2024 Offseason Primer: Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans

Projected Cap Space: $69.6 million

Draft Picks: 7

• 1st (No. 7)
• 2nd (No. 38)
• 4th (No. 107)
• 5th (No. 145, MIN)
• 6th (No. 184)
• 7th (No. 219, CAR)
• 7th (No. 240, PHI)

Notable Free Agents: 

• RB Derrick Henry
• QB Ryan Tannehill
• DL Denico Autry
• CB Kristian Fulton
• LB Azeez Al-Shaair
• CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
• C Aaron Brewer
• DE Trevis Gipson
• OT Chris Hubbard
• WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
• S Terrell Edmunds
• K Nick Folk

Top Three Needs

1 – Wide Receiver

New Titans HC Brian Callahan gave an interesting nugget about the team’s plans this offseason when he mentioned if two prospects were equal on his board, he broke ties in favor of the player who scored touchdowns. Given the Titans have huge needs all over the offensive line and at receiver, it’s notable when charting out what the organization’s plans could be. 

The need at receiver has been evident for a few seasons ever since former GM Jon Robinson traded away WR A.J. Brown rather than hand him a massive new contract — a decision that set in motion events that eventually would lead to both him and HC Mike Vrabel losing their jobs. Tennessee has tried to bring in wideouts, using the pick received from Brown to draft WR Treylon Burks in the first round and landing veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins last summer. 

But Burks missed most of last year with a brain injury. Hopkins topped 1,000 yards receiving for the eighth time in 11 seasons and was a reliable target for second-round QB Will Levis to lean on. He was never the most explosive receiver athletically and entering his age-32 season that remains the case. The Titans desperately need a future top receiver, someone who’s a threat to score every time they touch the football. They also need to start building a new identity on offense with it feeling likely that “King Henry” will be trampling defenses for another team. 

It’s an outstanding draft class for receivers, and the Titans have the No. 7 pick. If one of the class’s three top receiver prospects is available, it feels like Callahan has already tipped the Titans’ hand. 

2 – Offensive Line

The catch is those three receiver prospects — Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze — might be the three best non-quarterbacks in the draft and could all easily be off the board by the seventh pick. Fortunately for the Titans, it’s also the best draft for tackles in years. One way or another, they’re getting a shot at a potential foundation piece for Callahan’s offense. 

The work shouldn’t stop there, though. The Titans’ offensive line was among the worst in the league last year. Free-agent LT Andre Dillard was a complete bust of a signing, and none of his backups proved up to the task of replacing him. Brewer and Hubbard are slated for free agency, which leaves holes at center and right tackle. The guard duo of 2023 first-rounder Peter Skoronski and veteran Daniel Brunskill isn’t the worst in the league, but the Titans can definitely do better than Brunskill. 

This is a unit that probably should have at least three new starters in 2024 at left tackle, center and right tackle specifically, along with an overhaul of the depth. It’s possible the addition of star OL coach Bill Callahan will help some young players like OT Dillon Radunz or OT Nicholas Petit-Frere add some consistency to their games, which would be massive for the Titans. 

3 – Cornerback

The Titans are a rebuilding team with tons of holes, so they could go in any multitude of ways with the rest of their resources. On defense, however, there are more pieces to work with in the front seven than there are in the secondary. Both starting outside cornerbacks are on expiring contracts and it’s a good bet both are playing elsewhere. Some players like Tre Avery were forced into bigger roles due to injury last season and the extended time on the field proved the Titans should look elsewhere for replacements for Murphy-Bunting and Fulton. 

Tennessee does have a former first-round pick in the pipeline in Caleb Farley, but injuries have kept his career from getting off the ground and the odds are against him catching up with so much lost time already. Still, he’s got one more chance with one more year left on his rookie contract. He’ll likely be competing with multiple additions this offseason, possibly through both the draft and free agency. 

As far as slot corner, the Titans have Roger McCreary and Elijah Molden to lean on here, which is good enough for this upcoming season. Both are former Day 2 picks. 

One Big Question

Is the partnership between Callahan and GM Ran Carthon worth the hype? 

The Titans shocked a lot of people in the NFL by firing Vrabel outright, not exploring any kind of trade but instead opting to let go of a coach with a strong record for a complete unknown in Callahan, a first-time head coach at any level. He was the offensive coordinator for the Bengals for the same amount of time QB Joe Burrow has been in Cincinnati, but the play-calling duties fell to HC Zac Taylor, so Callahan will be figuring that out for the first time as well. 

Owner Amy Adams Strunk cited a desire for a more collaborative work environment as the impetus for this decision, as the old-school Vrabel wasn’t meshing with Carthon in the way she hoped. There are apparently no concerns with Callahan in that department, and the two men together share the burden of trying to lead the Titans to success.

They have their work cut out for them. Carthon has a lot of work to do to rebuild the talent on the roster. Callahan has to figure out if Levis can string the flashes he put on tape last year into consistent competence that can help the team compete in a suddenly intensely competitive AFC South. 

Expectations should be low for the two to start out. The upcoming season will be a feeling-out period for what the Carthon/Callahan era in Tennessee will entail.