The Tennessee Titans could be in trouble this 2022 NFL season, as experts and analysts have signaled the alarm that the team has regressed during the off-season.
Tennessee has won the AFC South Divisional title for each of the past two seasons, and they have been to the NFL Playoffs in four of the last five seasons.
There are indications that they may be passed by their AFC South Divisional rival in the Indianapolis Colts this upcoming season as the latter has gotten significantly better. The Colts traded for a high-caliber quarterback in Matt Ryan and for a key pass rusher in Yannick Ngakoue to add to their already stacked defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars made some solid moves for veterans during free agency and drafted several defensive stars early. Even the Houston Texans got better this off-season with some good additions.
On the other hand, Tennessee traded one of their best players in Pro-Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft. In the biggest trades of the first round, the Titans traded their star wide receiver to Philadelphia for the 18th overall pick and the 101st overall pick in the third round. The Titans used that pick to select Brown's immediate replacement in Arkansas Razorbacks star wide receiver Treylon Burks. There were reports that Tennessee was unwilling to give Brown a wealthy contract extension as many of the top receivers in the NFL have this off-season.
The Titans then traded their 26th overall pick and the 101st overall pick they received from Philadelphia for the 35th, 69th, and 163rd overall pick from the New York Jets. The Jets used that 26th overall pick for Florida State pass rusher Jermaine Johnson, a player that Titans head coach Mike Vrabel wanted on his defense.
The move for Burks was something that the Titans were considering before trading Brown, as the offense needed more weapons. Tennessee finished the 2021 NFL Season ranked 24th in the league in passing yards per game (201.1 yards), the second-worst among the teams that went into the Playoffs. Running back Derrick Henry was running towards the top of the MVP race until he broke his foot in the Titans' 34-31 overtime win at the Indianapolis Colts in Week Eight.
Tennessee needed to rely on quarterback Ryan Tannehill to get them back into the playoffs and lead the explosive offense. While the offense staggered significantly, the Titans earned the number one seed in the AFC. They would lose to the Cincinnati Bengals at home 19-16. Tannehill completed 15-of-24 passes for 220 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions and a QBR of 10.3 in the loss to Cincinnati.
His performance and inability to lead the Titans deeper into the playoffs was a huge indication of why they drafted Liberty quarterback Malik Willis with the 86th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Tannehill isn't likely to lose his starting job with the Titans anytime soon, as Willis may take one or two years to learn the complicated system of offensive coordinator Todd Downing and passing game coordinator Tim Kelly. However, this is an indication that time and patience is running out for Tannehill.
Tennessee is losing many of their top wide receivers from last year as they have either been disappointed, or they were expensive. Tannehill will make a base salary of $29 million this season with a dead cap hit of $38.6 million; both are the highest in the entire league.
While the Titans made some good off-season additions through free agency with Super Bowl champion wide receiver Robert Woods and their draft picks, they took a big hit losing A.J. Brown and Julio Jones this off-season.
The cracks are growing with the Tennessee Titans despite having a great-looking 2022 roster. It will be up to Vrabel, Derrick Henry, a young but ready receiver in Treylon Burks and a loaded Titans defense to potentially lead this team back into the playoffs. As of now, the team and fanbase's faith in Ryan Tannehill is quickly diminishing.