The Tennessee Titans are a year removed from winning 12 games and earning the number one seed in the AFC but were bounced in the Divisional round of the playoffs and a lot has changed since last season.
For starters, the team will begin the year with five of six new wide receivers that Ryan Tannehill will be throwing to and the team has added a legit pass-catching tight end in Austin Hooper. Not having A.J. Brown will certainly be a challenge but adding a veteran like Robert Woods will help along with rookies Treylon Burks and Kyle Phillips.
Sticking with the offense, the team gets back a healthy Derrick Henry who’s coming into his age 28 season and looking to prove that he’s still getting better and not regressing like some pundits have proclaimed.
Derrick Henry (28 yrs old) isn't worried about the "30-yr old RB cliff." He said he looks to Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore as motivators to keep going. #Titans pic.twitter.com/Z02btYHt3C
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) September 8, 2022
The offensive line will be something to watch all season long to see how they gel, some of the guys they had in during the preseason performed more like turnstiles than brick walls but I’m excited to watch how rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere will fair as he earned a starting spot over second-year pro Dillon Radunz.
Ryan Tannehill is still the starting signal-caller but for how long…? Dynamic rookie out of Liberty, Malik Willis progressed nicely throughout training camp and improved each week he got to play during the preseason pushing out veteran back-up QB Logan Woodside. I’m very high on Malik Willis and believe that he has a great chance to be the long-term option at QB for Tennessee for a long time.
“He’s got some Steve McNair to him. I’m telling you.”
Titans Safety Kevin Byard on Malik Willis 👀 pic.twitter.com/nVJGUK6btR
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) September 4, 2022
As for the defense, that unit was obviously dealt a major blow as Harold Landry III tore his ACL last week and will have to rely on others to replace his team-leading 12 sacks from last season.
There are two guys who will really need to step up to replace what Harold Landry brought to the table, one is veteran Bud Dupree. The veteran OLB signed a five-year $82.5M contract last offseason and sorely under performed posting career lows in tackles (17), sacks (3), and tackles for loss (2).
Bud Dupree on stepping up for Harold Landry, some advice he gave him and how the injury taught him life lessons. #Titans pic.twitter.com/9c8kIxvZXN
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) September 5, 2022
The other player is second-year pro, fourth round draft pick last year in Rashad Weaver. Weaver played just two games last season recording just two tackles but he’ll be in line for much more work this coming season and you can only hope that the Pittsburgh product is ready to step up.
While the defensive secondary struggled early in the year in 2021, giving up many a big plays, they figured things out and became one of the best units in the league. That trend should continue into 2022 with one of the best safeties in the league leading the way in Kevin Byard. Kristian Fulton is another year seasoned and should be coming into his prime. Rookie cornerback Roger McCreary beat out Caleb Farley during the preseason to earn himself a starting role but he’ll have to continue his strong play if he wants to keep that spot.
Roger McCreary shares how he's been able to come in and make a mark as a rookie. He also spoke about earning the trust of veterans like Kevin Byard. #Titans pic.twitter.com/m5S2SqpXNY
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) September 8, 2022
The schedule is a very difficult one and with that I’ll take the Tennessee Titans to battle all season long with the Indianapolis Colts and finish the year 9-8 either grabbing the final wild card spot or just missing out on the playoffs in a stacked AFC.
Crazy Predictions for the Season:
@espnchattanooga Crazy Titans season predictions… Our very own @greglarnerd has two for ya 🏈 (Photo cred: Ben Solomon) 🎥 @lundylongstreth #titans #nfl #football #footballseason #tennesseetitans #espn
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