly good move that was made was signing Denico Autry, which actually turned out to be a massive boost for the pass rush. The Titans also signed veteran cornerback Janoris "Jackrabbit" Jenkins, which turned out to be a simply serviceable move, but after that, it was pretty rough.
Their biggest free agency move was signing Bud Dupree to a major deal, and he had his good moments, but did not live up to the price he signed for. He ended up getting released in the 2023 offseason, just two years later.
Robinson failed to adequately replace key losses at wide receiver, cornerback, and tackle for much of the 2021 offseason, as the most that had been done until June was signing Josh Reynolds. His stint in Tennessee went so poorly that he requested and was granted a release in the middle of November.
But in early June, Robinson would make one of the more notable moves in Titans history, one that would be greatly celebrated by the fan base, and even some outside of it. He traded for future Hall of Fame receiver Julio Jones, a decision that should have not only answered the team's questions at receiver, but taken them to the next level with such a great talent added to the offense.
It did quite the opposite, as Jones was often injured and ineffective, registering only one touchdown and under 500 receiving yards in the regular season. For as cool as it was at the time, the trade really hurt the Titans, as Jones hardly contributed, and it cost them a second round pick. It was especially brutal since Robinson knew about Jones' recent injury issues, took the risk, and got burned.
What was maybe even more disappointing was the draft class during this offseason, which was yet another disaster. The first round pick, cornerback Caleb Farley, was a bust, but certainly for not the same reasons as Isaiah Wilson.
Farley was as dedicated as anyone could be, but injuries derailed any chance he had to make an impact at the NFL level. You could not help but feel for him, but it was no reason for the Titans to feel any better, and as with Jones, Robinson knew the injury risk with Farley, rolled with it, and it blew up in his face.
The rest of the picks were average at best, as the only one who is on the team today is second rounder Dillon Radunz, who managed to find a role as the starting right guard. Even then, the start to his career was less than promising, as he had bust status labeled all over him until late last year.
The only other notable headline from that draft was that Robinson traded up for wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick with Amon-Ra St. Brown still on the board at the time. The less said about that, the better.
This marked two horrible offseasons in a row for the Titans, but the team was still good overall, and they made the AFC Divisional round during the ensuing season. Robinson still avoided catching a ton of heat up to this point, but that would completely change the next time around.