The AFC South has been known over the last decade as a one team race, or an absolute joke at times. The division winner destined to be a 4 seed in the AFC Playoffs. It’s a grouping of teams who have had trouble outside of this division that they share, resulting in nearly .500 records by the division champion over the last few seasons. The Colts ran this division in the 2000s, and the Texans took over most of the 2010s, while the Jaguars had a couple glimpses as division champs. All of those teams finished with winning records in 2023 and have much momentum and optimism going into the 2024 season. But one team that isn’t getting talked about… a team that held the 1 seed in 2021, won this division in 2020, appeared in the AFC Championship game in 2019, and have had a new regime and identity makeover during this offseason. That would be the Tennessee Titans, and if you continue to fall into a deep sleep on this team, nightmares on opposing teams could occur and the dreams of Nashville could become sweet and turn into reality.
Here’s how the Tennessee Titans can surprise the league in 2024.
Shift in Offensive Philosophy
It’s no secret that the Titans have had a major overhaul in the 2024 offseason. Mike Vrabel and Derrick Henry are out the door, and former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and his mailbag of ideas are in as head coach. Tennessee attacked free agency hard, signing RB Tony Pollard (3 years, $24 million) and Calvin Ridley (4 year, $92 million) to wealthy contracts. Veteran receiver Tyler Boyd (1 year, $4.5 million) signed with the team not too long ago, shaping a receiver room that has been on the block for a while, highlighted by the ultra-talented DeAndre Hopkins. Tony Pollard will also have some help in his Batman role, as the young and exciting running back Tyjae Spears plays Robin to a great tune. Callahan loved to space out his offense back in Cincinnati, which sported much talent at all skill positions. Much work from the shotgun allowed to scan the field better in the run game, and making quick but high-level decisions while coordinating the passing game, and ultimately getting the ball into his most talented player’s hands was a huge deal of success during his time as an OC. Having much depth at all positions to roll out many packages will make this offense acquire more dimensions as time goes along, which can make for a tough unit to plan for weekly.
This will be the biggest question of all, and probably the thing most Titans fans will watch the closest. Levis plays like a classic gunslinger… he’s been living and dying by the talent solely in his arm. With being under the direction of Brian Callahan, one of the biggest things that has been taken from the QBs he’s coached in the past is the precision accuracy that has developed over the course of time. Joe Burrow statistically has the highest completion percentage in league history (68.0%) and Jake Browning led the NFL in completion percentage in 2023 at 70.1% in limited play. Levis completed a league worst 58.4% of his passes last season. Levis came out and said that he’s watched a lot of film on Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, and Peyton Manning over the course of the offseason, all QBs that Brian Callahan has worked with closely over the last decade. All of these quarterbacks have been known for their surgical ball placement and ability to attack a defense subtly in the short and intermediate passing game. Levis being able to sharpen his skills as a passer gradually moving downfield will give him more confidence and open up more opportunities to sport off his impressive arm talent. Over 22% of his throws were considered deep passes (which led the league) and had the highest average depth of target at 11.1 yards (both stats per PFF). A huge part of Will Levis’ game is to step up in the pocket and throw under pressure. Levis is without a doubt a gutsy player just shown by his demeanor and attitude, and he’s been familiar with making plays in messy pockets. Building from the ground up on Will Levis and his abilities will be key, with the basics of timing and understanding a new playbook in his first full season as the starter. By just being available and accurate, Levis could give the Titans a chance to make a leap this season if progress is made in quicker time, but not rushed, during training camp in July and August.
Mirroring the Line of Scrimmage
The Titans statistically had one of the worst offensive lines in all of football last season when it came to pass blocking, as they gave up 64 sacks (4th worst in the league) in 2023 and were in the cellar of many different pass blocking metrics. With seeing a lively issue, the Titans went out and signed former Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry and drafted a human mountain at 7th overall, selecting JC Latham from Alabama to play tackle. The emphasis of shifting to a pass first offense will be “PROTECT THE QUARTERBACK” and to be an athletically controlled stampede when run blocking. This offensive line being able to go up against a high potential front seven that the Titans defense poses will only make them better. Speaking of the defensive side, Jeffery Simmons still resides on the right side which is a scary sight for interior offensive lineman. He’ll be able to take pressure off rookie nose tackle and 2nd round pick T’Vondre Sweat, as the main plug in the run stop. Harold Landry III was a 10+ sack guy last season and Arden Key is looking to revitalize his career and maximize his opportunity. The old saying is “Iron Sharpens Iron” and that couldn’t be truer for the line of scrimmage on both sides for this Titans squad.
Secondary additions
The 2023 Tennessee pass defense did a pretty good job in holding quarterbacks in check but didn’t have many turnovers to reward themselves. In comes former Maryland cornerback Dennard Wilson, who takes over as defensive coordinator. Wilson was previously the Ravens defensive back coach in 2023. The Ravens secondary was responsible for 16 interceptions last season, with former Ravens safety Geno Stone having 7 of his own… while the Titans totaled only 6 INTERCEPTIONS on the season. It’ll be evident that Wilson will be needing a hungry and disciplined secondary in 2024. Veteran Chidobe Awuzie comes over from Cincinnati to get his chance to be a starter once again, being two years removed from an ACL tear. The acquisition of LaJarius Sneed from the world champion Chiefs added a completely different dimension to backend, as he can cover guys in the slot and on the outside. Adding that veteran prowess from corners who have played in the biggest games a player could ask for gives this secondary an instant boost, and the development of Roger McCreary could make this cornerback room a strength to be reckoned with going forward. Safeties Amani Hooker and Elijah Molden have much to look forward to with many opportunities to feast on the football over the middle of the field if quarterbacks start to defer there, which could give them a chance to breakout this season.
Nashville has quickly become an attractive spot for the night life that has boomed along with the love of country music, and the Tennessee Titans want to make the city a trio of excitement. With a new brand of football and veterans around the block stepping in to mesh with the young talent on this roster, this gives a reason to keep an eye on this team throughout the season. If they mesh earlier than expected, we may have a rising worst to first candidate on our hands in the Mid-South this season.
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