The Tennessee Titans won the AFC South Division in 2020 by posting a solid 11-5 record. RB Derrick Henry led the offense with yet another rushing title and QB Ryan Tannehill had one of his best-ever seasons as a pro. After a stellar regular season, the Titans were bounced out of the playoffs early due to a seven-point loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.
Jon Robinson made a huge splash this offseason by acquiring future Hall of Fame wideout Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons. Jones will make this potent Titans offense even more dynamic. However, the defense is still full of question marks.
2021 Offense
Veteran QB Ryan Tannehill set a new career-high for touchdown passes with 33 last season. The 32-year old also took great care of the football by throwing only seven picks. Tannehill has really come into his own since arriving in Nashville back in 2019, so we expect another big year from him in 2021.
There’s plenty to love about Derrick Henry and the powerful way he runs the football. The former Heisman Trophy winner rushed for over 2,000 yards last season in route to winning his second straight rushing title. The 6-3 247 pounder looks more like a tight end than a running back and no defender in the league likes tackling him!
A.J. Brown had a breakout season in 2020 by scoring 11 touchdowns and making his first-ever Pro Bowl. It’ll be interesting to see how much Brown improves now that he’ll be paired with Julio Jones. Jones was hampered by injuries last season with the Falcons but all reports say he is healthy and ready to roll for the Titans in 2021. Tight end Anthony Firkser could have a huge season since all the defenses will be keyed in on stopping Brown and Jones in the passing game.
2021 Defense
The only thing holding this Tennessee team back is their dreadful defense. The Titans ranked dead last in third-down defense in 2020 and 30th in the league in sacks. Improvement has to be made in both the pass rush and the secondary or this team may face another early playoff exit.
Luckily, the front office tried to address these concerns by drafting cornerback Caley Farley out of Virginia Tech with their first-round pick. Farley has the size (6-1 207) and ball skills to be a Pro Bowl defensive back. Signing veteran corner Janoris Jenkins should also help out the secondary.
Bringing in Bud Dupree from Pittsburgh and Denico Autry from Indy should improve the Titans pass rush in 2021 (gamblingsites.com).
2021 Special Teams
Veteran punter Brett Kern will be back for his 13th season with the Titans in 2021. The 35-year old averaged 45.8 yards per punt last year. The starting kicker job is up in the air as free agent signees Blake Haubeil and Tucker McCann will battle it out during the preseason.
The Titans’ main return man will be Cameron Batson, a lightning-fast wideout from Texas Tech. Batson had 231 kick return yards in 2020.