On Tuesday's edition of the AtoZ Sports Nashville Morning Show, I sat down with Austin Stanley to discuss the upcoming Tennessee Titans season and define what success would look like for the 2023 Titans.

Tennessee is beginning a new era under General Manager Ran Carthon, and it's no secret that some wholesale changes are due in the near future. Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry are going to be on the 2023 roster, but there is a lot of unknown beyond this season.

Considering that the Titans do not have a "Super bowl or bust" roster this fall, how should Titans fans define success? Here's a look at Austin Stanley's list of the three ways the Titans can have a successful 2023 campaign.

1. Winning the AFC South

I absolutely have to agree with Austin on this one. Even if the Titans were to flame out in the Wild Card round, winning the AFC South and hosting another playoff game has to be considered a huge success for Tennessee in 2023.

Many people around the NFL would tell you that the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to run away with the division this season and be the team to beat in the AFC South for the foreseeable future. Jacksonville has the young star quarterback, the Super Bowl winning head coach, and the second-year pass rusher that went first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Jacksonville has all the pieces to be a perennial contender in the AFC playoffs.

If the Titans, with as many problems as they had entering this offseason, are still able to win the division, it would show everybody that Tennessee is not going anywhere anytime soon. Good organizations don't stay down for long, and adding another division title would establish the Titans as one of the best run organizations in the sport.

Establishing winning culture under Ran Carthon's leadership is important, and I can't help but assume that winning the AFC South would also mean multiple key players take a big step forward. Treylon Burks, Chig Okonkwo, Peter Skoronski, and Roger McCreary having big seasons is essential to 2023 success, but it would also set the Titans up for a bright future.

2. Getting a Top 5 draft pick

This one I just can't get on board with. I would have a really hard time calling it a "successful season" if the Titans had a bottom five record in the NFL.

I get it. If you're going to miss the playoffs and be bad, you might as well be really bad and add premium talent in the draft. Getting a Caleb Williams or Drake Maye at quarterback or adding Marvin Harrison Jr. to the wide receiver room could change the direction of a franchise entirely. But what would it mean for the rest of the Titans' roster if things actually get that grim?

What would it realistically take for the Titans to go 4-13 and finish near the bottom of the league this year? Ryan Tannehill getting hurt and both young quarterbacks playing poorly? Losing Jeffery Simmons for the season? Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo not showing signs of development? Having the worst offensive line in football?

If the Titans are that bad, I have to assume they have a lot of problems along the way that will make it difficult to compete down the road. Not to mention there's a big difference between picking in the top five and picking first or second overall. There's no guarantee you land the star quarterback or generational wide receiver just because you're one of the worst five teams.

This is the absolute last thing Titans fans should root for going into this season.

3. Finding the future answer at QB

Identifying the quarterback of the future would not only be a success, but should be a requirement of the Titans this season. Having Ryan Tannehill on the 2023 roster will make it increasingly more difficult for Tennessee to decide who is going to be under center in 2024.

If Ryan Tannehill plays well, does he earn a new contract and return as Tennessee's starter next year? If not, wouldn’t you need to see Will Levis and Malik Willis in game action before proceeding with offseason moves?

Even if the Titans don’t win a ton of football games this fall, if they come out of the season with a clear-cut future at quarterback, they are well positioned to surround their guy with talent and compete in 2024. According to overthecap.com, Tennessee is currently set to have over $90 million in salary cap space for the 2024 offseason.

So let’s say the Titans go 6–11 and don’t make much noise in the AFC south. If Will Levis takes over at quarterback halfway through the season and looks like the guy you drafted him to be, Titans fans should be really optimistic about the future.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s entirely possible that Ran Carthon is not going to be able to build a playoff team in one offseason either. But I like to believe that Carthon has the answers for this franchise moving forward, and if quarterback is figured out, all of the other pieces should fall into place nicely.

Tune in every weekday morning at 8am CT for the AtoZ Nashville Morning Show on YouTube and Facebook, and follow along all season long for more great Titans coverage.

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