With new GM Ran Carthon in place, this is a big offseason for many reasons. The Titans finished the season with 7 straight losses, leaving several question marks around the team. In what was another season filled with bad offense, lack of explosive plays there will be lots of roster change on offense. That doesn’t leave the defense free from blame either. No matter if it’s health or lack of turnovers, the defense needs to be better.
Pay Jeffery Simmons Plain and Simple.
Simmons is without question the Titans best player and he needs to be in Nashville long term. After fumbling the AJ Brown situation last offseason, locking up Simmons long term is even more important. Honestly the time to sign Simmons was last offseason. Each passing month the price of Simmons goes up. Simmons had another stellar season in which he was an All Pro. Whatever Simmons asking price is Ran Carthon needs to match it and lock Simmons up.
Beyond his elite talent he has showcased Simmons brings a big name to the Titans that they don’t really have behind him. AJ is gone, Lewan is gone and Henry’s days seem numbered at best. Kevin Byard is a great player but not a household name like a Simmons, Henry or AJ. It’s a bit down the road but when the Titans new stadium opens they will need a franchise player, someone fans can get behind. If that isn’t Simmons then that player isn’t currently on the roster.
Add Speed to the Offense.
The Titans seriously lack speed on offense which severely limits their offensive ceiling. A few years ago the Titans had an offense that could make explosive plays with, AJ, Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis along with Derrick Henry of course. Now you look at the offense and the only one left is Henry and after some injuries and just the amount of carries he’s had, you can tell he’s not as explosive. The Titans need to find an offense with that level of playmakers again.
If you look at the 2022 Titans offense there just isn’t many guys who even have the ability to make those chunk explosive plays. The most explosive player during 2022 was rookie TE Chig Okonkwo. That is even the case despite Chig playing limited snaps the first few weeks of the season. He has a lot of Jonnu Smith in his game as far as the ability to make a 5 yard play into a 50 yard play. Arthur Smith did a great job of getting Jonnu the ball in space in a variety of ways. New OC Tim Kelly could benefit from doing the same. The bottom line is the Titans need to add playmakers to their offense or it will be much of the same in 2023 as it was in 2022.
Find a Resolution at QB.
There has been a lot of talk and smoke with QB Ryan Tannehill and what the Titans will do with him for two years now. Given the supporting cast and OL he had in 2022, Tannehill was solid. Not great but not bad either. It may be time for both parties to move on and that’s okay. He was a much needed stable block for the franchise. If the only disappointment is not winning a Super Bowl, that’s understandable but Super Bowls are hard to come by. If it’s the end for Tannehill he no question left the Titans better than he found it in 2019.
More than anything Vrabel and Carthon need to find a direction at QB and go with it. That means if they think Bryce Young or CJ Stroud is a can’t miss QB, do what it takes to trade up to get him. Sacrificing future picks is what is generally needed in today’s age to get the young QB you desire. The Titans will never be picking in the top two as long as Vrabel is the coach therefore trading up shouldn’t stop them if they love the QB.
By the start of the 2023 season we will know what direction Carthon and Vrabel have the team going. How these three priorities are answered this offseason will be an early indication if Carthon and Vrabel are the right tandem for the Titans moving forward.
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