The Tennessee Titans’ long, frustrating season has finally come to an end, and now the franchise will turn its attention to the offseason, where there are so many questions to answer.
What a roller coaster ride it was, from the A.J. Brown trade back at the 2022 NFL draft, to a surprising 7-3 record and a comfortable division lead, to the firing of Jon Robinson and subsequent completion of one of the more epic collapses in league history.
Where the Titans need to improve is crystal clear, but how they go about improving in those areas, and if they can be successful in doing so, remains to be seen.
But before we start looking ahead to what will no doubt be an interesting offseason filled with change (at least I hope), let’s see who emerged from Saturday night’s loss as winners or losers.
Winner: Titans' draft position
Had the Titans won on Saturday night, they’d be picking no higher than 19th in the 2023 NFL draft. Now that they lost, they’re sitting at No. 10, but that could change a spot or two after Sunday.
While the season ending the way it did will always be difficult to deal with, this team was going nowhere anyway in what was a lost season. Now, the Titans have something to show for it, so big silver lining there.
Tennessee has a better chance at landing premium talent with the early-round picks throughout the draft, and perhaps more importantly the Titans are in a better position to get one of the draft’s top quarterbacks depending on how things shake out in the first round.
Loser: OC Todd Downing
In what will hopefully be his last game as the offensive coordinator of the Titans, Todd Downing showed just about every reason why he should not only be fired, but be the first one shown the door.
Downing’s predictability was absolutely egregious, as he sported a 19-3 ratio when it came to running and passing plays on first downs at one point.
We also saw him call what appeared to be a wild trick play with Treylon Burks and a cross-field lateral to Jonathan Ward. Sure, it a bad decision by Burks no matter what happened there, but just a risky and terrible call if designed.
Then there was Derrick Henry coming off the field for some key short-yardage situations, and pass plays that were drawn up short of the sticks, including on the Titans’ final offensive play of the game.
We’ve seen the same issues over and over again for two seasons now. If all this hasn’t been enough for Vrabel and the Titans to make a change, I seriously question the direction of the franchise.
Winner: QB Josh Dobbs
Despite his best efforts, Dobbs couldn’t lead the Titans to an improbable win on Saturday night. He certainly wasn’t perfect, but that can more be blamed on the garbage blocking upfront and a questionable fumble call.
Dobbs, who is well-traveled, looked pretty good considering in his two starts with the Titans. Perhaps it’s just a fluke or he’s just simply finding himself at this point in his career, but he should have a backup job on a roster in 2023.
And the Titans should be interested in giving him one. At the very least, Dobbs should come in and compete with Malik Willis for the backup job, which would be a good test for the Liberty product.
What the Titans do at QB1 next season remains to be seen, but they can’t (and won’t) depend on Willis or Dobbs for the job. Don’t be surprised if the Titans run it back with Ryan Tannehill for another season.
Loser: Titans' offensive line
Just like with Downing, let’s hope this is the last game we ever see this group together. Had the offensive line provided just a little better effort, Dobbs might’ve been able to do more in the second half.
As has been the case all season long, the line struggled in pass protection, and especially on the left side, where Dennis Daley was, per usual, the weakest link.
The run-blocking wasn’t much better, as Derrick Henry averaged 3.6 yards per and was routinely met at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The only member of the Titans’ Week 18 offensive line who is locked-in for next season is Nicholas Petit-Frere, who also had issues on Saturday night.
Other than NPF, Daley is gone, Taylor Lewan is unlikely to be back, Aaron Brewer didn’t play well enough to keep his job, Nate Davis is a free agent, and Ben Jones’ career might be up in the air after his season ended early following multiple concussions.
In all, there could be as many as four new starters upfront in 2023. The only two starters the Titans should consider keeping are obviously Jones and Davis, the latter of whom is under contract for next season.
Tennessee 100 percent needs a new left guard and left tackle (or right tackle if NPF is moved to the left side), and those players need to come in the form of experienced veterans who are proven and can stay healthy.
Winner: Titans' defense
In what was a microcosm of the Titans’ season, the defense did its job on Saturday night, but it was the offense that let the team down.
Granted, there was nothing pretty or dominant about the way the defense went about it’s business in the do-or-die game, but the unit was effective overall and made the plays it needed to make en route to slowing down Jacksonville’s red-hot offense.
The defense is a reason for optimism moving forward but has plenty of its own questions to answer going into the offseason. Regardless, Tennessee doesn’t even sniff a division title in 2022 without its impressive showing.
Loser: Titans' special teams
There was one member of the Titans’ special teams that was a winner on Saturday night, but the collective group was not.
Almost every punt return the Titans had was a scary mess, and the same can be said for Jacksonville’s returns on Tennessee that yielded multiple big gains.
The Titans need to take a close look at special teams this offseason, and that starts with Craig Aukerman, who has been on the hot seat with fans for awhile now.
Winner: Ryan Stonehouse
The one member of the Titans’ special teams who deserves credit? It’s Ryan Stonehouse and his monster leg, of course.
The rookie punter officially broke an 82-year-old record at the conclusion of Saturday night, as Stonehouse is now the all-time single-season leader in gross yards per punt, coming in at 53.1.
Stonehouse didn’t just break Sammy Baugh’s record, he smashed it, with the Colorado State product finishing 1.7 yards higher than the 51.4 yards the Hall-of-Famer tallied back in 1940.
The Titans needed to get it perfect when they parted ways with a franchise great like Brett Kern, and they appear to have done that with Ryan Stonehouse.
If Rookie of the Year voters ever flipped on the tape Ryan Stonehouse would run away with the award
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) January 8, 2023
Loser: Officials
This game definitely felt at least a little lopsided in terms of officials missing clear Jaguars penalties, of which there were many, including a few blocks in the back, a roughing the passer and an offside.
The true game-changing call came on the Dobbs fumble for a touchdown on a play that was very close. The signal-caller’s arm was moving forward, and the ball ultimately went in that direction, also.
His arm definitely is moving forward with control of the ball before it is knocked loose. Still kind of shocked this wasn’t looked at closer. pic.twitter.com/pRBhuVvDTI
— Mike Herndon (@MikeHerndonNFL) January 8, 2023
With things playing out the way they did in terms of his arm and where the ball ended up going, it was surprising it was ruled a fumble to begin with.
Then, it was confirmed a lot quicker than one would expect for such a close play. Of course, nothing we can do to change it and NFL officiating will never be perfect, but worth noting nonetheless.
Winner: TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
How about we end on a positive note?
Chig finished off his impressive rookie season strong, leading the team with 42 yards on three catches, while also being responsible for the team’s lone touchdown on a beautiful 21-yard pass from Dobbs.
The Maryland product nearly had another but couldn’t come down with what would have been a spectacular catch.
Okonkwo managed to play in every game this season, which is a rare feat for a Titans player. He also totaled 450 receiving yards, which for reference is two more than Jonnu Smith had in any season with Tennessee.
Next Gen Stats shared this stat about Chig during the game:
After shifting into the backfield, Chigoziem Okonkwo beat LB Foyesade Oluokun on a wheel route for a touchdown.
Okonkwo has averaged 3.0 yards per route this season, trailing only Tyreek Hill (3.4) among players with 100+ routes.#TENvsJAX | #Titans pic.twitter.com/N0DoHcUevP
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 8, 2023
Chig is just an explosive playmaker who has star potential, plain and simple. If nothing else, be excited about what he and Treylon Burks might bring to the table with more experience and a better supporting cast in 2023. Both have the potential to be special.
