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Titans Offseason/Roster Update prior to the draft:
Massive defensive overhaul, which was certainly needed.
Main additions:
Dupree
Autry
Jackrabbit
K. Johnson
Subtractions:
Clowney
Butler
Jackson
Vaccaro
Jones
Crawford
King
Massive defensive overhaul, which was certainly needed.
Main additions:
Dupree
Autry
Jackrabbit
K. Johnson
Subtractions:
Clowney
Butler
Jackson
Vaccaro
Jones
Crawford
King
Assuming Hooker takes on the Vaccaro role, and Tart/Murchison take on the bulk of the Crawford snaps, every spot on defense was either directly replaced with a free agent addition or covered with a promotion. Obviously they could improve greatly by adding another CB to replace KJ
On the offensive side of the ball, the losses were much more pronounced.
Additions:
Reynolds
Lamm
Subtractions:
Jonnu
Davis
Kelly
Humphries
Wilson (
)
Additions:
Reynolds
Lamm
Subtractions:
Jonnu
Davis
Kelly
Humphries
Wilson (
)
The Kelly to Lamm swap seems like the front office thought they were pretty comparable players, so slot Lamm in at RT. Reynolds is fine, but he shouldn't be more than a WR3. That being said he's an improvement on Humphries. Smith & Davis do not have solid replacements on the team
Total spent in guaranteed $ for key adds:
Defense: $52,250,000
Offense: $4,750,000
Defense: $52,250,000
Offense: $4,750,000
The disproportionate amount of $ spent on defense makes sense, given the 2020 results. However, the Titans have now made wholesale changes to that side of the ball, and the offensive skill position losses have hardly been addressed.
Given the amount of resources spent on defense, the staff should have enough to get it back to at least average. Whether there is enough talent on the staff to get the defense where it needs to be is another question.
Offense is king in the NFL when it comes to making the Super Bowl. The Titans were 4th in offensive DVOA in 2020, but they lost 45% of their receiving yards and 47% of their receiving touchdowns. https://twitter.com/Super_Horn/status/1364614202917220354?s=20
As it stands, the offense has 0 margin for error. The new OC can't start slow, Firkser has to step into and excel in a role he is ill-equipped to handle. A.J. Brown has to take on a ton of the lost production without having a true threat opposite him to take some pressure off.
Everything hitting perfectly would get you back to the 2020 offense, which was very good, but it sputtered against some of the better teams in the NFL (Ravens, Packers, Steelers, Browns). The 2021 version needs to be even more dynamic.
This leads us to the first 3 rounds of the draft. The Titans NEED impact starters at WR, CB, and TE. Outside of Pitts, I'm not sure there's a guy that would give you a Day 1 contributor, so more sensible to hope for a 3rd rounder like Tremble.
That leaves WR and CB as the obvious areas where the Titans can make some early round impact picks. Bateman, Marshall, Moore, Toney are all WRs that would make the team better in 2021. Any of the top 4 CBs would be solid adds as well, as they bump Johnson out of the rotation.
An early non-CB addition on defense would be neglect by the FO. If they wanted to add a player on that side of the ball, then they should have re-signed Corey Davis or Jonnu to help defend against some possible regression.
As we all know, the draft is a crap shoot. Players fail even if they are surefire picks (Warmack). The chance you get an impact starter lessens as you navigate the draft. The Titans can't afford to ignore the massive holes on their roster to take someone like a DT.
They have to take someone that helps them immediately in 2021, like teams should do when they are in a Super Bowl window. All that being said, draft a WR and CB early, and pray they stay healthy. That's the best way to increase this team's chances of winning it all next February.
OR trade for Allen Robinson and then you can take as many OTs or DTs you want.
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