The Tennessee Titans will have big expectations going into the 2020 season after making it all the way to the AFC Championship in 2019, but on a smaller scale the team will have certain players with more to gain than others.
For the most part, the players who fall under that category are in a contract year and are trying to show they are worth big money in 2021 and beyond.
Here’s a look at seven Titans with the most to gain this coming season.
Corey Davis
After three years of lackluster production for a receiver who was taken with a top-five pick, there’s nowhere to go but up for Davis.
The Titans declined the Western Michigan product’s fifth-year option after his production took a step back in 2019 and he took a backseat to rookie standout, A.J. Brown
Davis is now in a contract year in 2020 and is auditioning for teams that will be in the market for a wide receiver in 2021. If Davis can have the breakout year we’ve all been waiting for, he could shed the bust label en route to securing a lucrative, long-term deal next offseason.
And he has a great chance to do so, with opposing defenses likely to focus on stopping Brown, which should open things up for Davis. Adding to that, quarterback Ryan Tannehill has talked about improving his chemistry with Davis, and if successful it could lead to a huge season for the wideout.
Who is going to make the cut along the Titans’ defensive line in 2020?
After previewing every Tennessee Titans offensive position group, we’re now moving on to the defense and starting with the defensive line.
The Titans saw a major subtraction from the group upfront this offseason after trading Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos. As a result, there will be a competition for snaps in training camp.
Here’s a look at the roster locks on the defensive line, players on the bubble at the position, and a prediction for how things will shake out.
Note: In case you missed any of our other training camp previews, we’ve linked to them at the end of this article.
Roster locks
Jeffery Simmons
DaQuan Jones
Larrell Murchison
Jack Crawford
Isaiah Mack
Analysis for Jones and Simmons: Two players are already locked-in as starters from this group in Jones and Simmons, both of whom were impressive last season.
Jones had his best season as a pro in 2019, grading out as the No. 30 interior defensive lineman, per PFF. He particularly excelled in run defense, but wasn’t great at generating pressure on passing plays.
Simmons will be tasked with taking the torch from Casey, who was a stalwart on Tennessee’s defense for nine seasons.
The good news for Simmons is that he’ll have the benefit of a full training camp in his second season, which wasn’t the case in his rookie campaign with him having to rehab from a torn ACL.
Simmons made it clear he wasn’t comfortable at his playing weight last year, so his focus was on dropping weight this offseason with the hope that it would help improve his play.
Judging from a recent photo, Simmons looks to be in great shape.
Competition analysis: A competition for snaps will take place between Mack, Crawford and Murchison, all of whom have flashed pass-rush skills in the past. That’s important to point out because the Titans struggled to generate much of a pass-rush from their defensive line last season.
The player who can stand out the most in that area has the best chance to dominate snaps — and each player from this trio has shown in the past that they have the potential to make a dent in 2020.
Mack totaled one sack last preseason and followed that up with 1.5 in limited action during the regular season. Crawford had his best season in 2018 when he started a career-high 11 games and finished with a career-high six sacks.
Murchison, who is known for his high motor, looks to have the chops to be an effective interior pass-rusher after he totaled 11 sacks in two years at NC State, although there’s no telling how far along the rookie will be when training camp arrives thanks to an abbreviated offseason.
No matter who emerges from this group — Mack and Crawford are the favorites — all three will be on the initial 53-man roster, and it’s quite possible we see a rotation at the final starting spot on the defensive line.
The Titans wished their players a Happy Father’s Day with a video on social media.
On Sunday, the Tennessee Titans released a video on social media honoring the dads on the team by wishing their players a Happy Father’s Day.
Featured in the video are defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, wide receiver A.J. Brown and right tackle Dennis Kelly, all of whom welcomed baby girls into the world in the past six months.
Brown and Jones are both first-time dads, but for Kelly it was his third child. They are just some of the many dads on the Titans’ roster.
There’s something precious about watching a hulking 6-foot-8, 321-pound offensive lineman like Kelly holding a little baby girl.
“I’m definitely still learning and trying to do my best with this, but sometimes I wish I can hurry the process up so she can start talking and just tell me what she wants,” Brown jokes in the video. “I got a long way to go, though.”
“It’s definitely a blessing,” Brown added. “Every time I look at my child, my little girl, man I get butterflies, I got somebody out here in the world now that I helped create, that one day when I’m gone she can keep the legacy going.”
Don’t worry, young man. Soon enough, your baby girl will be getting bigger and talking, and you won’t know where the time went because it goes so fast, as those of us who have watched their children grow know.
Several Titans players have an opportunity to cash in big with a huge season in 2020.
As we outlined in a separate article, the Tennessee Titans have 28 notable players who are in a contract year, but there are seven players in particular who could have a huge 2020 campaign en route to getting a big payday in 2021.
While some of these players are likely to be moving on after 2020, others could see a contract extension offer from the Titans prior to the start of the season, or at the latest, next offseason.
Regardless of what the Titans decide to do with each individual player, let’s see which players on Tennessee’s roster could land themselves a big payday with a huge season in 2020.
TE Jonnu Smith
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
After Delanie Walker was cut earlier this offseason, Smith will be the official No. 1 tight end in Tennessee in 2020 — and it comes at the perfect time for him.
Smith is in the final year of his rookie deal, and while it’s possible the Titans could ink him to an extension before the upcoming season, chances are he’ll play out the year and hit free agency next offseason.
The former third-round pick had his best season as a pro in 2019, finishing with career-highs in receiving yards (439) and touchdowns (three), and he also had a clutch, one-handed touchdown grab in the playoffs.
While the coronavirus has restricted much of everything this offseason, it hasn’t stopped Smith from working on his chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as the pair has been getting together multiple times per week.
That should help Smith garner more trust and more targets, and ultimately, more production in his fourth season, which could lead to a nice payday in 2021.
DaQuan Jones was shocked by the Jurrell Casey trade.
In what was the most surprising move of the Tennessee Titans’ offseason thus far, the team traded longtime defensive lineman Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
One of the many people caught off guard by the move was Titans defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, who posted his reaction on his Instagram page.
“This doesn’t seem real ! But I couldn’t of asked for a better teacher / mentor over the last 6 years on and off the field ! Wishing you and the fam the best of luck!”
And so ends Casey’s nine-year tenure with the Titans after he was taken by them in the third round (No. 77 overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Tennessee will now have to focus on filling the void on the defensive line that Casey leaves behind. That could mean another big move is coming, but it remains to be seen exactly what that will be.
While trades are rare, there are three Titans who could get dealt this offseason.
The Tennessee Titans are going to have a busy offseason with a ton of their own free agents to make decisions on. On top of that, general manager Jon Robinson has to make some signings in free agency to improve the roster.
Another way the Titans could see some changes made is through trades, which aren’t exactly a common occurrence in today’s NFL, but can never be ruled out.
If the Titans were to wheel and deal via trades this offseason, there are three guys who have a shot at being dealt.
Jack Conklin
If the Titans don’t want to let Jack Conklin leave in free agency for nothing, they could franchise tag and then trade the right tackle. Tagging and trading has become increasingly common in recent years and we’re looking at a situation in which multiple teams could do it this offseason.
In a perfect world the Titans would like to re-sign Conklin, however the lineman may end up getting a record-breaking deal on the open market, which is a price Tennessee doesn’t seem inclined to pay.
The only problem for the Titans is that they may have to use the franchise tag on either of their most important impending free agents. If Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill aren’t re-signed by the tag deadline on March 12, they are far more likely to get tagged than Conklin.
