The Tennessee Titans have a wealth of talent on their 2020 roster, and as a result there are several players who could take home awards during the coming campaign.
Last season, quarterback Ryan Tannehill took home the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, and running back Derrick Henry took home a lesser honor, which was the FedEx Ground Player of the Year award.
With training camp rapidly approaching and the 2020 season shortly after that, let’s take an early look at some Titans who could earn some hardware.
Tannehill didn’t make this list. That’s not to say he won’t have a good season, but I just don’t see him producing the kind of stats needed to win a major award with the Titans having such a run-heavy offense.
Derrick Henry: Offensive Player of the Year
There’s always a chance that Henry could sneak away with a Most Valuable Player award considering how important he is to the Titans, but it’s pretty difficult for a running back to take home that honor.
In fact, it has only happened four times in the past 20 years.
With that said, we’re going to aim a little lower and keep it a bit more realistic by giving Henry a chance to win the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award instead, which is an honor that has been won by running backs 10 times in the past 20 years, including by former Titan, Chris Johnson.
Henry led the NFL in rushing and rushing touchdowns last season, and with four-fifths of his dominant run-blocking offensive line returning in 2020, there’s a good chance he could repeat his stellar 2019 production, putting him squarely in the conversation for the award.
A.J. Brown: Offensive Player of the Year
We’re going to throw Brown into the Offensive Player of the Year award category along with Henry, as there is plenty of room for him to produce insane numbers in his second season.
Brown posted 1,051 receiving yards and nine total scores in 2019, the most of any rookie. What makes those numbers more impressive is that he didn’t really start taking off until Week 7 when Ryan Tannehill took over as the starter, and he really exploded during the final six weeks of the season.
Now that Tannehill will have a full 16-game slate in 2020, the skies the limit for the kinds of numbers Brown can produce.
If you take his average yards per game (77.8) and touchdowns (0.7) from Week 7 on and spread them out over 16 games, Brown would have over 1,200 yards and 11 scores.
If you take his average yards per game (100.8) and touchdowns (1.0) from Week 12, the Ole Miss product would have over 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Clearly Brown is capable of doing incredible things in his second season, all he has to do is avoid the infamous sophomore slump and remain the consistent weapon he has shown he can be.
Corey Davis: Comeback Player of the Year
Davis is one of two players that could lead to the Titans having back-to-back Comeback Player of the Year award winners, which would be perfect timing with Davis set to hit free agency next offseason.
The former No. 5 overall pick has been solid during his career, but hasn’t exactly lived up to the expectations of a top draft pick, leading many to call him a bust.
After putting together a career year in 2018 with 891 yards and four touchdowns, Davis took a step back in terms of production last season, with just 601 yards and two touchdowns in 2019.
Chemistry between Davis and Tannehill seemed to be a real issue last season, and it’s something that the quarterback admits he needs to work on with his receiver in 2020.
If Tannehill and Davis can get on the same page, perhaps the Western Michigan product will actually get the ball when he is open and get more looks overall in the offense, leading to better production.
Adding to that, the Titans’ new No. 1 receiver, Brown, is going to be getting a lot of attention from opposing defenses this season, which should open things up even more for Davis.
The 2020 campaign is setup perfectly for Davis to have his best season yet, and it could lead to him taking home some hardware en route to a nice payday in free agency in 2021.
Malcolm Butler: Comeback Player of the Year
After getting off to a rough start to his Titans tenure in 2018, Butler has put together two solid halves of seasons, but has yet to put together a full 16-game slate of top-notch play in Nashville.
That’s partially because he only played in nine game last season after suffering a season-ending wrist injury in the Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers, which greatly hampered the Titans’ secondary.
Butler will be looking to make a statement in 2020 in order to justify the hefty salary the Titans are paying him. If Butler can remain healthy and elevate his play, he could be a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
Kristian Fulton: Defensive Rookie of the Year
The Titans were able to nab Fulton late in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, which was a surprise to many considering he was slated to be a first-round pick, or at the very least, an early second-round selection.
As a result, the Titans might have grabbed the steal of the draft, and if the potential many saw in him prior to the draft comes to fruition in his rookie campaign, Fulton could really turn heads.
Now, the competition for Defensive Rookie of the Year will be stiff and Fulton is no doubt a long shot, but he’s at least in the conversation as a dark-horse candidate.
Adoree’ Jackson: Defensive Player of the Year
Jackson took yet another step in the right direction towards becoming an elite cornerback in 2019, as Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the No. 15 player at his position during the regular season.
The former No. 18 overall pick missed the final four games of the regular season, but was a real game-changer upon his return, helping to elevate the Titans’ secondary during the team’s improbable playoff run.
The 2020 campaign might be the year when Jackson becomes one of the best shutdown corners in the game, leading to him getting the recognition he deserves via some hardware.
Harold Landry: Defensive Player of the Year
While he had his best season as a pro with nine sacks in 2019, Landry lost a bit of steam near the end of the season after not totaling a single sack in the Titans’ final four games.
Some of that likely had to do with the absence of Cameron Wake, who took pressure off Landry coming off the other side, but there’s also a chance the Titans being forced to play him a ton of snaps might have worn him out.
Titans linebackers coach Shane Bowen recently expressed the desire to get Landry more rest this coming season, which should help keep him fresh for the entirety of the 2020 campaign.
Adding to that, Landry will have more help with Vic Beasley lining up opposite him and could thrive should Beasley provide the complement Landry needs to see less attention.
Mike Vrabel: Coach of the Year
If the NFL Coach of the Year award included playoff performance, there’s a good chance Vrabel would have won it after his team made a sensational run in the playoffs in 2019, knocking off the two of the top-three seeds in the AFC en route to the AFC Championship Game.
After that kind of run, the Titans will have Super Bowl aspirations in 2020, but first they have to see success in the regular season — and part of success for the Titans is not only winning the division, but also getting over that 9-7 hump the team has been stuck on the past four years.
If the Titans can continue to build on their 2019 success, win double-digit games and take home the AFC South crown, there’s no reason why Vrabel shouldn’t win this award.
