The Tennessee Titans dropped another close contest in Week 16, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in a game that they probably should’ve won despite all of their notable absences.
Tennessee was without several notable names on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Will Levis, defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, guard Daniel Brunskill and safety Amani Hooker, just to name a few.
These absences opened the door for several players to potentially take advantage of the opportunity to play more. Some of them seized the moment, while others showed why they’re better suited to be depth pieces and not full-time starters.
Also, there were a couple of the Titans’ standout players who bounced back in a big way following a dud of a performance in Week 15.
This article is going to highlight which players increased their stock after the loss to the Seahawks, and which players ended up lowering their stock the most. Let’s find out who they were in this week’s stock report.
Stock up: TE Chig Okonkwo
Don’t look now, but Chig Okonkwo has started to look like the electric playmaker we all expected him to be coming into the season.
This past week, Okonkwo recorded a season-high 63 receiving yards en route to surpassing his career-high in a single season, and he scored his first touchdown of the 2023 campaign.
Furthermore, since the start of Week 12, the Maryland product has recorded an impressive 21 catches for 252 receiving yards and one touchdown over that span.
This may not have been the breakout campaign we all envisioned before the season, but at least he’s building some positive momentum ahead of what will be a crucial offseason for this franchise.
Stock down: CB Tre Avery
The former undrafted cornerback has had better days than he had in Week 16.
Tre Avery struggled in the fourth quarter, giving up two touchdowns while also being responsible for a couple of back-breaking penalties.
In total, Avery allowed 70 percent of his targets to be completed (7-of-10) for 75 yards, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 131.3 when targeted.
Stock up: G Andrew Rupcich
Titans guard Andrew Rupcich has sneakily done well for himself when he’s gotten the chance to play this season. He hasn’t been anything special, but he’s gotten the job done when needed.
Head coach Mike Vrabel had good things to say about Rupcich after his first start of the season.
#Titans HC Mike Vrabel: @rupcich_andrew was around the pile (at guard), and showed a willingness to finish. Played physical, and helped us in the pocket. I thought he held up OK
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 26, 2023
While it’s hard to envision the Culver product being an integral piece of the inevitable offensive line rebuild, he’s at least proving that he could provide some valuable depth going forward.
Stock down: QB Ryan Tannehill
I’m not sure if it was nostalgia or delusion, but I personally thought we would see somewhat of a statement game from quarterback Ryan Tannehill on Sunday.
Instead, he solidified the fact that the Titans made the right choice to go with their rookie quarterback instead of him.
The most mind-boggling thing about his day was the fact that he looked like a rookie out there with the types of inexcusable mistakes he was making, especially in crunch time.
Tannehill has undoubtedly had some fantastic moments in Tennessee, but that era is rightfully on the verge of finally being put to bed at the end of these next two weeks.
Stock up: RB Derrick Henry
After having a historically bad game the week prior, the only way to go was up for Titans running back Derrick Henry.
The former Offensive Player of the Year looked like the star ball-carrier we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, totaling 99 total yards (88 rushing, 11 receiving) and two touchdowns, one of which came through the air.
If these are Henry’s final couple of weeks as a Titan, let’s hope he goes out on a high note with performances like the one he had on Sunday.
