It should go without saying at this point that the Tennessee Titans had a disappointing end to their 2022 season.
After starting the year off promising with a 7-3 record, things took a turn for the worse, with the Titans dropping seven-straight contests to end the season.
Tennessee finished the year with a 7-10 mark and choked the division away on the final week of the regular season in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This embarrassing reality not only ended the Titans’ three-year playoff streak, but the team also finished with the first losing record under head coach Mike Vrabel.
However, despite the unfortunate ending, things weren’t all bad in 2022.
I discussed the Titans’ worst moves of the offseason last week, but this article is going to focus on four of the best offseason moves Tennessee made in 2022. Let’s see which ones made the cut.
Drafting Chig Okonkwo
The Titans hit a home run with their selection of Chigoziem Okonkwo with the last pick of the fourth round in the 2022 NFL Draft.
According to Pro Football Focus, the former Terp had the highest overall grade (75.4) amongst all rookie tight ends after leading his peers in yards (450), while also being tied for the most touchdowns (three).
To add more context into how impressive the Maryland product’s rookie campaign was, over the last 10 seasons there has been a total of 31 rookie tight ends that have accumulated at least 40 targets in their first year as a pro.
Okonkwo ranks first amongst all of them in yards per route run (2.61), as well as owning the third-highest receiving grade (84.6), per PFF.
To say the Titans’ tight end surpassed all expectations would be a massive understatement. At one point, many were just hoping that Chig would eventually fill the void that Jonnu Smith left a few years back.
Instead, it only took Okonkwo one season to top Smith’s career-high in receiving yards (448).
The sky truly is the limit for Tennessee’s incredible rookie tight end.
There’s no telling who the new offensive coordinator will be, but it would be very wise for them to make Okonkwo a focal point of the offense going forward instead of just a complementary piece.
Signing Demarcus Walker
Demarcus Walker was one of the more pleasant surprises of the past season. Walker bet on himself by initially taking a smaller role in Tennessee and ended up making the most of it.
Despite playing fewer than 40 percent of the defensive snaps, the Florida State product finished first on the team in tackles for loss (10), second in quarterback hits (16), third in sacks (seven), and fifth in pressures (15).
Unfortunately, the Titans only locked Walker down for one season, so he will be a free agent in the spring barring the two sides coming to an agreement beforehand.
Signing Ryan Stonehouse
Another one of the Titans’ biggest home runs of the offseason was acquiring punter Ryan Stonehouse as an undrafted free agent last spring.
Somehow there were four punters drafted last April and the Colorado product was not one of them, despite being arguably the best collegiate punter in the nation.
The record-setting punter broke both the Mountain West and FBS records for the highest average yards per punt over an entire college career. Stonehouse instantly continued his legendary resume upon his arrival in the NFL.
It only took the rookie one year to break an 82-year-old record for the highest gross yards per punt average over an entire season in his first year as a professional.
The All-Pro punter shattered Sammy Baugh’s single-season mark from 1940 after averaging 53.1 yards per punt, nearly two whole yards more than Baugh’s previous high of 51.4 yards per punt.
It’s safe to say Tennessee found itself a generational talent and a lethal special teams weapon for the foreseeable future.
Extending Mike Vrabel
Before the season, the Titans signed Vrabel to a long-term contract extension. The details of the deal were never released, but it was smart of them to ensure that they have their head coach tied down for the long haul.
Vrabel is a former AP Coach of the Year winner that has proven he can remain competitive with practically whatever you give him, while also showing the ability to have his team legitimately in the championship conversation when he actually has competent talent to work with.
As long as Vrabel is under contract and leading the Titans, this team will have something to believe in until proven otherwise.
