Hitting the Ceiling: Titans OL Acquisitions Must Gel Quickly to Maximize Wins
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans' offense and the changes that have been made to it will be under a microscope throughout the season. There are three key factors that will determine whether the offense can overcome expectations and help this team win as many games as it possibly can.
We talked about Titans' new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly to start out "Hitting the Ceiling" series and followed it up with the second-year playmakers. Now, let's dive into our last installment on offense and discuss the revamped offensive line.
Offensive Line Cohesion
The Titans' offensive line in 2022 was one of the worst in the NFL by the end of the season. Injuries to most of the team's starters and some lackluster performances had Derrick Henry and whoever was at quarterback constantly scrambling for room.
The Titans allowed 49 sacks last season. That was the sixth-most of any team in the league. That stat is bad on it's own, but when you add in the fact that the Titans had the third-least amount of pass attempts, it becomes obvious how disastrous the line was.
The Titans made major changes though. Cutting long-time pieces in left tackle Taylor Lewan and center Ben Jones. The Titans also let Nate Davis leave in free agency. it wasn't just the players either. The Titans fired offensive line coach Keith Carter and promoted Jason Houghtaling to the position.
After the demolition took place, the renovation began. Adding Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill in free agency was the start, but the Titans also added Peter Skoronski in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Those three should be joining holdovers Aaron Brewer and Nicholas Petit-Frere in the starting lineup.
Dillard may have been on the bench in Philadelphia, but he has a first-round pedigree and it would be a shock if he performed more poorly at left tackle than Dennis Daley last season. If Dillard comes out and performs not just better than Daley, but well, the Titans could really be in line for a massive improvement at the position.
Brewer will move from left guard to center this year, which is a better fit for how undersized he is. His left guard spot will be filled by the talented first rounder Skoronski. While Brewer is likely a downgrade from Jones, if you look at the two spots overall, the performance could improve drastically.
On the right side, Brunskill is likely a downgrade in talent from Davis at guard, but consistency is really what the Titans need. Davis missed eight games over the last two seasons and Brunskill only missed three. If Brunskill can simply be available that could create real consistency.
That leaves second-year player Nicholas Petit-Frere who had struggles, but in fairness, he wasn't given as much helped as he could have gotten due to Daley being even worse on the opposite side and the general chaos of the Titans' offensive line. If the Titans get the best version of the other four linemen, Petit-Frere could get some needed consistency and improve his own game as well.
One of the big positives coming out of Titans organized team activities in May was this group was already pegged as the starting unit and is in the process of creating the cohesion they will need to find. If they are able to develop that chemistry quickly and hit the ground running to start the season, the Titans will be on their way to hitting their ceiling in 2023.
Titans Related Stories
Levis Struggles at OTAs: The Tennessee Titans hit the field for another summer practice on Wednesday and one of the biggest stories was the poor play of rookie quarterback Will Levis. Check out highlights, reaction and Levis' personal recap of the day here. CLICK HERE
Kristian Fulton Returns: The Tennessee Titans kicked off their full-team summer practices last week and one notable absence was cornerback Kristian Fulton. Fulton has re-joined the team this week. CLICK HERE
Tannehill or Bust: We've seen them in practice, and it's clear Ryan Tannehill gives the Tennessee Titans the best chance to win games in 2023. CLICK HERE
