Tennessee Titans: 7 Remaining Needs the Team Must Fill Before the 2020 Season
Following the major phases of free agency, the Tennessee Titans roster still has seven holes that need to be filled. Some of those holes are major and would be best addressed with a high draft pick, while others could be addressed with a non-priority free agent that's still on the market. Backup Quarterback Logan Woodside, […]
Following the major phases of free agency, the Tennessee Titans roster still has seven holes that need to be filled.
Some of those holes are major and would be best addressed with a high draft pick, while others could be addressed with a non-priority free agent that's still on the market.
Backup Quarterback
Logan Woodside, who currently sits behind Ryan Tannehill on the depth chart, is a good project, but he hasn’t shown that he’s ready to be a backup quarterback in the NFL.
The Titans should understand perhaps better than any other NFL franchise the importance of having a good backup QB. They lost crucial games in 2017 and 2018 due to poor play from backup quarterbacks, and they nearly made it to the Super Bowl in 2019 thanks to Tannehill, who started the season as the backup.
Moving ahead with Woodside would seem to be lazy. If the Titans go that route, fans should hope that the team has seen something nobody else has.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Joe Flacco
- Blake Bortles
Quality Backup Running Back
With the ineffective Dion Lewis as their backup running back in 2019, the Titans were virtually hopeless whenever Derrick Henry needed a breather.
If they don’t add a capable No. 2 back either through the draft or the remainder of free agency, they will be in essentially the same boat.
Currently behind Henry on the depth chart are guys Dalyn Dawkins and David Fluellen. Fluellen gained weight last year to play fullback and Dawkins has always been nothing more than a roster bubble player.
What the Titans must find is a back with burst that can not only catch out of the backfield but carry the ball effectively, as well. They need a jack of all trades to sit behind Henry, not a player who’s a master at any one area.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Lamar Miller
- Theo Riddick
#4 Wide Receiver
Considering how often Tajaé Sharpe played in 2019, even before Adam Humphries went down with an injury, the Titans surely aren’t counting on someone like Kalif Raymond or Cameron Batson to take over as the No. 4 receiver and play a similar amount of snaps.
The Titans need to find their next Sharpe, and they will probably do it during the draft. They need someone who can step up in the event of an injury and be relied upon if one of the team’s top three wideouts needs a rest.
Luckily for the Titans, several draft analysts are already heralding this year’s receiver class as one of the deepest and most talented in recent history.
A few cheaper free-agent options also remain.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Demaryius Thomas
- Taylor Gabriel
- Paul Richardson
Starting Outside Linebacker
At outside linebacker, the Titans are bottom-heavy.
They have multiple great depth pieces, but a lack of quality talent at the top.
Harold Landry, the Titans’ leader in sacks in 2019, is a good player, but he’s not exactly a game wrecker. He needs to have a good starter on the other side of him.
Vic Beasley, who the Titans officially signed on Tuesday, is not that. He fell out of favor with the Falcons over the past two seasons and is on a one-year prove-it deal.
If the Titans were going to pull off a trade at any position, this would be the one to do it for.
They need to add someone who can consistently make a difference, whether that be against the run or the pass.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Jadeveon Clowney
Interior Defensive Line
On the defensive line, the Titans are top-heavy.
Their starters, DaQuan Jones and Jeffery Simmons, are both talented players who played well in 2019. Behind those two players, though, the depth chart is grim.
The Titans’ interior pass rushers aside from Jones and Simmons are Isaiah Mack, a 2019 undrafted rookie free agent; Matt Dickerson, who bounced back and forth between the practice squad and active roster in 2019; Jack Crawford, a veteran who will have to fight for a roster spot; and two players who probably won’t even make the final 53-man roster out of Training Camp, Amani Bledsoe and Joey Ivie.
This is a position where the Titans simply need bodies, and preferably a veteran one.
The Titans would probably benefit from finding the defensive line version of what Wesley Woodyard has been for the team in recent years at linebacker: a reliable veteran who is a clear backup but who can amicably fill in or play meaningful snaps if necessary.
They would probably benefit by drafting a defensive lineman in addition to bringing in a veteran.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Damon Harrison
- Mike Daniels
Cornerback
This is another position where the Titans just need bodies.
In 2019, the Titans had great depth at corner. But thanks to the exodus of LeShaun Sims, Tramaine Brock and, potentially, Logan Ryan, that depth has taken a massive shot.
Bringing back Ryan, which seems, now, like a legitimate possibility, would fix a lot of the problem. However, it wouldn’t completely solve it.
The Titans need to add reliable depth pieces at a position that was very volatile in terms of injuries in 2019.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Logan Ryan
- Aqib Talib
Kicker
The Titans were historically bad at kicking field goals in 2019. It would make sense, then, for them to bring in a new kicker for 2020.
Even if they think Greg Joseph, who was signed at the tail end of the 2019 kicking disaster, is the guy they want to roll with, they have to understand that he is unproven and inexperienced.
The least action the Titans should take is bringing in a veteran leg to compete with Joseph in Training Camp. What they should do, though, is risk overcorrecting and make a play for a new kicker.
Remaining free-agent fits:
- Stephen Gostkowski
Cover image: David Butler II/USA Today
