The Tennessee Titans underwent significant changes this offseason. Ran Carthon was brought in to be the new general manager and Tim Kelly was made offensive coordinator. 

After a disappointing 2022 season ended with the team missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018, change was inevitable. However, some have been left wondering if the Titans did enough this offseason to become a playoff contender once again. 

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports certainly does not seem to think so.

Sullivan recently penned a piece classifying each AFC team into a tier. The top tier is for Super Bowl contenders, while tier five is for rebuilding teams with rookie quarterbacks. Want to take a guess as to which tier the Titans are closer to? 

Sullivan has the Titans in the fourth tier, which is labeled the "in the hunt" group and includes the Titans, Patriots, Steelers, Broncos, and Raiders. Regarding the Titans, Sullivan said the following:

Finally, the Tennessee Titans round out this group. It does seem like the franchise may be on the last leg with this current core under Ryan Tannehill. The quarterback is entering the final year of his contract and the club did draft Will Levis in the NFL Draft this spring. Given how talented of a coach Mike Vrabel is, it wouldn't be surprising if he pulled a rabbit out of his hat and had Tennessee vying for the AFC South, but there are questions of whether or not they have enough juice on offense even if Derrick Henry remains dominant out of the backfield. 

While certainly fair to question the Titans' offensive talent, I still believe the Titans are above the other teams in this tier. Mike Vrabel has been a master of doing more with less, having accumulated a 48-34 record at the helm and only having one losing season in five years. 

The Titans also have another advantage that the other four teams do not have, and that's the privilege of playing in the AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars are favorites in the division, but it took a historic collapse by the Titans in 2022 for the Jags to sneak into the playoffs. Additionally, the other two teams in the division, the Texans and Colts, were slotted in the bottom tier of CBS' rankings. This division is far from unwinnable. 

While strictly a rumor at this point, if the Titans indeed land star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, this ranking will look even more absurd. Regardless, I think CBS and the media as a whole are more down on the Titans than they should be. One losing season with an injury-plagued roster does not mean the Titans have imploded. 

Featured image via © George Walker IV / T | 2023 Jan 20