Inside the AFC South: These Guys Must Stay Healthy

Every Saturday, reporters covering the AFC South teams for SI.com’s NFL community will weigh one aspect of the division as it relates to each of the franchises, the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

This week we look at the one player each team cannot afford to lose to injury:

TENNESSEE

Pretty much every NFL team would say that they need their quarterback to stay healthy. That is why there are rules in place to protect that position in ways not afforded to others.

The Titans, though, really need to make sure Ryan Tannehill doesn’t get hurt.

There are a number of reasons that is the case, but the most compelling is this: The 31-year-old (he will be 32 by the time the season starts) is the only quarterback on the roster who has appeared in a regular-season game. As of now, the backup is Logan Woodside, a seventh-round pick in 2018 by Cincinnati who spent all of last season on Tennessee’s practice squad-injured list. The only other signal-caller is Cole McDonald, a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft.

Team officials invested in Tannehill, the 2019 Comeback Player of the Year, with a four-year, $118 million contract extension that makes him the Titans’ highest-paid player in terms of 2020 base salary ($17.5 million) and salary cap hit ($22.5 million). That along with his unchallenged status as the starter have allowed him to assert his leadership this offseason through on-field expectations and off-the-field situations.

The last time Tennessee had a quarterback start all 16 games in a season was 2011, when it went 9-7 with Matt Hasselbeck. This would be an ideal time for that to happen once again.

-- David Boclair, AllTitans

INDIANAPOLIS

The player that the Colts could ill afford to lose the most is a newcomer who has yet to play a snap for the franchise. That shows the importance of All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, acquired from San Francisco for the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft.

If the Colts lost a key player on the offensive line such as All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, they would adjust blocking schemes to try to minimize the weakness. It would be the same if Pro Bowl linebacker Darius Leonard went down. Granted, replacements wouldn’t be as effective as the pancaking Nelson or “The Maniac” Leonard, a tackle and playmaking machine, but again, it’s about having someone who can fill a role. The Colts are thin in O-line depth, which is why they drafted guard Danny Pinter in the fifth round. And second-year linebacker Bobby Okereke is already pushing Anthony Walker Jr. at middle linebacker after proving himself capable as a strongside linebacker.

Nobody on the defensive line can play the three-technique like Buckner. Without him, the Colts at best have another middle-of-the-road defense that is effective at times but inconsistent. The Colts lost seven of nine games last season, in part, because of a defense that failed to protect leads in close games. The D-line play was lacking, which has a trickle-down effect. That’s why Buckner received a four-year, $84-million extension after general manager Chris Ballard did what he never does, part with a high draft pick.

Opposing teams must account for Buckner being able to line up inside in a gap, where he is disruptive as a pass rusher and against the run. He’s the reason Leonard couldn’t be more excited about 2020, because with Buckner drawing so much attention, the linebacker should be freed up more than ever before in his third year. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus favors a triangle scheme that relies on three playmakers in Leonard, nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II, and Buckner. And everything starts with Buckner.

-- Phillip B. Wilson, AllColts

JACKSONVILLE

If there is one player the Jacksonville Jaguars cannot afford to miss time it is defensive end Josh Allen. While quarterback Gardner Minshew II is an obvious option to name here, Allen gets the nod because of the gap between him and the next pass-rusher on the roster. While Minshew is Jacksonville’s best quarterback, he is far from a sure thing. He needs to prove himself as a consistent starter before it can be confidently said he is irreplaceable. However, we already know that Allen is.

As a rookie in 2019, Allen set a franchise rookie sack record with 10.5 as he led the Jaguars and all rookies in sacks. The quarterback terror earned a Pro Bowl honor in his first season and is one of just six rookies since 2011 to reach double-digit sacks, putting him in rare company. The Jaguars know he is one of their best players, if not their absolute best, heading into 2020. There is little question there.

But there are question marks behind him. While Yannick Ngakoue is a terrific player and pass-rusher in his own right, there is no guarantee that he will even play for the Jaguars in 2020 due to his attempts to publicly divorce the team. After Ngakoue is No. 20 overall pick K'Lavon Chaisson who is athletic and immensely talented but still raw. In fact, he only recorded 9.5 career sacks at LSU, so it may be tough to rely on him to get to quarterbacks early on.

Add in the fact that Calais Campbell is no longer in Jacksonville following March's surprising trade, and the entirety of Jacksonville's hopes to get after quarterbacks is hinging on Allen's performance. For that reason, the Jaguars cannot afford him to go down at any point in the season.

-- John Shipley, JaguarReport

HOUSTON

There is no secret on who the Texans cannot afford to lose for any portion of the season. It is quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The Texans have hitched their wagons to the signal-caller in Watson. The franchise is now being built around him, finding players that fit his skill set, Watson has shown that the Texans team is in every game when he is at the helm.

In 38 games over his first three NFL seasons, Watson threw for 9,716 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions. He has also rushed for 14 touchdowns. Watson tore his ACL his rookie season ending his promising start to his career early. In those 38 games with Watson as the quarterback, the Texans are 24-13 in the regular season with Watson as their starter. He also led them to playoff appearances the past two seasons.

The Texans have the first-hand experience of what life is like without Watson in 2017 after he went out with his injury. In the eight games without him, Houston went 1-7 during that stretch after going 3-3 in the previous six with him running the show.

The team is just different in all three phases with Watson on the field and show they can play with most teams if Watson is on his game. The Texans are now in a group of NFL teams where if they lose their franchise quarterback for any stretch of the season, they will struggle as a team with a drop off in play at the quarterback position without Watson.

-- Patrick D. Starr, State Of The Texans