Category: AFC South News

AFC South news roundup: DeAndre Hopkins buzz, McManus called Jags

Our weekly roundup checking in on the Titans’ division rivals, the Texans, Colts and Jaguars.

A big welcome to our Tennessee Titans family, as well as to those Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts fans who have found their way to our weekly AFC South roundup article.

Before we get to roundup, there is a big offseason event this week, as the Titans will take part in mandatory minicamp from June 6-8. After that, Tennessee will have four more days of OTAs before camp in late July.

Of course, the talk early on at mandatory minicamp will be about Kevin Byard, who has been absent from the voluntary portion of the offseason program up until this point after taking part in years past.

For the record, I have zero doubt that Byard will be there, whether he has issues with the team stemming from the pay cut situation or not.

Now, what you came for: all of the biggest headlines for the Colts, Texans and Jaguars from the past week, with help from our friends over at Texans Wire, Colts Wire and Jags Wire.

AFC South ranked among NFL’s worst divisions

In an article ranking all eight NFL divisions, the AFC South finished near the bottom of the list.

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Ever since its original inception back in 2002, the AFC South has largely had a reputation of being one of the worst and/or least competitive divisions in professional football.

More often than not, it seems like there’s always one obviously superior team at the top, one team that’s just trying to remain relevant, while the other two are preparing for the draft by midseason.

Very seldom are all four teams legitimate playoff contenders at the same time. Unfortunately, that type of historical irrelevance doesn’t garner the benefit of the doubt that other divisions may get.

2023 doesn’t seem to be much different, with the Jaguars being nationally perceived as the only true threat out of the AFC South, while the other three teams are mostly expected to do their best just to remain relevant.

This is why it’s not surprising to see the AFC South come in second to last (No. 7) in Gordon McGuinness’ division rankings article. The Pro Football Focus analyst stated the following regarding his AFC South ranking:

Trevor Lawrence‘s emergence in 2022 has elevated the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ ceiling. His 85.0 PFF passing grade from Week 9 through the playoffs was the third-best mark in football, trailing only Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. If he can repeat that level of play for a full season in 2023, the team will feel confident about competing with anyone in the conference.

The other South teams appear to be looking more to the future, with three quarterbacks selected in the top 33 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft in C.J. Stroud for the Houston Texans, Anthony Richardson for the Indianapolis Colts, and Will Levis for the Tennessee Titans. Of those three, the Titans will feel the closest to contending for a playoff spot in 2023. But the reality for all three teams is that a successful season would be learning what they have in their young signal-callers

At the end of the day, the Jaguars are clearly the preseason favorites, but if Tennessee can find a way to stay healthy, a Derrick Henry-led Titans team will always have a chance to win on any given Sunday.

Sadly, staying healthy is half the battle when it comes to the Titans.

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AFC South news roundup: Leonard’s timetable, Metchie hurt, Jags improve at kicker

Our weekly trip around the AFC South to check in on the Titans’ division rivals.

With another week of our lives in the books, it’s time to check in on the Tennessee Titans’ AFC South rivals — the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars — to see what they’re up to.

We start in Indianapolis, where the Colts don’t have a timetable on linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who missed all but three games during the 2022 campaign and had surgery this offseason to correct a nerve issue.

In Jacksonville, the Jags improved their kicker situation by signing a veteran who unexpectedly became available, while also dealing their now-former kicker. Both would’ve been upgrades for the Titans, by the way.

Last but not least, we travel through Houston, where the Texans are dealing with an injury to a player who could be their top receiver during the 2023 campaign.

We cover those stories and many more in our latest trip around the AFC South to keep up with the Titans’ division rivals.

AFC South news roundup: Colts OTAs storylines; Calvin Ridley a top 5 WR?

In our latest AFC South news roundup, one of the league’s best WRs believes Jags wideout Calvin Ridley is top five at his position.

It’s Sunday (but you already knew that), which means it’s time for another AFC South news roundup to check in on the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

We’re in the quiet time of the offseason where teams are in between rookie minicamp and organized team activities. The Titans actually begin their OTAs on Tuesday, which will be open to the media.

