Inside AFC South: Most Pressing Training Camp Questions

Although there were plenty of offseason headlines about offensive changes, the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts have the same No. 1 question entering training camp — will their defenses improve?

The Tennessee Titans have been asked the same question for much of the offseason about whether they will try to bolster the pass rush by signing free-agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who remains unsigned.

And the Jacksonville Jaguars hope they’ve finally answered a question that has dogged them for years — have they finally found a reliable starting quarterback? Gardner Minshew did enough in 2019 to earn the chance to start this season.

Here’s a more in-depth look around the AFC South Division at these questions.

Houston Texans

Patrick D. Starr, State of The Texans

There is plenty of discussion about the Texans offense without All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, but with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, there is reasonable optimism the unit will produce in 2020 with plenty of new faces.

The questions lie with the defensive side of the football and if the Texans did enough to improve a unit that ranked in the bottom of the league in the pass rush. With the additions of rookies Ross Blacklock and Jonathan Greenard, the Texans are hoping they can help J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, Charles Omenihu, and Jacob Martin get after opposing quarterbacks.

With new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, questions are swirling on what ideas will be brought to the table and if the defense can play complementary football with the offense.

Indianapolis Colts

Phillip B. Wilson, AllColts

When the offseason began, the most-asked question pertained to addressing the quarterback position after Jacoby Brissett, much like his team, faltered in the second half of a 7-9 season with losses in seven of nine games. The Colts signed 38-year-old Philip Rivers for $25 million to fill that gap for 2020, and while questions about that spot linger, especially in regards to solidifying the most important position beyond this season, the most important question for this training camp should be about the defense.

As much as the offense struggled because of the lack of a long-range passing game, the Colts defense ranked 18th in points allowed and 16th in total yards allowed. A 5-6 record in one-score games could have been better if the Colts protected three fourth-quarter leads and didn’t lose another costly home game to the Titans that was tied after three quarters.

Fourth-year general manager Chris Ballard has continually added young defensive talent through the draft, but also showed a willingness to spend in free agency in signing defensive end Justin Houston before 2019. Then this offseason arrived and Ballard made the biggest splash since his arrival with the March trade of a 13th overall draft choice to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to play the all-important three-technique position which has been described as the engine that drives the scheme.

Ballard doesn’t part with draft picks, he usually stockpiles them in trading down in each of his four drafts, but the bold move to land Buckner was a chance to add a defensive cornerstone and team leader. And the Colts paid the 26-year-old star accordingly with a four-year, $84-million extension. It’s the largest and longest deal Ballard has given anyone. Buckner bolsters a pass rush that lacked a second punch after Houston, who had a team-high 11 sacks.

Factor in that cornerback Xavier Rhodes was given $3 million in a prove-it deal, a fair price to gamble on a player who has been inconsistent for two years since being an All-Pro, and it’s fair to say the Colts have high expectations for the defense to improve dramatically. Some players are talking top-five in key stats.

Whether or not Rivers plays well and earns another contract, or if the backup Brissett is given a chance to redeem himself and can play effectively as he did in a 5-2 start, might not matter after this season. The Colts can be done with both if neither is an answer. But they’ve made their defensive bed with Buckner, and added some other free-agent depth signings like defensive tackle Sheldon Day and cornerback T.J. Carrie, so it’s unacceptable for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to have another unit that allows 23.3 points per game and fails to protect fourth-quarter leads.

Jacksonville Jaguars

John Shipley, JaguarReport

The greatest question facing the Jaguars entering this year's training camp and regular season is one that the franchise has asked itself for countless years now — do they have a quarterback?

Jacksonville has officially made the move to turn to Gardner Minshew as their starte, but who their long-term quarterback of the "future" is remains to be seen. There is a very real chance that it could be Minshew, but the second-year pro will have to prove to the Jaguars that he can be an efficient, consistent, and winning quarterback. Minshew was certainly better last season than Nick Foles or Blake Bortles during recent stints as starters, but the fact of the mystery remains, partially (and unfairly) because Minshew was a sixth-round draft pick.

Reasons for optimism, however, are that Minshew's performance in 2019 was arguably the best of any rookie quarterback, and it was unquestionably the best season any Jaguars rookie quarterback has ever had. In 12 starts (14 appearances), Minshew compiled a 6-6 record, completed more than 60 percent of his passes for 3,271 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, with six interceptions, and had 67 carries for 344 rushing yards.

He won Rookie of the Week seven times in 2019, making him the only rookie to win it more than once last year. Minshew's pass completion percentage of 88 percent in Week 1 was also the highest of any player making his debut in NFL history (minimum 15 pass attempts, since at least 1950), and also the highest single-game pass completion percentage in Jaguars history.

Whether Minshew is the answer for the Jaguars' prayers at quarterback won't be known for some time, but it doesn't change the fact that it is the greatest question currently facing the team.

Tennessee Titans

David Boclair, AllTitans

It is a question that has been asked throughout the offseason and – as training camps commence – has yet to be answered. Will the Tennessee Titans sign free-agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney?

Nearly one-third of 32 teams reportedly have had some degree of interest in the 2014 NFL draft’s first overall selection since the new league year started in March. The Titans have been prominent in those reports the entire time and continue to be one of the first mentioned when possible destinations for Clowney are discussed.

Players and franchise officials have been unusually outspoken on the matter. Normally tight-lipped general manager Jon Robinson has acknowledged Clowney would be a “good fit” with the scheme and the rest of the roster. Coach Mike Vrabel coached Clowney in Houston and routinely refers to him as “JD,” which indicates a certain comfort level between the two. Numerous players also have spoken out about their desire to see the three-time Pro Bowler in a Titans uniform.

The Titans freed up salary cap space recently when they signed running back Derrick Henry to a long-term extension, which means they can make a competitive offer. Any deal, though, is contingent upon a physical exam by team doctors, as well as Clowney’s timetable, whatever that might be. So, the answer – it seems – will have to wait.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)