The Tennessee Titans started the season with a 1-4 record after finally earning a win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. Their defensive depth is incredibly thin as they started the season with several players on injured reserve, so the early bye week was welcome.
The week off is exactly what the Titans needed to get healthy and build on the momentum they started with their win in Miami. Several players have really stepped up in the absence of others this season, while others have simply fallen short of expectations.
In truth, there are more players falling short than are mentioned in this article, only the worst offenders are discussed here.
As the Titans gear up to host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, let’s take a look at the studs and duds through the first quarter of the 2024 season.
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Tony Pollard is responsible for 246 of the Titans’ 445 rushing yards this season, and he has 13 receptions for 87 yards to add to it. The Titans have 1,143 yards in total this season and Pollard accounts for 333 of those yards, which is nearly 30% of the team’s offensive production. If you think the Titans are questioning the decision to let Derrick Henry depart, which is why they brought Pollard in, then you are sorely mistaken. Without Pollard’s production, without his blocking, without his ability to adjust and make himself available for the quarterback, this offense falls on its face.
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Let’s face it, the Will Levis experiment has failed thus far. Levis got hammered last season after he took over for Ryan Tannehill, taking 28 sacks in nine games. But in those nine games last year, he threw just four interceptions. This year, he’s been sacked 15 times in four games, and he’s thrown six interceptions. If anything, his performance is worse this year than it was last year. Watching him on the field, it seems like he isn’t learning from his mistakes, and it’s clear that the Titans’ offense is more comfortable with Mason Rudolph on the field.
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Harold Landry III is one of the defensive leaders on the field this season. He has 18 tackles (nine solo), four tackles for a loss, two passes defended, and he leads the Titans with 4.0 sacks for 30 yards. But it’s not just his stat line that makes him a stud, Landry makes his presence known when he’s out there. He gets the defense pumped up, keeps the energy alive, and helps organize assignments. Drafted by the Titans in 2018, Landry has never played anywhere else and the Titans need to keep it that way.
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The Titans claimed Ali Gaye off of waivers right before the start of the regular season, so he didn’t get any of the offseason workouts or training camp workouts with the rest of his team. It may take him some time to get acclimated to the Titans and how they do things, but he’s only recorded one tackle this season. That’s it, that’s his whole stat line. The Titans need him to be more than a body, though; they need him to get up to speed and contribute especially with the lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball.
Gaye joined the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and spent that season on the practice squad. He doesn’t have that much NFL experience, so while this isn’t really a hit at him, he definitely needs to step up and contribute more.
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This kid is really something special. It may have been a surprise to some to see the Titans draft a wide receiver in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, but after four games of solid special teams production, it’s easy to see why the Titans picked up Jha’ Quan Jackson. Over the first four games, Jackson returned 14 punts for 131 yards, and he returned nine kickoffs for 241 yards. Those numbers are good for second and fourth, respectively, in the entire NFL.
Jackson is definitely cementing himself as a special teams must-have, and he comes with the benefit of also being a receiving option should the Titans need to call on him. He has exceeded the expectations the Titans had for him and watching him through the remainder of the season should be fun.
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With Will Levis under center, the tight end position becomes incredibly important and Nick Vannett just isn’t fulfilling the Titans’ needs. He’s caught four passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, and that’s it. His blocking hasn’t been great, he doesn’t make adjustments on the field to make himself available when the quarterback is in trouble, and while he has eight years of experience in the NFL, he’s just not getting it done. Both Josh Whyle and Chig Okonkwo have more receptions and more yards, and Vannett’s 14 yards after the catch are below the other two (20 and 29, respectively) as well.
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- WR Calvin Ridley
- WR DeAndre Hopkins
- RB Tyjae Spears
- T JC Latham
- G Peter Skoronski
- LB Kenneth Murray Jr.
- LB Ernest Jones IV
- S Quandre Diggs
- DT Jeffery Simmons
- DT T’Vondre Sweat
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- WR Treylon Burks
- TE Chig Okonkwo
- T Nicholas Petit-Frere
- CB Darrell Baker, Jr.
- S Mike Brown
- LB Arden Key
- LB Luke Gifford
- LB Caleb Murphy
- DT Keondre Coburn
