In the majority of NFL power rankings we’ve seen this offseason, the Tennessee Titans have hovered just outside the top 10, inside the top 10, or near or in the top five.
However, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar is going in a different direction. He has the Titans in the bottom half of his preseason power rankings, placing them at No. 18.
While Farrar is high on the Titans’ offense and chances of winning the AFC South, he has his doubts about the defense, and some about the offense, ahead of 2021.
Tennessee lost to the Ravens in the wild-card round last season, and the defense absolutely fell apart without super-coordinator Dean Pees. Last season, Tennessee’s defense fell from 18th to 29th in Defensive DVOA, and only the Lions allowed more passing touchdowns than the Titans’ 36. The free-agency additions of defensive linemen Denico Autry and Bud Dupree should help, as should a re-tooled secondary featuring safety stars Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker. But if Tennessee isn’t able to get back to at least the middle of the pack defensively, they will waste all that offensive talent — and there’s no guarantee that with new offensive coordinator Todd Downing, those stars will perform as they did last season. Julio Jones is a splashy addition, but can he stay healthy? Head coach Mike Vrabel has never had a losing season, but questions abound here.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the lowest ranking the Titans have received this offseason. That came from CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, who put Tennessee at No. 21 on his list following the 2021 NFL draft.
Fellow Touchdown Wire scribe Mark Schofield was much nicer to Tennessee in his power rankings last month, as the Titans landed at No. 6 in his pre-training camp version, their highest mark of 2021 thus far.
The Titans figure to sport an elite offense once again, and while there are question marks about the defense, this team has proven it has the chops to overcome that by scoring points in bunches — and that was without Julio Jones.
If Tennessee’s defense can simply improve over what it was last season, the Titans will be a contender with a great shot to make a deep playoff run. If Tennessee’s defense can greatly improve, this team is a legit Super Bowl contender.
