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While opinions differ on where the Tennessee Titans’ roster stands as a whole because of their defense, there is little to debate when it comes to how good the team’s offense stands to be in 2021.
After all, an elite offense that already sported a top-notch offensive line and three stars playing at a high level in Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill and A.J. Brown has now added Julio Jones to the mix.
If their key offensive players remain healthy, at worst the Titans should be elite once again, but at best this group could be all-time special.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is a believer in Tennessee’s unit ahead of 2021. He ranked the Titans’ offensive weapons at No. 3 in the NFL, behind only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 1) and the Dallas Cowboys (No. 2).
Since the start of 2019, Derrick Henry has 3,567 rushing yards. Dalvin Cook, who ranks second in the league over that time frame, is 875 rushing yards behind. Henry’s role in the passing game is limited to catching the occasional screen, but even without that work, he’s 315 yards from scrimmage ahead of the other backs. He also leads the league with 35 touchdowns over that spell, and that’s without considering his postseason work. I’m scared about his workload, but he had 386 carries between the regular season and the playoffs in 2019 and didn’t look any worse for wear in 2020.
Of course, the Titans rose further up the charts after trading for Julio Jones, who will form a potentially devastating top-two receiver duo alongside A.J. Brown. They both have injury concerns — Jones was out for half of 2020 and Brown is coming off double knee surgery — but there were 11 receivers in the NFL who averaged more than 10 yards per target on 50 targets or more last season, and two of them now play in Tennessee. The Chiefs will be more explosive because they have Mahomes, but the Titans are about as close as it gets when it comes to the possibility of big plays given their talent at running back and receiver.
On no list ranking offensive weapons should the Cowboys be ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs, but I digress…
Barnwell obviously mentions guys like Jones, Brown and Henry, but the Titans’ offensive weapons don’t stop there. The most glaring omission here is Tannehill, who has posted near-elite numbers the past two seasons.
On top of his ability to throw the rock, the Texas A&M product’s athleticism allows the Titans to utilize bootlegs and other types of plays that use his legs, and he can pull the ball down and run with it on any given play when all else fails, which can be a back-breaker for opposing defenses.
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Tight end Anthony Firkser and wide receiver Josh Reynolds provide great depth as pass-catchers and both could have breakout campaigns. And, while the jury is still out on running back Darrynton Evans, he did flash game-breaking ability versus the Detroit Lions last season.
So, not only do the Titans have a slew of impressive weapons, but they also have a multitude of ways to attack defenses.
Even if Tennessee’s defense doesn’t improve (we expect it to), the offense is strong enough to overcome that en route to the Titans still having a good season.
However, if the defense significantly improves and the offense is as good as we think it’ll be, this team is capable of big things in 2021.