In our latest trip around the AFC South, we start in Indy where the Colts have some interesting things to keep an eye on as their OTAs begin. Also, running back Jonathan Taylor is making a change ahead of his contract year.

In Jacksonville, the Jags have officially inked their entire 2023 draft class, making them the first AFC South squad to do so. The team is also floating the idea of playing at TIAA Bank Field during renovations, but that will prove costly.

Meanwhile, in Houston, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson reveals what the biggest adjustment has been for him since entering the NFL.

We go over those stories and much, much more in our latest trip around the AFC South to check in on the Colts, Jaguars and Texans ahead of OTAs.

AFC South news round-up: Stroud quiet in minicamp, Colts want tampering investigation

Our latest trip around the AFC South to check in on the Titans’ division rivals, the Texans, Colts and Jaguars.

Before we get to our AFC South news roundup where we check in on the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals — the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars — we here at Titans Wire want to offer a very happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there; you’re the real MVPs.

Now, on to football: In Jacksonville, the Jaguars are trying to figure out where they’re going to play with the team set to renovate its stadium, a process that is expected to take a few years.

Meanwhile, in Houston, the team’s No. 2 overall pick and new franchise quarterback did not speak to the media during rookie minicamp, which amounts to a departure from what the team has done in the past.

And, last but not least, the Colts want the NFL to investigate at least one team reaching out to retired quarterback, Andrew Luck.

We cover those stories and much, much more below.

AFC South news roundup: Jags’ plan for Harrison, Colts liked Richardson No. 1, more

We take a trip around the AFC South to check in on the Titans’ division rivals, the Jaguars, Texans and Colts.

After a hiatus for a few weeks, the AFC South news roundup is back, which means it’s time to check up on the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

In Indianapolis, the Colts have a new franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson, who was drafted No. 4 overall. The Colts liked Richardson so much that they may have drafted him at No. 1 overall if they had the pick.

In Jacksonville, the Jags have a plan in place for 2023 first-round pick and offensive tackle, Anton Harrison, but that plan does not involve him playing left tackle, where Jacksonville currently has a void to fill.

In Houston, there is no shortage of hype for the team’s two first-round picks, but one Texans writer is rightly stressing patience with them, and the entire 2023 class as a whole.

Check out those stories and more below in this week’s AFC South roundup.

AFC South lands in bottom half of post-draft division rankings

The AFC South lands in the bottom half of a recent ranking of NFL divisions.

The AFC South has historically been one of the least popular divisions in the NFL for a plethora of reasons, with the main one being the smaller media markets that happen to be in the group.

To make matters worse, there’s also been a ton of irrelevant football that’s been played within the division since its original inception back in 2002.

Rarely do you see all four teams being competitive in the same season. More often than not, there’s always a clear alpha or two in the group while the others are often thinking about the draft by midseason.

And, as was the case for parts of last season, sometimes all four are bad.

For those reasons, teams in the AFC South rarely get the benefit of the doubt and exposure that others do. For example, a great Titans team is never going to get the type of national media coverage that a great Cowboys team will.

Therefore, when the division is coming off a season in which the winner barely finished with an above .500 record, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the division ranked low in Barry Werner’s post-draft rankings for The List Wire.

To add salt to the wound, most people are already skeptical of the division’s ceiling as it is, but now you potentially throw in a bunch of inexperienced quarterbacks and the doubt only gets amplified.

Werner has the AFC South as the sixth-best division in football, only ranking ahead of the NFC North and the NFC South, with his reasons being:

This is tricky because the Jacksonville Jaguars figured to be one of the better teams in the conference, and eventually the league. However, behind Doug Pederson’s group is the Indianapolis Colts, who will go from a carousel of over-the-hill veteran QBs to a likely project in Florida rookie Anthony Richardson. Is anyone sold on Will Levis or is Tennessee banking on a return to health of Ryan Tannehill? Murky waters. The Texans should be better after getting the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in the draft. However, there is a difference between better and competitive.

