The Tennessee Titans spent the offseason committed to rebuilding the offensive line. Bill Callahan was hired, J.C. Latham was drafted, Lloyd Cushenberry was given $50 million, and the results in Week 1 were disappointing.
The offensive line performed well as a run-blocking unit in the first half, though their performance tailed off in the second. Unfortunately, the results in pass protection looked far too similar to the lackluster units of 2022 and 2023. Starting quarterback Will Levis was under routine pressure even before he threw one of the worst pick-sixes you'll ever see.
The good news is that they weren't the worst offensive line in the NFL. The bad news is that they were the second-worst line in the NFL according to Ben Baldwin's composite score that combines metrics from Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and ESPN Stats & Info.
Pass protection composite ratings after week 1
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) September 12, 2024
Aka Baker Mayfield appears to be breaking ESPN's measure for the 2nd year in a row pic.twitter.com/5Tn8uDDBOF
On Thursday, Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz was asked about trying to find the best matchups on offense for his players. While he said that the goal was to get the ball into the hands of playmakers against players they can win against, he also said that there are limiting factors.
For instance, it isn't as easy as just throwing a slant to Calvin Ridley every play. The coverage has to be right and everyone has to do their job correctly for a play like that to work.
I can want to throw a slant route all we want, right? But if we don't throw it, we don't catch it, we can't block this protection, we really can't run it," Holz said."So, you keep evaluating constantly and we don't ever want to be stuck in a box of 'this is just what we do.'"
Titans OC Nick Holz on trying to get your players to fit in the box of your plan vs. tailoring your plan to your players: pic.twitter.com/KXbDpXNtzF
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) September 12, 2024
While he might not be specifically referring to the offensive line here, the message is clear that protection issues will force the Titans coaches to take some plays out of the playbook. They'll coach to the strengths and weaknesses of their team.
Callahan comes from a pass-heavy offense, but the message from the Titans offensive coaching staff has been that they aren't going to make life harder on themselves by calling plays to fit a style or identity that doesn't mesh with what their roster does best.
As long as the pass protection numbers are in the dumps, don't be surprised if this team features Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears instead of DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley.