AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Jaguars

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes the Jaguars elected to stay with HC Doug Marrone in part because they weren’t sure this year’s pool of candidates would necessarily be an improvement. 
• Per the Maven’s Rick Gosselin, the Jaguars’ special teams unit finished 2019 ranked 5th in the league. 

Texans

• According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, if Texans secondary coach Anthony Midget doesn’t return in 2020, assistant DB coach D’Anton Lynn is a strong internal candidate to replace him.
• John McClain of the Houston Chronicle expects more changes in the Texans organization as HC Bill O’Brien and senior VP Jack Easterby consolidate power. 
• Per the Maven’s Rick Gosselin, the Texans’ special teams unit finished 2019 ranked 11th in the league. 

Titans

Though he technically had a shoulder injury in 2018 that kept him out for five games, that wasn’t why Titans QB Ryan Tannehill was named the PFWA comeback player of the year in 2019. Tannehill revived his career in Tennessee after being dumped via trade by the Dolphins and taking over midseason as the starter to lead the Titans all the way to the AFC Championship game. Though he wasn’t quite ready to talk about the future following the loss, Tannehill will have options he didn’t have at this time last year, with the Titans or elsewhere. 

“I’ll have to take a step back and look at things here in the offseason,” Tannehill said via Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean. “Obviously, I love this team. I love what this team was able to accomplish. I have a lot of love for the guys on this team and love playing with them. I will take a step back and look at that. But right now, I just really can’t think of anything but how close we were and this loss.”

Tannehill isn’t the only key member of the organization with an uncertain future. Titans RB Derrick Henry also just finished the last year of his deal, and like Tannehill was not ready to talk about his future following the loss. 

“Throughout the whole season, you have to stick together through all the adversity,” Henry said via ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “We have a lot of great guys in the locker room. It’s football, you know the locker room is going to change. Right now, we just lost a game. I am not even thinking about no contracts or things like that. When that time comes, I am sure it will get worked out.”

• According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Tannehill earned almost $3.5 million in incentives this season. 
• Tannehill earned $250,000 in a roster bonus for being on the 46-man roster for 13 games, $1 million from having a passer rating of better than 96.0, $1 million in $100,000 per game incentives for playing more than 50 percent of the snaps, $175,000 in $25,000 per game he played in 50 percent of the snaps and the Titans won, $500,000 for more than 2,250 passing yards and $500,000 for more than 20 touchdowns.
• Per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, the Titans liked OC Arthur Smith so much that they may have let him call plays this year anyways even if former OC Matt LaFleur hadn’t taken the head coaching job with the Packers. 
• Per the Maven’s Rick Gosselin, the Titans’ special teams unit finished 2019 ranked 18th in the league. 
• Titans QB Marcus Mariota seems aware of the fact his time in Tennessee is drawing to a close but the former No. 2 overall pick is confident he’ll find another starting job: “I have no doubts at all, no doubts at all. I’m just hopeful and ready for whatever that next opportunity is.” (Jim Wyatt)
• Titans OT Jack Conklin said he would like to return in 2020. Tennessee declined Conklin’s fifth-year option last spring: “In a perfect world I would love to be back with this team.” (Wyatt)
• Titans CB Logan Ryan, who’s slated to be a free agent, also would like to come back: “Right now I’m looking for a job. Hopefully my time gets extended here.” (Davenport)
• Titans LB Wesley Woodyard says he has no plans to retire. (Terry McCormick)
• Titans secondary coach Kerry Coombs will leave to become the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. (Bruce Feldman)