If all of these new quarterbacks within the division end up hitting, the boring narrative attached to the AFC South could be changing in the very near future.

Unfortunately, that type of development occurring in 2023 is highly unlikely.

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What Titans’ AFC South foes did on Day 1 of NFL draft

Two of the Titans’ AFC South rivals added a new franchise quarterback in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans were reportedly trying to trade up to the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft in order to select quarterback C.J. Stroud, but that did not come to fruition and instead the Titans came away with a solid pick in offensive tackle Peter Skoronski with the 11th selection.

Tennessee’s attempt to land Stroud apparently fell short because of the Houston Texans, who grabbed the Ohio State quarterback at No. 2 overall, effectively throwing a wrench in the Titans’ plans.

After that splash, the Texans pulled off another big move when they traded up from No. 12 to No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals in order to select Alabama stud edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.

The trade saw the Texans give up pick Nos. 12 and 33 in this year’s draft, as well as a first-rounder and third-rounder in 2024, a small price to pay for Houston adding a potential franchise cornerstone on each side of the ball.

Following the Texans were the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4, a pick they used on Florida signal-caller, Anthony Richardson, who is loaded with physical talent but is considered raw and is expected to need time to develop.

It’ll be interesting to see if Richardson can speed up that projected timeline or if the Colts will hand the keys to veteran Gardner Minshew to start the season.

Nevertheless, the Colts nabbed their franchise quarterback, also, giving the AFC South two new gunslingers in what has become an increasingly competitive division.

The Jaguars’ pick didn’t come around until later in the night at No. 24 overall. Jacksonville did not stick and pick in that spot, though, with the team trading back twice and ultimately landing at No. 27 where the Jags took offensive tackle Anton Harrison out of Oklahoma.

As a result of their two trades that only moved them back three spots, the Jaguars added pick Nos. 130, 160 and 240.

I’ve seen some people claim that Ryan Tannehill, who remains the projected starter after the Titans didn’t land a quarterback in Round 1, is now the worst quarterback in the division.

That’s silly talk considering we have no clue what Richardson or Stroud will turn out to be, no matter the hype. Until they prove otherwise, Tannehill gets the edge over both and is at worst the second-best signal-caller in the AFC South behind Trevor Lawrence.

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AFC South news round-up: Colts, Jaguars, Texans talk NFL draft

We take a trip around the AFC South to check in on the Titans’ rivals with just days to go before the NFL draft.

We are just days away from the 2023 NFL draft, so our latest AFC South news round-up to check in on the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals — the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars — is mostly centered around the draft.

One of the more interesting pieces of information to come out this week came out of the Texans when general manager Nick Caserio said he’d be willing to deal with the rest of the division.

This is, of course, significant because both the Titans and Colts are in the top 11 and in need of a quarterback. I still think Tennessee would have a difficult time moving up, but crazier things have happened.

Meanwhile, in Indy, the Colts revealed how many players they have a first-round grade on, while the Jags have a few players in mind with their first-round selection.

Check out those stories and many more in our last AFC South round-up ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

AFC South news round-up: Colts have Levis over Richardson on draft board?

A recent report suggests the Colts may have Will Levis ahead of Anthony Richardson on their draft board.

We are now less than two weeks away from the 2023 NFL draft, and with it being Sunday it’s time for another trip around the AFC South to catch up with the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

We begin in Indy, where the Colts might have Kentucky quarterback Will Levis ranked ahead of Florida signal-caller Anthony Richardson, which is music to the ears of the countless Titans fans who want no part of Levis.

In Jacksonville, the Jags aren’t expected to trade up in the first round from No. 24 overall, but one writer estimates what it would cost to do so. If the Jags stick and pick, sportsbooks have odds on what position they’ll target.

The Texans are expected to take a quarterback at No. 2 overall, which normally leads to massive expectations, but head coach DeMeco Ryans is already doing his best to temper them.

Check out those stories and more in our weekly trip around the AFC South.