Titans Draft Dominos: Three Biggest 'Losers' Coming Out of Draft Weekend

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans made some unexpected moves in the 2023 NFL draft. Most notably, trading up for quarterback Will Levis, selecting injury-risk running back Tyjae Spears and not drafting a receiver until round seven. With those surprising decisions, the Titans have negatively affected certain players on the roster whether directly or indirectly.

Ryan Tannehill

I mean, this one is fairly obvious. Will Levis immediately starts the clock on the end of Tannehill's run with the Titans. It may speed up that clock to one month from now. The Titans could go with Levis as the starter as soon as this season and in that case, they could cut Tannehill after June 1, which would save them $27 million in salary cap space.

Even if the Titans hold on to Tannehill this season, his contract expires after the year so the Titans would be letting him walk anyways. Another aspect is that the Titans didn't do anything to help the wide receiver room. Even is Tannehill sticks around, he is not going to have enough talent to throw at to make himself look good for his next deal.

Derrick Henry

Henry is in a similar position to Tannehill. Expensive and aging veteran with one year left on his current contract. The Titans brought in new general manager Ran Carthon and with that came a real analytics department. If you have been paying attention around the NFL, the best teams aren't paying a ton at running back.

The Titans drafted rookie Tyjae Spears in the third round and Spears is known to have a medical issue with his knee that could limit him to five years or less in the NFL. If the Titans drafted a running back with a limited shelf life, they probably plan on using him a lot, and early. With Spears, the Titans could also choose to trade Henry for additional draft capital.

Titans' Chances of Winning in 2023

There are some in the fan base that would be okay with the Titans having a down year to set themselves up to have a better standing in the 2024 NFL draft. Some don't see the hope in this current roster and think one step back will help take multiple steps forward. Considering the state former general manager Jon Robinson left the roster in, there is some logic there.

However, there are some fans who want to win as many games as possible even if the ceiling of the team is limited. Watching your team win each week is an understandable thing to want after all. Not only that, but those folks would point out that high draft picks aren't always locks to bring success.

If you are one of these people, you should feel robbed by the Titans' draft. The Titans used valuable picks on Tannehill and Henry's replacement instead of players to help them make one last run. They didn't add any talent at wide receiver that can help the team win in 2023. So, winning in 2023 is the biggest loser on the list.

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