We are just a few days away from rookies reporting to training camp for the Tennessee Titans (7/22). Can you feel it, folks? Football is in the air once again. This is my favorite time of year – we’re all hopeful and optimistic. For the Titans, this was one of the busiest and most turbulent offseasons I can remember. There are plenty of new faces in town, and an overhaul of the coaching staff makes me think this team is going to look a lot different than it did in 2022 from a philosophical standpoint, at least on offense. So, while you won’t see me dogpiling on top of all of the positional previews and ‘camp battles to watch’ pieces that will be flowing this week, I still wanted to weigh in on what I think the biggest mysteries that face this team are as the 2023 season quickly approaches.
Questions Facing the Titans Heading Into Training Camp
How will the new look offensive line jell? To me, it’s the single most important question that the Titans have to answer this year. They don’t even need this unit to make a gigantic leap for significant improvement…they just have to be a little bit better than they were a year ago. But, the Titans didn’t just plug holes on the offensive line by signing Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill before drafting Peter Skoronski. They shifted the type of offensive lineman they wanted – these new additions are athletic guys that figure to excel in pass protecting. They’re not your traditional pot-bellied road grading run blockers. If they can get it together quickly, Ryan Tannehill will have more time to operate the offense, and we should see an uptick in productivity and efficiency. A few more plays here and there probably wins the Titans the AFC South in 2022, so this is of paramount importance. While I’m optimistic (because the offensive line can’t be any worse than it was last season, right? RIGHT?!?!), this isn’t to say that any of these guys are locks to become Pro Bowlers. There’s still plenty to prove.
What will the new offense look like? I highly doubt that we’ll see all the nooks and crannies of Tim Kelly‘s offense during the summer. But, between the changes along the offensive line, how free agency and the draft shook down, and the changes Mike Vrabel made to his coaching staff, it’s a massive question at this time of the year regardless. Any clues we can get would be welcomed. The offense was just so BLEH in 2022 that Titans fans are chomping at the bit to see some signs of life on that side of the ball.
Where will cornerback depth come from? It scares the hell out of me. I wrote a little bit about this when I dug into the film of Sean Murphy-Bunting for Film Friday on Stacking The Inbox. But, the Titans are an injury away from catastrophe among the cornerbacks. I figure Murphy-Bunting will get one of the outside spots. Kristian Fulton will get the other. Roger McCreary will probably move inside. But, if something happens to any of those guys, or they don’t play up to their billing, the Titans will once again be in a position to rotate less-proven commodities. They may be in better shape than the rest of the AFC South in the secondary, but unless guys just keep stepping up the way they have in recent years, this group feels like it’s on a slippery slope to me.
What the fuck do they do about Nicholas Petit-Frere? With NPF suspended for the first six games of the season, what will the Titans do at right tackle? I’m eager to see who gets those snaps during training camp and if there’s a contingency plan in place for if nobody rises up to squarely claim the job.
How will the group of pass-catchers shake down? Oh, man it is spicy now, isn’t it? With the addition of DeAndre Hopkins and another year of development for Treylon Burks, this passing game suddenly has quite the 1-2 punch. Factor in the electric potential that tight end Chig Okonkwo has, and Kyle Philips‘ ability from the slot, and it’s a dynamic group all of a sudden. It’ll be fascinating to see how these guys are utilized.
Are the new faces on defense enough? The Titans defense was able to steady the ship a bit when things went south for the offense a year ago. They hit free agency to make a few upgrades. Is the addition of Arden Key enough to ramp up the pass rush? What can Azeez Al-Shaair bring to the table in an expanded role with the Titans? Can Murphy-Bunting lock down his side of the field? The Titans filled holes on defense with value guys who are looking to get a bigger role. Will those decisions keep this Titans defense steady?
Will the defense look different without Jim Schwartz? No longer an analyst with the Titans, Schwartz is off to serve as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. Known for his work with the pass rush, deploying Wide Nine technique to get after quarterbacks, he was a valuable addition to this coaching staff. How much of what he passed along will stick? Should we expect some sort of drop off in production? How will his absence hit the defense?
Man, I can’t wait to watch actual football.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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