Tennessee Titans

Projected Cap Space: $93.3 million

Draft Picks: 7

• 1st (No. 4)
• 2nd (No. 35)
• 3rd (No. 66)
• 4th (No. 101)
• 5th (No. 140, NYJ)
• 5th (No. 142)
• 6th (No. 182)
• 7th (No. 238, LAC)

Notable Free Agents: 

• G Kevin Zeitler
• TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
• OLB Arden Key
• DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
• OLB Jihad Ward
• OT Oli Udoh
• P Johnny Hekker
• C Corey Levin
• WR Van Jefferson
• CB Darrell Baker (RFA)
• CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
• CB Kaiir Elam

Top Three Needs

1 – Edge Rusher

Tennessee’s defense, while overall near the bottom of the league, actually performed well in the pass rush department. A big part of that was DT Jeffery Simmons, a first-team All-Pro who had a dominant season with 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He accounted for over a quarter of the Titans’ sacks himself and freed up a lot of room for others to operate. Fifteen other players had at least half a sack for Tennessee. 

But no edge rusher topped five sacks, a mark Ward held and was second on the team. He’s on an expiring contract, as is Key. Both could be back, as while Key and Ward haven’t directly overlapped with HC Robert Saleh and DC Gus Bradley, they’ve all worked for a lot of the same teams and there’s a lot of schematic familiarity. Ideally though, Key and Ward are third and fourth edge rushers in a deep rotation, not the tip of the spear. 

The defense Saleh and Bradley will run is a good one for edge rushers, letting them get up the field and attack. Like any scheme, though, they need talent. The Jets and 49ers invested heavily in defensive line talent while Saleh was there and it would not be surprising to see that trend continue. 

2 – Wide Receiver

Tennessee’s offense was disastrous last year on multiple levels, including the pass catchers. The No. 1 was meant to be WR Calvin Ridley but he was even less efficient than his first year with the Titans, notching a sub-50 percent catch rate and sub-40 percent success rate. He broke his leg in his seventh game and was done for the year, leaving the Titans to rely on rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. Okonkwo led the team in receiving as a tight end with just 560 yards and he’s a pending free agent. 

There’s even more urgency for the Titans to find an upgrade at receiver because of QB Cam Ward, last year’s No. 1 pick. A high-end No. 1 wideout can do wonders to make life easier for a young quarterback — and really the whole offense. Ayomanor and Dike had solid seasons for rookies but they would be better in supporting or ancillary roles, not as the top two targets. It would put less pressure on their development and also make life a little easier for OC Brian Daboll.

3 – Cornerback

The Titans’ roster is littered with holes and they could truly justify a BPA approach throughout the whole offseason. Linebacker and offensive line stand out as other weak spots that haven’t been discussed. No spot on the depth chart is quite as thin as cornerback, though. Ten different corners took snaps last year for the Titans and it wasn’t just because of injuries. Different players would be starting each week as the Titans cast around trying to find some stability. 

There might be a clean sweep here with a new defensive coaching staff coming in. Sneed is under contract but there’s an out in his contract coming up that the Titans likely can’t get out of fast enough. No one else is a lock to make the Week 1 roster. The bounty of cap space the Titans have here should allow them to make multiple signings, creating a much more competitive depth chart with a draft pick or two added in. 

One Big Question

Can the Titans get Cam Ward back on track? 

Ward continued an unfortunate recent trend of No. 1 picks who struggled as rookies in disastrous situations, environments so poor that their respective head coaches didn’t make it through the whole season. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars had to reset after Urban Meyer‘s first and only season. Bryce Young‘s rookie year nearly threw his career permanently off the rails, and HC Frank Reich lasted fewer games than even Meyer. Matt Eberflus didn’t make it through Caleb Williams‘ rookie season, either. 

If recent history repeats itself, though, better days are ahead for the Titans and Ward. Lawrence, Young and Williams were all in the playoffs this past year. Coaching changes sparked that turnaround, as did roster improvements to create an overall healthier ecosystem for the young quarterbacks to develop in. 

The Titans are hoping to recreate that. Through all of Ward’s struggles, there were still flashes of the arm talent and off-script creativity that convinced the Titans to take him first overall. Perhaps more importantly, Ward impressed everyone with the Titans with the intangible aspects of the position, including his work ethic behind the scenes and the aura he commanded with his teammates. The key for Ward will be learning how to succeed at the more regimented aspects of playing quarterback so he doesn’t have to put so much on his shoulders all the time to have success

While the Titans didn’t go with a head coach with an offensive background like the Jaguars, Panthers and Bears all did, it’s not random that Saleh hired Daboll to call plays and run the offense for Ward. He got his first shot as a head coach thanks to his success with Bills QB Josh Allen, another wild stallion of a quarterback who had to be reined in to fully harness his many gifts. That experience should have parallels to what he’ll be asked to do with Ward.

Daboll immediately becomes one of the most experienced offensive coordinators in the league. If he does well with Ward, he’ll likely get a second chance as a head coach sooner rather than later.