Alright, shit – well, I’m several weeks behind on this, but I guess since I’m a Titans writer, I have to weigh in on it, too. Which positions do the 2019 Tennessee Titans need to address this offseason? What are the missing pieces, if you will?
They aren’t too far off, and really – they have some decent depth across the board. I don’t think there’s any one glaring need on the roster, and that puts them in a solid position to sign some role players in free agency and take the best player available in the draft. According to Spotrac, the Titans are going to have about $37M in cap space to play with. But, they only have six draft picks this year (no sixth rounder this year).
So, with that in mind, let’s get to work.
Pass rush
If you put a gun to my head, I’d say elite pass rusher help is the primary need of this franchise moving forward. Brian Orakpo has retired, Derrick Morgan is set to become a free agent and, even if he stays, he’s gettin’ a little long in the tooth. I like Harold Landry and Sharif Finch as potential disruptive forces, but they need a top 10 caliber guy to come in and start. I’d imagine this is going to be addressed in the draft, as it’s an excellent year to be looking for DE/OLB.
Wide receiver
I’m still a believer in Corey Davis. Our expectations of wide receivers may have been skewed and inflated by that 2014 class. He’s not taking the league by storm, and maybe that makes people doubt his ability. He’s actually on a pretty good trajectory for becoming a star. His 2018 was a major improvement from his 2017, and he had less help in the form of a decent supporting cast. This receiving corps has a ton of young guys with high ceilings. It could’ve used a veteran presence that knows how to get open….someone like Rishard Matthews would’ve been perfect. So, I expect they’ll go the free agent route to address the need.
Interior offensive line
For whatever reason, the offensive line play regressed outside of a Pro Bowl year from Taylor Lewan and the terrific spot work from Dennis Kelly. I’d venture to guess that there will probably be some re-tooling and some more competition brought in for multiple spots. Free agents and/or rookies.
Defensive line
It’s been a strength of the Titans defense for several seasons now, but it needs some beefing up. We saw just how much Jurrell Casey means to this unit when he went down with an injury at the end of the season.
Quarterback
This isn’t about finding a replacement for Marcus Mariota (yet). It’s more about Blaine Gabbert – it’s obvious the Titans need an upgrade at backup for 2019. Considering how much of a bust Luke Falk was, they could be looking for yet another young guy to develop into a good backup this year, too. Regardless, the Titans would be wise to go ahead and invest in the position this offseason.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Subscribe to our Patreon. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube.
