Tennessee Titans: Stuck in football purgatory
Depending on who you are, the Titans are either coming off of a much-needed win against the Carolina Panthers, or they just wasted an opportunity to lose and move up in the draft order. Either way, the Titans are in football purgatory as they won’t be making the post season, and likely won’t be bad enough to break into the top 5 of the draft. However, there’s still some hope if the dominoes fall a certain way.
The Titans had a big win this Sunday, no doubt. Will Levis looked decent for a rookie with a terrible offensive line, and Derrick Henry had a decent day with two touchdowns. Overall, this was a typical Titans’ game, with low offensive production and the team relying on defense to secure a 17-10 victory. Did I mention the Titans are scoring just 16.8 points a game?
But how does that win affect their current draft standing? Not much, as the Titans only fall one spot to the number 10 pick. One downside is that the Panthers are solidifying their number one pick which they traded to the Bears last year for Bryce Young, giving the Bears the number 1 and number 4 pick. Which, as a Titan fan, is not good if you’re in the market for Marvin Harrison Jr, or the top two offensive tackles. The Bears will grab at least one of those players if they decide Fields is their quarterback of the future. Sounds a lot like last year when the Texans grabbed two of the best players, but this time around, the Bears need the same positions the Titans need.
But, just maybe Harrison Jr. isn’t the golden egg if he even declares for the draft. Music City Miracles suggested the Titans could take Malik Nabers who is having a monstrous season at LSU with 86 catches for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns. Nabers is probably the second-best receiver, if not the best receiver in this draft. Selecting Nabers could give Levis an additional weapon to pair with Treylon Burks and DeAndre Hopkins.
Many fans will be confused- Why take skill positions when the offensive line can’t protect Levis to make the throws? Well, there’s a historical account to look back at.
The Bengals took Joe Burrow in the first round, and he would go on to be sacked 84 times in his first 26 games. Who did the Bengals take the next year? They put the offensive line on the back burner and drafted Ja’Marr Chase with the plan to patch the offensive line the next season. The team went to the Super Bowl that next season. This could be the model that the Titans take and I’m here for it. Because if luck has it, Georgia’s elite left tackle Amarius Mimms missed 10 games this season due to injury and could fall to the second round. Two birds, one efficient draft class.
But, for the Titans to redeem themselves, and escape from this purgatory, I would like for them to lose out and climb the draft order to secure those picks. However, with what I laid out, the 7th pick in the first and the 39th in the second, the Titans can fill two key positions that could lead to a dynasty if they can capitalize. Worst-case scenario, we are competitive again in the AFC South that has rebuilt itself.
When fall comes around, there’s fresh brisk air. And it seems like the Titans might bring that same brisk fresh air this offseason.
