The 4 Biggest Decisions of the Upcoming Titans Offseason
The 2023 offseason will be vital to the future of the Tennessee Titans. After a disappointing collapse concluded the 2022 season, the organization is now at the crossroads of rebuild or retool and will have a number of crucial decisions to make. With what should be a busy few months ahead, here is a look […]
The 2023 offseason will be vital to the future of the Tennessee Titans. After a disappointing collapse concluded the 2022 season, the organization is now at the crossroads of rebuild or retool and will have a number of crucial decisions to make.
With what should be a busy few months ahead, here is a look at the four most important decisions the Titans will make in the upcoming offseason.
1. General Manager
In order for things to fall into place around the organization, controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and Titans' ownership must first hire the team's next general manager.
Moving on from Jon Robinson in December was a very difficult, but correct decision. Now just as important will be finding his replacement to shuffle this roster and take Tennessee to the next level.
Titans ownership has already completed interviews with in-house candidatesRyan Cowden (Interim GM, VP of Player Personnel) and Monti Ossenfort (Director of Player Personnel), as well as Ran Carthon from the San Francisco 49ers ( Director of Player Personnel) and Glenn Cook of the Cleveland Browns (Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel).
Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham is expected to receive an interview this weekend as well.
The direction of the Titans' roster will be entirely dependent on the vision of their new GM. It is essential to get this hire right before all else in order to avoid another mediocre ceiling like Tennessee had under Robinson.
2. Keep or Cut Ryan Tannehill
Another elephant in the room regarding the Titans' 2023 outlook is whether or not Ryan Tannehill will still be the quarterback.
Tennessee is 36-19 in regular season games started by Tannehill, and made it to three straight playoff appearances from 2019-2021. That being said, 2022 was one of Tannehill's worst seasons in a Titans' uniform, and it seems unlikely that he is the quarterback that can take them to the next level.
Tannehill will be entering his age 35 season in 2023, and has one year remaining on his four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans. That makes him a candidate to be cut for cap savings before next year.
The Titans can save $17.8 million against the cap if they were to move on from Tannehill this offseason. That opens up some possibilities in free agency or the draft to find a new quarterback for the next era of Titans football. Not to mention a new General Manager may want "his guy" under center.
It's hard to know what way the Titans' organization is going until they decide what they are doing at QB this offseason.
3. Offensive Coordinator
With Todd Downing no longer in the picture, the Titans have a big opportunity to bring in an offensive coordinator that can bring some fresh ideas to Music City.
Titans' passing game coordinator Tim Kelly is currently viewed as the favorite to receive the job, as Mike Vrabel has preferred to hire from within and promote in the past. He did it with Downing, who served as tight ends coach before receiving the OC job, and he did the same thing with Arthur Smith when he was promoted from tight ends coach in 2019.
Given that history, it should come as no surprise that Kelly works with tight ends and tight ends coach Luke Steckel on a daily basis at Titans practice.
Whether it's Kelly or not, though, bringing in a new OC to collaborate with Vrabel and the new GM presents a unique opportunity to rebrand yourself as an offense and build a system that is sustainable.
Regardless of what the Titans' decide to do with Tannehill and the quarterback situation, a new coordinator breathing some life into this offense could go a long way to a resurgent 2023 campaign.
4. 1st Round Draft Pick
The Titans have a lot of needs and a lot of holes to fill in the 2023 NFL Draft, and it will be interesting to see what direction they decide to go with the 11th overall pick.
Tennessee has missed on Caleb Farley, Dillon Radunz, Isaiah Wilson, and Darrynton Evans all in the early rounds of recent drafts. Those picks were a big contributor to the ceiling the organization hit in their talent level and the ultimate demise of Jon Robinson as GM.
Kickstarting things in 2023 will come down to the Titans' ability to fill their holes and bring in impact players through the draft. This will be the best draft pick the Titans have had since 2017, and they better not waste it.
Is it an offensive lineman? A wide receiver to pair with Treylon Burks? Do they dare pick up another quarterback just one year after drafting Malik Willis?
It truly is a can't miss pick, and the possibilities are endless.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK