JACKSONVILLE, Florida. − For the first time in a long time, Tennessee Titans don’t know what to do now that the regular season is over.
The way the 2022 season ended for The Titans was tough as they come. The Titans (7-10) entered Saturday needing a win to claim their third straight AFC South title and fourth straight playoff berth. instead, they lost 20-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, not only ending his season short of the playoffs, but ending his season on a seven-game losing streak marred by injuries, errors and inconsistencies; the arrest of an offensive coordinator; the firing of a general manager, less than a week after a literal spanking in Philadelphia by AJ Brown; and the dismay of watching parts of the fan base debate whether the playoffs would have had a worse outcome than losing and getting a top-10 pick for the 2023 NFL Draft.
It was all tough. The sequel might be more challenging, especially for gamers.
“Nobody wants to end up like we did,” running back Derrick Henry said. “That’s never the plan, never the goal. Adversity happens. Did we want to win the division and have a great record? Yeah. But that didn’t happen this year. What are you going to do ?”
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What are the titans will do? They will have to hire a replacement for deceased general manager Jon Robinson. They will have to make a decision on the direction of the offense and whether it will remain under second-year offensive coordinator Todd Downing. They will have to make tough decisions about whether to keep veterans like quarterback Ryan Tannehill, offensive linemen Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones, outside linebacker Bud Dupree and linebacker Zach Cunningham, or if they should just move on to free up space. Behind those players is a slew of former leased practice squad players who have been elevated to at least 85 used on the 53-man roster for the second season in a row. The player utilization rate in consecutive seasons is surely a first in NFL history, given that Tennessee used a record 91 players in 2021.
The one thing the Titans seemed certain of after Saturday’s loss was that change was coming.
“It sucks,” said security Amani Hooker. “All year you have all these faces you’ve seen, even new faces from other teams, the way everyone cared about each other, the chemistry we had. Everyone here is friends Outside of the establishment, we could all drag “I know it’s part of the business that change is going to happen. We all appreciate it. I’m very thankful and thankful for the teammates and coaches we have.”
The tides are changing rapidly in the NFL. This time last year, the Titans held the AFC’s only first-round playoff pass and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs as the No. 1 playoff in the conference. 1 seed. Now the players are talking about the inevitability of change and the harsh reality of football as a business.
The Titans need a lot of help if they want to make sure next season ends better than this one. The new GM will have to do a better job of hitting big in the draft and signing big-money free agents who can stay in the field. The offense will have to replenish the hard-fought offensive line, figure out how to maximize its receiver skills and iron out what it has at quarterback between Tannehill, rookie Malik Willis and journeyman Joshua Dobbs. The defense needs help at linebacker and cornerback and to see how much returning injured players to the defensive line can help the pass.
Everything must be examined. And that will undoubtedly happen in a busy, hectic and complicated offseason.
“It’s really humbling to go out there and be able to play,” defensive lineman Teair Tart said. “We’re 1 percent of the world. It’s really great to be a part of that, and to be a part of these guys, some of these guys won’t be here next year. It’s a blessing. The way everyone comes in and prepares, we always prepare like we’re going for a W every day, and we train super (exemplary) hard and we study super (exemplary) hard, hard as hell. really really enjoying my teammates right now.
Nick Suss is the Titans screenwriter for The Tennessean. Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
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