The Tennessee Titans are set to sport one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2022, but their offense comes with several question marks, which has fans and experts alike at least somewhat down on them.
And CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin is in the same boat. He ranked Tennessee’s roster as the No. 22 group in the NFL going into 2022. Here’s his take:
The Titans technically replaced star WR A.J. Brown by adding Robert Woods and Treylon Burks, but only one of them has proven to be a quality starter in the NFL, and QB Ryan Tannehill is under pressure to perform behind an O-line introducing two new starters. That’s not to say they won’t be physical and competitive again under Mike Vrabel, especially with Derrick Henry healthy and the defense finding an emerging front man in Jeffery Simmons. But if you can’t consistently pass the ball, or defend the pass, in today’s NFL, your roster probably needs some long-term tweaking.
As Benjamin points out, there are several concerns with the Titans’ passing attack.
Ryan Tannehill is coming off a down year, and the offensive line, which had issues in pass protection last season, will see two new starters that have little to no starting experience.
Adding to that, the team’s projected top receivers, Robert Woods and Treylon Burks, are question marks, as Woods is coming off a torn ACL and Burks is a rookie who has struggled to stay on the practice field this offseason.
The good news for Tennessee is that Derrick Henry is back to help take some pressure off after missing the second half of 2021, and the defense, which was one of the better units in the NFL in the sacks department and elite against the run last season, is returning all but one starter.
While the Titans certainly weren’t elite in coverage, they did see some standout performances in that area.
Kevin Byard and Kristian Fulton were among the best at their positions in coverage, and guys like Amani Hooker and David Long were both improved. Adding to them, Elijah Molden was one of the best rookie defensive backs in coverage.
If the Titans can get their offense back on track and combine it with a defense that figures to be elite in 2022, this team will have a legitimate shot to make noise in the playoffs. However, the offense righting the ship is a big if right now.