After making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game last season, the Tennessee Titans as a whole will be under a lot of pressure to repeat and better what they did in 2019.
However, some members of the team will be feeling a little extra pressure as a result of their respective situations.
Here’s a look at the 11 Titans who are under the most pressure in 2020.
Mike Vrabel
No, Vrabel isn’t on the hot seat or anything like that, but he does have to lead his team over the 9-7 hump if he wants to show that the franchise is actually moving forward.
In each of the past four years (two of which Vrabel has been the head coach), Tennessee has finished with a 9-7 record. While they have made the playoffs twice in that span, the Titans haven’t been able to win a division title.
Not only are fans looking for both a double-digit win season and a division title, the expectation is that the Titans will once again be making a deep playoff run — or at least that should be the case.
WR Corey Davis
Now that the Titans declined Davis’ fifth-year option at $15.6 million, he’ll be in a contract year in 2020.
While it’s possible he could still return to Nashville in 2021 on a cheaper deal, Davis really has to showcase himself for other teams that will be looking for a receiver on the open market next offseason.
If he has another down year, Davis won’t command the kind of money he’s hoping for and the already existing “bust” label will be thrown around a lot more.
I always want to make this clear: Davis is NOT a bad football player, he just hasn’t lived up to the expectations of being a No. 5 overall pick production-wise — and that really isn’t all his fault.
QB Ryan Tannehill
It’s a lot easier to have the kind of special, bounce-back season Tannehill had in 2019 when nobody expects anything of you. However, things are vastly different for the former No. 8 overall pick this time around.
Tennessee signed Tannehill to a four-year deal worth $118 million during the offseason, which works out to $29.5 million per year and puts him as the ninth highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
Expectations will be very high this time around as a result of not only the contract and Tannehill’s Comeback Player of the Year campaign last season, but also because the Titans made a deep playoff run.
If he regresses mightily or falters in the playoffs this season, there will be plenty of people chirping about how the Titans made a mistake in signing Tannehill to such a lucrative deal after his great 10-game stretch of 2019.
K Greg Joseph
It’s not that Joseph has big shoes to fill, he just has shoes to fill, period. A carousel of kickers led the Titans to missing 10 of 18 field goals attempted in 2019, bad enough to put them in the cellar of the NFL.
Assuming he makes it out of training camp as the team’s starter, Joseph has to right the ship for what is one of the Titans’ biggest question marks in 2020 — and every single kick he attempts will be under the microscope.
If we’re taking the glass is half full approach, Joseph made his lone field goal attempt last season, which came in the playoffs. If we’re taking the glass is half empty approach, it was just one field goal from 30 yards out.
Either way, we have no idea what to expect from Joseph and the Titans’ kicking game this season.
RT Dennis Kelly
When the Titans signed Kelly to a three-year deal this offseason, he was told he’d be the starting right tackle in 2020.
However, after the team drafted Isaiah Wilson in the first round of the draft, general manager Jon Robinson made it clear that Kelly and Wilson would compete for the starting job.
Not only does the veteran have to win the competition during training camp, he also has to play at a high enough level to keep the job throughout the season.
Should he win the starting job, Kelly will have the rookie breathing down his neck the entire season and every misstep will lead to calls for the first-round pick to get his shot.
RB Derrick Henry
Whether he gets a contract extension or not, Henry is going to be making a significant amount of money for a running back this season. Even under the franchise tag, Henry is set to reel in $10.2 million in 2020.
Any time a running back is being paid that much, there will be criticism from the anti-running back crowd, as the position has been devalued over the years and most backs who make a lot of money have trouble living up to their salary.
Whether he gets an extension prior to 2020 or has to play out the season on the tag, Henry will have insane production from a year ago to match in order to show he’s worthy of a lucrative, long-term deal.
WR A.J. Brown
After emerging as a star for the Titans in his rookie season with 1,051 yards and nine total touchdowns, the expectations will be through the roof for Brown in his sophomore campaign.
While he certainly has the talent to better his numbers from a season ago, Brown now has the spotlight and attention on him, especially from opposing defenses, which will no doubt make things a bit more difficult.
As the team’s No. 1 receiver and with Corey Davis’ future in doubt, Brown is tasked with being the future of this team’s receiving corps. and is arguably the most important offensive weapon the Titans have.
WR Adam Humphries
It was already hard to justify paying Humphries $9 million per season before stepping foot on the field in a Titans uniform, but it became that much harder after he missed four games and posted meager production in 2019.
You would assume that another year with Ryan Tannehill in the Titans’ system will help Humphries, but he also has to stay healthy.
If Humphries can stay on the field, put up some numbers and be the chain-moving receiver we all expect him to be, his significant annual salary will be a lot easier to swallow. If not, justifying Humphries’ salary will be impossible.
RG Nate Davis
Davis struggled mightily to start his rookie season, which can be attributed to him not having a training camp after suffering an injury. However, his struggles were somewhat covered by the fact that Jamil Douglas was so bad before him.
As long as there are no setbacks this year, there are no more excuses for the former third-round pick.
Granted, Davis did pick up his play as the season went along, but he has got to make more strides in 2020 — particularly in pass protection — or else the Titans could end up looking elsewhere for their starting right guard.
DL Jeffery Simmons
We were all impressed with Simmons in 2019. He was a pleasant surprise and played well for a guy who was eight months removed from an ACL tear.
However, with a full offseason under his belt and no more knee brace limiting him, expectations are going to be very high.
Simmons will have to take the reins from Jurrell Casey and be the star of the Titans’ defensive line. It might not be fair, but Simmons is going to live in Casey’s shadow until he emerges as the great player we all think he can be.
OLB Vic Beasley
One of the Titans’ solutions to fixing their mediocre pass-rush this offseason was to sign Beasley. That in and of itself will put some pressure on the former Atlanta Falcon.
Adding to that, there have always been questions about Beasley’s drive, mostly stemming from his incredibly inconsistent sack totals over the years.
Beasley will be a in contract year in 2020 and his play on the field will not only determine whether or not he gets a long-term deal in 2021, but it will also be the difference between the Titans’ defense taking that next step or not.
