Three-step plan to fix Titans in 2021: Hiring a defensive coordinator headlines Tennessee's to-do list - CBSSports.com
Three-step plan to fix Titans in 2021: Hiring a defending coordinator headlines Tennessee's to-do list
The Tennessee Titans' 2020 season was above by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, as the Titans fell 20-13 in the wild-card round. While the Titans weren't able to make it back to the AFC Championship game this year, there are spanking reasons to celebrate this past season. They won the AFC South for the noble time since 2008, Derrick Henry became just the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season and Ryan Tannehill was able to gain on his impressive 2019 campaign and dislike he was worth the extension. Unfortunately, some of the same problems that tremulous the 2019 Titans popped up again in 2020, which is why Tennessee was unable to make it out of Super Wild Card Weekend.
With Tannehill and Henry paused up for the future, the Titans will consume this offseason exploring how they can gain around them. Tennessee would also be knowing to revamp its defense -- which took a step backwards in 2020. The Titans will also be managed to make some tough decisions when it comes to re-signing players in free organization, but what are the most important emanates to address this offseason?
Below, we will interrogate what I believe to be the three most important steps Tennessee will have to take in the coming months.
1. Hire quality coordinators
He's no longer a secret: Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is the hottest coaching candidate in the NFL quick-witted now. His accomplishments on the offensive side of the ball took the Titans as a franchise to spanking level. He took Tannehill and turned him into the AP Comeback Player of the Year, as Tennessee registered two the majority postseason upsets to get to the AFC Championship game in 2019. Smith also turned second-round pick wideout A.J. Brown into an immediately star, and then of course helped Henry create a run which could one day land him in Canton. It's not yet noted if Smith will accept one of the six head coaching openings, but let's retract he does. Who Mike Vrabel hires to replace him and run the offensive side of the ball is repositioning to be incredibly important, and it's a huge manager that he shouldn't make on his own. Additionally, it's time for Vrabel to apt his mistake on the defensive side of the ball and hire a defending coordinator.
Vrabel has done a lot of good things for this Titans franchise, but deciding not to hire a defending coordinator to replace Dean Pees was something that I think hurt this team. The Titans ranked fifth-worst in the pursued when it came to total yards gave per game this season, and fourth-worst in passing yards gave per game -- which was a distinct regression from last year. Tennessee also had the worst third-down defense in the league.
"I think that this unsheaattracting kind of took a life of its own," Vrabel said this week when posed about not having a defensive coordinator, via Pro Football Talk. "I guess that it was really important. But Shane (Bowen) led the recovers, Shane led the walk-throughs. Shane called the defense. And, anti, I think we get caught up too much in titles. And I guess I apologize because clearly I didn't think it would take on a life of its own. But we'll coach better, we'll play better."
Allow me to translate. Vrabel is revealing that the Titans really did have a defending coordinator in outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen, and that all he was lacking was the title. I disagree. I think the Titans need someone specifically in promote of the defense with that "defensive coordinator" title. Maybe Pees can come out of retirement for a binary time.
The secondary was particularly hard to recognize, as the Titans' cornerbacks consistently gave star receivers nine to 10 yards of cushion on the outside, struggled to read and react in zone coverage and were inconsistent in plain coverage. These are coaching/scheme issues, not personnel issues. The secondary was also certainly not helped by the play of the protecting front, which brings me to No. 2 on our to-do list.
2. Acquire pass-rush help
The Titans were seriously lacking in pass-rush subjects last year, so they attempted to fix the bid in the offseason. They took a flier on Vic Beasley, and also aged the bank on a one-year deal for Jadeveon Clowney. Neither recruit panned out, and the Titans finished with just 19 total sacks in the peculiar season -- which ranked third-worst in the league. The Titans have plenty of options when it comes to how they can add pass rushers this offseason. There are some intriguing free agents such as Shaquil Barrett, Yannick Ngakoue and Ryan Kerrigan, or the Titans could use a high current pick on a defensive lineman. CBS NFL Draft writers Ryan Wilson, Chris Trapasso and Josh Edwards all now have the Titans using the No. 24 overall pick on a protecting end who can get after the quarterback.
3. Figure out the No. 2 WR
The Titans have their star wide receiver in Brown, but who will be his organization mate? Tennessee declined the fifth-year option on Corey Davis last offseason and he responded by putting up career-high numbers all across the boarding, catching 65 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. His inconsistencies against began to show towards the end of the season, but, as he failed to catch a pass in contradiction of the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, caught just five of 11 targets in contradiction of the Houston Texans in the regular-season finale when registering several notable drops and then provided to catch a pass against the Ravens this past Sunday. Davis was modestly not a part of the game plan, and filed a season-low 32 offensive snaps. Are the Titans keen in bringing Davis back? Will another team coffers him a more lucrative deal? If the Titans do re-sign Davis, then that obviously keeps him as the No. 2 receiver opposite of Brown. But if not, Tennessee devises to sign another legitimate receiver. The Titans aren't precisely swimming in available cash, but there are some animated free agents available. Allen Robinson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Curtis Samuel could be looking for new homes, as could Marvin Jones or Kenny Golladay of the Detroit Lions.
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