The 2023 Tennessee Titans had a somewhat forgettable campaign, limping to a 6-11 season, and finishing bottom of the AFC South for the first time since 2015. This second losing season in a row saw the end of the Mike Vrabel era in Tennessee, who had a solid stint as Titans Head Coach, with three playoff trips in six years and an AFC Championship Game appearance in the 2019 playoffs.
However, following the 2023 season, Vrabel was fired as the Titans began a new era under rookie head coach Brian Callahan, the former Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator. Just as importantly, the Titans said goodbye to franchise legend and future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry, after eight seasons and nearly 11,000 scrimmage yards in the Volunteer State.
Despite this, however, there are plenty of reasons for Titans fans to be cautiously optimistic going into 2024. For starters, the team has made big splashes in free agency, crucially giving 2nd-year starter Will Levis every chance of succeeding.
Young Quarterback and Offensive Weapons
Levis had an up-and-down nine starts in his first season in the big leagues, going 3-6, but impressing at times, including his four-touchdown performance in his week 7 debut against Atlanta. Levis didn’t have a great supporting cast, with little depth beyond DeAndre Hopkins, but 2024 looks set to be very different for the Titans offense.
For one, the Titans have added former All-Pro WR Calvin Ridley on a four-year deal, who will look to form a formidable partnership with Hopkins. Ridley missed two full seasons due to a gambling suspension but had a good campaign in Jacksonville last year, breaking 1,000 yards and scoring 8 touchdowns.
It remains to be seen if Ridley can recreate the form he showed in Atlanta in 2020, but he definitely provides a new dimension to this offense, as a real deep threat – which could really play to Levis’s strengths.
In addition to Ridley, the Titans added ex-Bengal Tyler Boyd, another veteran receiver who will be more than good enough to be a WR3 in this offense. Boyd’s time in Cincinnati saw him largely used as that, below Ja’Marr Chase and alongside Tee Higgins in another stacked WR room.
Both Boyd and Ridley are sure to make Levis’ job easier in 2024 at receiver, and despite the loss of Derrick Henry, the Titans running game still looks to be impressive next time out. Henry was replaced as RB1 by former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, who joins on a three-year $24 million deal.
Pollard is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in Dallas, having begun his pro career below Ezekiel Elliott in the depth chart. Dallas was unable to agree on terms with Pollard this time around, and Titans fans will be hoping he can do a decent job of filling the admittedly huge shoes of Derrick Henry.
He is likely to split carries with Tyjae Spears, who was a real bright spark for the team as a dual-threat running back who contributed in both the passing and rushing game for a total of 838 scrimmage yards.
Offensive Line Revamp
Spears and Pollard will hopefully be aided by a stronger offensive line, particularly the addition of Lloyd Cushenberry from the Denver Broncos, another major free agency addition. Cushenberry was a bright spot on a disappointing Broncos team, having only allowed two sacks in his last two seasons combined, and having rarely missed games due to injury in his four years in the league.
Cushenberry is joined by JC Latham, the Titans’ 7th-overall pick out of Alabama, and the 2nd Offensive Tackle taken in the 2024 draft. Latham is regarded by many as a can’t-miss prospect and is widely expected to add significantly to an O-Line that was ranked as the very worst in football last year by Pro Football Focus.
Latham and Cushenberry will be expected to enhance the Titans rushing game, but crucially, they should make a big impact in pass protection for Will Levis next year.
Being a rookie QB on a losing team is often a thankless task, but with major improvements at wide receiver and on the offensive line, things are looking up for Levis and his team as he moves into his 2nd season in the big leagues.
Defensive Line and Linebacker Enhancements
Tennessee has also improved on defense, with the most eye-catching move being the trade for two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback L’Jarius Sneed from the Chiefs. Sneed played a huge role in back-to-back titles for Kansas City, and the Titans only had to part with a 2025 third-round pick for his services.
Sneed can no doubt be a game-changing force in the secondary, but he’s not the only key addition to this defense. Kenneth Murray Jr. – formerly of the LA Chargers – has come in on a two-year, $18 million deal, largely to replace the departing Azeez Al-Shaair, who left for divisional rivals, the Texans.
Murray provides quality, but also experience to a fairly young unit, and the fifth-year veteran continues to go from strength to strength, having recorded a career-high 107 tackles last time out.
Further experience has been provided in the secondary, with Chidobe Awuzie joining on a three-year deal. Awuzie has spent seven years in the league for both the Cowboys and the Bengals and looks set to be an older head in this fairly young secondary.
Challenges and Obstacles
So, with all these improvements in mind, how will the Titans stack up in the 2024 season? After two disappointing seasons, the Titans do look to be on the way back, and offensively should be a much better proposition than last year, where they ranked 27th out of 32 for scoring.
A much stronger receiving corps and an improved offensive line will be vital to getting the best out of Will Levis, who many Titans fans have seen enough of to put their faith in him in 2024 and beyond.
However, the Titans now find themselves in arguably pro football’s strongest division – the AFC South – led by a resurgent Houston Texans team who were last year’s breakout squad, and look set to be even better this time.
Add in a strong Jaguars and Colts teams (both of whom went 9-8 in 2023), and this promises to be a tough schedule for a Titans squad that went just 1-5 in divisional games last season.
But this is a much-changed roster for 2024, and so far, they seem to be getting overlooked by fans, media, and oddsmakers, with the over/under wins total for this team sitting at just 6.5 just now, according to Vegas.
Conclusion
Expectations might be low for this roster, particularly in such a strong division (and conference). Still, Brian Callahan’s men will be quietly confident that this team can make a big step forward this year and surprise more than a few observers along the way. Will Levis has been given several enticing weapons to work with, and if he can continue to develop, a playoff berth will certainly start to feel realistic. Maybe not this year, but potentially in 2025 and onwards.
