The Tennessee Titans' 2020 Combine Advance
NASHVILLE – Jon Robinson has been the Tennessee Titans’ general manager since 2016 but he never has faced an offseason like this one.
After an appearance in the AFC Championship, the Titans look as formidable and competitive as they have in more than a decade. However, they will not be the same team going forward.
A number of key players, including running back Derrick Henry, quarterback Ryan Tannehill, cornerback Logan Ryan and right tackle Jack Conklin are scheduled to be free agents and it is unlikely that all will return. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees, the most experienced and accomplished member of the coaching staff, retired and created a situation in which it appears head coach Mike Vrabel will be more involved in the day-to-day operation of the defense. When Pees decided to come back for 2019, Ryan said it was equal to getting a first-round draft choice. So, his absence will be felt.
The challenge will be to reconstruct a roster that not only can replicate the successful playoff run but be more competitive on a week-to-week basis throughout the regular season.
2019 Season In Review
In a way, it was no different than other recent seasons. Tennessee finished 9-7 for the fourth straight year and once again was in a battle for a wild card spot in the final few weeks (for the second time in three years, it got into the postseason).
However, 2019 will be remembered most as the year that the franchise moved on from Marcus Mariota. The quarterback was benched after Week 6 and watched as Tannehill played the best football of his career and injected new life into the offense. The attack ultimately featured Henry, who led the NFL with 1,540 rushing yards.
The defense displayed a flair for the dramatic with a last-minute goal-line stand to defeat the L.A. Chargers, a late fourth-down stop that sealed a victory over Tampa Bay and a blocked field goal as time expired to beat Kansas City, the eventual Super Bowl champion.
The big difference was the kicking game. Ryan Succop started and finished the campaign on injured reserve and was one of four kickers who combined to make eight of 18 field goal attempts (Succop was 1-for-6). Nonetheless, the Titans still managed to win two of four games decided by three points or fewer.
2020 Draft Position
Not that anyone is complaining, but the postseason run dropped the Titans seven spots in the first round to the 29 overall pick, their latest since 2009, when their first choice was No. 30 overall.
Tennessee currently has six picks in all. Its fourth-round selection went to Miami in the trade for Tannehill and it swapped later-round picks with Green Bay and Cleveland.
Robinson has shown a willingness to make moves up and down in the first round to get players he likes. Having made just 10 selections total the last two years, it is conceivable that he could drop out of the first round altogether in order to accumulate more picks in this year’s draft.
Help Wanted, Help Needed
The one area that needs to be addressed is the pass rush. Harold Landry made a big jump in his second season and finished with a team-high nine sacks. However, he is not the type of player who scares opposing offenses to the point that they alter their gameplan to account for him.
There are several intriguing prospects who figure to go late in the first round or early in the second. The trick will be for Robinson and his staff to identify which one is the best fit and what it will take to make sure they can get him.
Also, expect the Titans to draft an offensive lineman sometime in the first two days and to look for a young, dynamic cornerback, particularly if Ryan leaves via free agency. A quarterback is not out of the question either.
Five Players the Titans Must Watch
K’Lavon Chaisson (LSU), A.J. Epenesa (Iowa), Marlon Davidson (Auburn) and Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State) are among the pass rushers who could be available at or around No. 29. Epenesa, at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds is the biggest of the bunch, and the Titans do want to add size at that spot. If the Titans don’t take an edge rusher first, a guy like Darrell Taylor from Tennessee, who battled injuries last season, could be a second-day option.
Who Makes the Call, and Recent Hits and Misses
Robinson is the one who has the final say on which players are selected, but he solicits heavy input from his head coach during the evaluation process, and it looks as if he and Vrabel work well together.
The 2019 draft class was a revelation – the top three choices – defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, wide receiver A.J. Brown and guard Nate Davis – finished the year as starters and two of the final three were significant role players (fifth-round choice De’Andre Walker spent the year on IR). Simmons and Brown look like they could be Pro Bowlers and All-Pros.
The top two choices in 2018, inside linebacker Rashaan Evans and Landry, are also starters and productive players.
Contrast that with the two drafts Robinson had with former coach Mike Mularkey. Those included a couple of notable second-day whiffs, Kevin Dodd (second round, 2016) and Taywan Taylor (third round, 2017) and another, defensive tackle Austin Johnson (second round, 2016), who has never become more than a role player. The only Robinson-Vrabel draft choice who failed to make any impact was quarterback Luke Falk (sixth round, 2018).
