3 problem areas Titans need to monitor in Week 1 against Bears

After an eventful offseason, the Tennessee Titans will finally open their 2024 NFL regular-season campaign against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. This Week 1 matchup promises to be unpredictable given the personnel-based changes both teams have undergone this summer. Titans general manager Ran Carthon has done an outstanding job improving the roster for first-year head coach Brian Callahan.

Franchise quarterback Will Levis has an abundance of weapons at his disposal. The defense is particularly deep in the secondary. As we anxiously await to see how Carthon's puzzle pieces fit together, there are areas of the roster that carry concern heading into Sunday's showdown. We've identified three areas of concern worth monitoring.

Defending the middle of the field

The Titans have an outstanding trio of cornerbacks on paper in L'Jarius Sneed, Chido Awuzie, and Roger McCreary. If they perform as expected, opposing offenses will have a difficult time testing the boundary of Tennessee's defense, forcing them to target the middle of the field with more consistency. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has some personnel-based questions to answer there.

The Titans are expected to eventually start Kenneth Murray and Ernest Jones IV at off-ball linebacker. Jones was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams last week, so he's still getting up to speed. That should lead to Jack Gibbens earning the nod over Jones, who will play situationally. Though Murray and Jones played elsewhere last season, together, that trio allowed 110 completions via 142 targets. Gibbens, who certainly isn't known for his coverage abilities, allowed the lowest completion percentage among these three defenders at 73.9%.

Safety Jamal Adams is the other defender who will be occasionally tasked with defending the middle portions as a sub-package defender in "BIG DIME" coverage. Adams isn't playing on Sunday due to a hip injury, but he possesses a poor track record versus the pass, qualifying him as another cause for concern in this area as the season progresses.

Supplementing the pass rush

Another question facing Wilson's defense is the pass rush. Harold Landry is a quality edge rusher, and Arden Key has been promoted from situational player to near-every-down defender because the Titans didn't address that position after losing Denico Autry. Depth is lacking behind Landry and Key, where the Titans may be overly reliant on seventh-round rookie Jaylen Harrell.

The Titans may struggle to consistently get pressure rushing just a traditional four, even if Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat offer help from the interior. An elite pass-rusher isn't present, and that may place pressure on Wilson to supplement the pass rush via creative manners. That's where Wilson's background and influence may play a role.

Wilson promises to display an aggressive blitz package, one influenced by his chaotic mentors Gregg Williams and Todd Bowles, two coaches he previously worked for. Aforementioned defenders like Adams, Jones, and Murray have thrived as blitzers on different teams, with Adams doing so under Wilson during their shared tenure with the New York Jets. Those players have been brought together to help aid a pass rush that lacks straightforward answers on paper.

Pass Protection

Levis was pressured on 44.5 percent of his dropbacks last season. That's a downright unacceptable and preventative rate that was the focus of Carthon's improvement this offseason. Left tackle JC Latham was drafted at No. 7 overall, and center Lloyd Cyshenberry signed a lucrative contract in free agency. They'll be coached by legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan in a hire that was made to transform a new-look unit.

Latham was credited with allowing just two sacks via 1,016 career pass-blocking snaps at Alabama, according to Pro Football Focus. Cushenberry was PFF's third-best center in pass protection last season, allowing just 14 pressures. Their acquisitions were by design with coach Callahan installing a pass-happier offense.

The right side of the offensive line is where the bigger questions lie, with Nicholas Petit-Frere and Dillon Radunz receiving one final opportunity to rescue their previously drowning careers. Petit-Frere will likely draw a difficult assignment this week in Bears Pro Bowl EDGE Montez Sweat. The rest of the Titans' new-look line should have favorable matchups against a Bears d-line that lacks depth and high-end players outside of Sweat.