Taking a look at the Colts’ divisional rivals for the upcoming year
Key offseason moves
- Additions: Traded for L’Jarius Sneed, signed Calvin Ridley, Loyd Cushenberry, Chidobe Awuzie, Tony Pollard, Kenneth Murray, Sebastian Joseph.
- Draft: JC Latham (offensive tackle), T’Vondre Sweat (defensive tackle), Cedric Gray (linebacker), Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (cornerback)
- Lost: Derrick Henry, Azeez Al-Shair, Sean Bunting, Aaron Brewer, Denico Autry, Kristian Fulton
Strengths
If the Jaguars’ team was hard to analyze, then the Titans are near impossible. This was a team that for the past five seasons went as far as Derrick Henry would carry them, and the massive running back left the team in free agency and signed with the Ravens. The Titans are relying a lot on sophomore quarterback Will Levis leading a viable passing attack, giving him help on the offensive line and a stable of weapons at his disposal in Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd. The offense will also have a new shot caller at the helm in former Bengals’ offensive coordinator Brian Callahan
The biggest strength this team has is undoubtedly it’s defense, led by elite pass-rusher Jeffery Simmons. They got considerably better in the off-season adding a Pro Bowl caliber cornerback like L’Jarius Sneed, a reliable linebacker in Kenneth Murray, and one of the most athletic defensive tackles in T’Vondre Sweat.
Weaknesses
If you take out Levis’ impressive 4 touchdown debut against the Dolphins he finished his rookie year with 5 total touchdowns, 8 turnovers, a 57.2% completion rate, and a 2-6 record through eight starts. Numbers might be deceiving, but if you go out and look at the tape there is just not much there to be excited about. It seems like the Titans are going all in on a quarterback that did not impress me at all. Looking under the hood, Calvin Ridley is clearly not the same receiver he once was, DeAndre Hopkins is getting old, and new running back Tony Pollard will not come near the same level of threat that Henry was for that offense.
The franchise also lost Mike Vrabel, and having watched him close the last years in the AFC South he was consistently among the best head coaches in the NFL, and making the switch from one of the best to a relative unknown in Callahan is a risk.
Verdict