3 former Tennessee Titans players we’re glad are gone, 2 we wish stayed
One of these answers is, uh, probably pretty obvious.
The Titans are going through some things. When Mike Vrable was surprisingly fired after the 2023 season, it kicked off what looks to be a two or three year process of reimagining how Tennessee's roster will look.
That was made especially clear when the team hired former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to be the next coach – gone are the days of Vrable's steadfast dedication to pounding the rock.
And while Callahan brings in a lot of interesting opportunities – his father, who's now the Titans' offensive line coach, is considered one of the best line coaches in football – things are probably going to take some time to gel.
The first step in that process is roster overhaul, which even the most casual Titans fan will tell you has already begun. Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry – two of the most well-known players in modern team history – won't be back next year, replaced by Will Levis and newly-signed, former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard.
They also have a new $90 million receiver to go along with DeAndre Hopkins, which never hurts. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future in Nashville, but until that future arrives, let's look back on three former Titans players we're glad are now elsewhere, and two that we wish could have stayed in 2024.
3 former Tennessee Titans players we’re glad are gone
1. Denico Autry, DE
It's not that Autry was bad with the Titans – in fact, according to Pro Football Focus, his 2022 season in Tennessee was the best of his entire career. And he's coming off a 2023 season where he set a career high in sacks (11.5) and tackles (50) while forcing two fumbles for the second straight year.
He was a reliable pass-rusher, and earned the two-year, $20 million contract that the Houston Texans gave him. But, all that being said, $20 million for a 33-year old pass rusher who's only ever gone above 10 sacks once in his 10 year career.
If a big part of the Titans' plan this year was to start getting younger, letting Autry finish his career elsewhere makes sense.