The Titans season is all but over as last week’s terrible loss to the Jaguars officially eliminated them from any playoff hopes. Now draft watch can officially begin and the team can start narrowing down the areas that need most improvement for the team to thrive going into 2025.
Titans fan know this song and dance all too well so go ahead and say it with me “Going into next year we need to focus on improving the OLine, specifically tackle, we need to add a difference maker at Edge Rusher, and we need a playmaker at Wide Receiver”, the major needs in Tennessee have not changed since the end of the JRob era at GM and this might be the last chance Ran Carthon gets to fix these holes before ownership decides to give someone else the reigns.
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#1 Offensive Tackle
As a whole, the offensive line in Tennessee has been better this year compared to recent past, JC Latham has been streaky at Left Tackle this season but has shown enough promise that he should retain a starting tackle spot next season, Skoronski has begun to come into his own at guard in the NFL, Cushenberry when healthy provides a quality at the center position, and Dillon Radunz after a chaotic beginning to his career has atleast earned a short term prove-it style deal to stick on as the teams right guard.
The problem this season has been at Right Tackle where the team has tried four different options and still has not found a stable option that won’t be a liability to the offense. Latham has extended experience playing on the right side so the Titans can really choose which side they want to approach going into next season.
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#2 Edge Rusher
Tennessee has needed a Robin to play opposite Harold Landry for years and have tried a plethora of Free Agent options to fill that role but with no real juice to show for it. Now Landry himself seems to be more of a Robin after recovering from injury and the team has no real pressure coming from the edges, it doesn’t matter how stout the middle of the DLine is if QBs can just continue to roll outside the pocket at will and find the open man.
The Edge class in this year’s draft seems to have a lot of talent, but finding the right one to provide to provide consistent edge presence could make or break Tennessee’s defense next season.
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#3 Playmaker
It has been years now but the Titans offense still feels the after shocks of the AJ Brown trade. To Ran’s credit, he has tried to fix the Titans Receiver position since his arrival at the franchise, bringing in the likes of DHop, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd to provide consistent options for the QB to rely on, but so far none of them have been able to provide the spark the offense needs to kickstart drives and DHop was ultimately traded away to Kansas City.
Ridley has been the closest thing the team has had to a playmaker but he has been unable to stay on the same page as Levis through-out the season. Ridley operates best when other weapons are on the field to draw attention away from him and allow him to be a consistent high end WR2, so finding a receiver that can go out and create for themselves will be vital for the Titans and their QB next season.
#4 Linebacker
Tennessee has survived with makeshift answers at Linebacker for years now, and it’s time the position gets the love that it needs. Kenneth Murray has been a decent player and good leader for the team so far this year, but he works best playing as a run defender and Blitzer, the team needs a true coverage Linebacker that can consistently line up on all downs to cover backs and tight-ends in the modern NFL passing game.
Rookie Cedric Gray was hoped to potentially fill that role this season but injuries have left him buried on the depth chart even despite the current injuries plaguing the position.
#5 Safety
Since trading Kevin Byard to the Eagles last season the Titans have been unable to find a true replacement at the Safety position. Quandre Diggs provided a solid short term solution to the position early this season but his injury has only proven how needed a long term answer truly is. Solid Veteran options are definitely in play here as the safety market seems to be moving away from the heavy contracts into more team friendly deals much like the Running Back position has.
Other areas of need
Obviously as a team that’s going to likely finish with a top 10 draft pick the Titans have more than five holes in the roster. The TE room is young and full of potential but so far the production has yet to match the talent.
Special teams have been a historic disaster for Tennessee this season so finding the right players to fill those specialist roles will be crucial for the team next season.
Quarterback is the largest question mark for the team next year and how the organization handles the position will speak volumes towards where the team is going forward. Levis has had bursts of good play but almost all of that has fallen inside of structure, and what separates the Franchise QBs from bridge guys is that ability to operate outside of play design and elevate those around you to higher heights.
Levis may get another year especially with a weak class coming out at QB, but if he wants to be the long term answer he’s going to need to show he can make those game changing plays in the positive direction.
