The 2023 offseason was not short on storylines surrounding the Tennessee Titans. Between early rumors of a trade involving Derrick Henry or Ryan Tannehill to the Titans asking Kevin Byard for a pay cut and the drafting of Will Levis, Tennessee has been in the spotlight for much of the last few months.

Even now, in the six week dead period between OTAs and training camp, the Titans' involvement in the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes has captured headlines.

Titans fans have seen it all, but with all of these distractions, what storylines have flown under the radar? What deserves more hype and attention before the Titans come back for training camp in late July?

For me, there is no story more underrated than the return of Harold Landry III and the impact it could have on the Titans' defensive front.

---

This time last season, Landry was a budding superstar in the NFL that had a shiny new contract to prove it. After a breakout 2021 season saw Landry record 12 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, and 14 tackles for loss in his fourth career season, the Titans and Landry agreed to a five-year, $87.5 million contract extension.

Tennessee earned the top seed in the AFC playoffs with a 12-5 record in 2021 large in part due to their phenomenal front four and pass rush. Landry's emergence helped the Titans' defense finish top five in points allowed and top ten in sacks. The Titans absolutely felt his absence last season.

Landry suffered a torn ACL right at the end of training camp that would sideline him for the entire 2022 season. The Titans still had Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Bud Dupree, Teair Tart, and Rashad Weaver on the defensive line, but no Landry and injuries to Simmons and Dupree really hurt the Titans in the trenches.

At the end of the day, I'm not sure why Landry's return is seemingly going unmentioned by fans and media members looking ahead to the 2023 season. This is an 87.5 million dollar player that Tennessee is invested in. Bringing Landry back into the fold with Simmons, Autry, Weaver, Tart, and free agent addition Arden Key is a really exciting thought. 

It's entirely possible Landry won't be 100 percent this season. That can sometimes be the case for athletes returning from knee surgery. But if he is…AFC South quarterbacks beware. 

When doing an assessment of where the Titans will stack up in the AFC and AFC South prior to each season, I try to judge whether or not I feel like the team has improved the quality of the roster and coaching staff. That includes players returning from injury that were not available a year ago, and "adding" a player of Landry's caliber is a major deal.

The most overhyped storyline of the Tennessee Titans offseason

This narrative is being way overblown.