Tennessee Titans fans are allowed to be excited about the 2024 season

When the Tennessee Titans fired Mike Vrabel, a large portion of the media took that chance to bury a team they were hardly paying attention to anyway.

At that point, the roster had more questions than answers and it was fair to think that it was going to take two or three years for this team to build up a roster that could compete with the rest of the AFC South.

Take a trip back to six months ago. The list of needs that the Titans had was so long that we had to narrow it down to 10 positions when evaluating what they should do in free agency. Even optimistic Titans fans had to be concerned that general manager Ran Carthon wasn't going to be able to address every need.

However, that is exactly what Carthon did and he deserves all the credit in the world for what he achieved this offseason.

Looking solely at starters (or heavy role players) that have been drafted or signed this offseason, he has added:

LT: J.C. Latham
C: Lloyd Cushenberry
RB: Tony Pollard
WR: Calvin Ridley
WR: Tyler Boyd
DT: T'Vondre Sweat
LB: Ernest Jones IV
LB: Kenneth Murray
CB: L'Jarius Sneed
CB: Chidobe Awuize
S: Quandre Diggs
S/LB: Jamal Adams

The first thought that everyone has when they see this list is, "Wow, that is a lot of turnover and there are some pretty big names on that list."

Unfortunately, that is almost immediately followed by "but" and then people tend to think about what could go wrong and why it won't make the Titans any better.

Will every move work out? No, probably not. It doesn't matter which team you are talking about, some moves just won't pan out and the team will have to pivot in the offseason.

However, let's go through some of the criticisms that Titans fans have to put up with and counter that with some good old-fashioned facts.

First, there is an idea going around that the Titans are rounding up guys towards the end of their career and they aren't getting players that will be on the team for multiple years.

That isn't true. Now that every team has cut down their team to their initial 53-man roster, the Titans are actually right in the middle in terms of average age.

Sure, Ridley, Boyd, and Awuzie are 29, but Sneed is 27, Cushenberry is 26, and Jones IV is 24. Those aren'y exactly Julio Jones and Robert Woods clones. Titans fans don't have to worry about age being a factor as this offseason's acquisitions have excellent football in front of them.

Another thing that people use to discourage the Titans outlook is injuries. However, the guys who they are counting on the most haven't missed time lately.

Diggs has started every game for the last four years, Sneed hasn't missed any games due to his overblown knee issue. In fact, Sneed hasn't missed games since he broke his collarbone during his rookie season. Ridley played all 17 games last year, and the list goes on and on.

Sure, some of the players might have some things that could be concerning down the road, but the Titans don't exactly have a roster constructed out of old guys who are coming off of torn ACLs.

Finally, no matter what the Titans add, the goalposts move and there is always a concern about a different position. Before the draft, it was the offensive line, then it was safety, then it was linebacker, and now it is EDGE.

Would it be nice to have Pro Bowlers with perfect health at every position? Sure, but no one in the NFL has that. Every team has question marks and positions that they are going to have to overcome with good coaching and players who step up to make big plays.

So the next time you hear someone say, "Don't go buy your Super Bowl tickets yet!" Just ignore them and keep moving because Carthon, Chad Brinker, Brian Callahan, and Amy Adams Strunk have put in a lot of time, work, and money to improve the Titans roster this offseason. As a fan, you have every right to be excited about the moves made, and most of those moves are set up for immediate success.

How good will their final record be? Who knows, and the Titans must earn respect through on-field success, but the product will be much better and the foundation of this team is secured for sustained success in the future.