While the Tennessee Titans have one of the more talented rosters this franchise has seen in years, there’s no denying that some red flags exist.
Thankfully, there’s still time for general manager Jon Robinson to shore up a few spots, but if nothing changes, these are the biggest red flags for the Titans ahead of the 2020 season.
Pass-rush
The Titans’ pass-rush saw a slight improvement last season after totaling 43 sacks, four more than the team compiled in 2018.
Still, that wasn’t enough, as the Titans were badly exposed in the AFC Championship Game with their inability to get pressure on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who carved Tennessee’s defense up.
While the Titans did add Vic Beasley this offseason, his inconsistent production is concerning and it remains to be seen if he can be the kind of upgrade the team needs.
Furthermore, an already lackluster pass-rush from the defensive line might become a bigger issue after Jurrell Casey was traded to the Denver Broncos.
There’s still time for the Titans to add another pass-rusher — namely Jadeveon Clowney — but if they don’t the pass-rush might not have enough beyond Harold Landry and Jeffery Simmons to take that next step.
Kicker
The Titans were the worst field goal unit in the NFL last season after posting a dreadful 44.4 percent success rate via three different kickers.
The fourth kicker brought in, Greg Joseph, only attempted one field goal, which came in the playoffs (he made it), but is still unproven with just 21 tries over the course of his brief career.
In order to provide some competition for Joseph in training camp, the Titans signed UDFA kicker Tucker McCann out of Missouri. Even if Joseph beats out the rookie, the lackluster amount of competition for him won’t instill much confidence that the Titans have actually found their solution.
Right tackle
The starting right tackle spot will be decided in a training camp competition between veteran Dennis Kelly and 2020 first-round pick, Isaiah Wilson.
However, the edge clearly goes to Kelly right now, thanks to his experience and the shortened offseason that will be a detriment to the rookie’s development.
Regardless, there’s simply no telling if Kelly or Wilson can match the elite play and athleticism that former starter Jack Conklin showed in 2018. Sure, Kelly did a great job filling in for Conklin in 2018, but that was a small sample size.
Until one of the two tackles proves they can fully replace Conklin, we have no idea what to expect at right tackle and won’t know if the Titans are getting a downgrade at the position or not.
Slot cornerback
While Logan Ryan wasn’t great in coverage out of the slot, he was still serviceable and was elite when asked to blitz. On top of that, replacing his leadership won’t be easy to do.
In order to fill the void left by Ryan, the Titans could deploy guys like 2020 second-round pick, Kristian Fulton, and/or 2019 fourth-round pick, Amani Hooker, who was an elite slot corner in college.
Adoree’ Jackson’s name has been floated as someone who could play there, also, but chances are he’ll remain on the boundary, as he’s just too important to the Titans there.
Whether it’s Fulton, Hooker, or both, the Titans are set to have inexperienced players in the slot who are unknowns and may not provide the kind of replacement Tennessee needs.
Backup QB
The backup quarterback spot might not seem like something that should be pointed out as a red flag, but when you consider the injury history of Ryan Tannehill, it is for the Titans.
Tannehill has missed his fair share of games during his career. The former No. 8 overall pick missed three games in 2016, five games in 2018, and he had a lost 2017 season sandwiched in between. Tannehill hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since 2015.
The two candidates for the Titans’ backup job in 2020, Logan Woodside and Cole McDonald, both lack experience and have never taken a regular season snap in the NFL.
If nothing changes, the Titans could be relying on signal-callers that may not be able to keep the team afloat if Tannehill misses even just one game — and that one game could be the difference in a season where Tennessee has Super Bowl aspirations.
