Titans’ Todd Downing: Offensive foundation won’t change with Julio Jones

Jones gives the Titans more options, but the team’s approach should remain the same.

The offensive foundation for the Tennessee Titans has been and will continue to be running the football with running back Derrick Henry, even after the addition of star wide receiver Julio Jones this offseason.

Just in case you had doubts about that, Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing is here to tell you otherwise.

When speaking to the media during the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, Downing revealed that things aren’t going to drastically change offensively because of Jones.

And that’s certainly good news when you consider the amount of success Tennessee’s offense has had when centered around their superstar running back, who has opened up the play-action game for quarterback Ryan Tannehill the past two years.

The good thing about the addition of Jones, who joins another No. 1 receiver in A.J. Brown in Tennessee’s receiving corps., is that the Titans can now make teams pay even more when they stack the box against Henry.

Once the Titans can establish that as fact, opposing defenses might be forced to leave a light box against the Alabama product, which would allow him to have more space to work with when getting the rock.

That should be a scary thought for the Titans’ upcoming opponents, as Henry has thrived even when facing extra attention upfront.

Perhaps most importantly, the addition of Jones gives the Titans a passing attack that can carry the team when Henry gets slowed down by an opponent, something that has helped lead to Tennessee’s last two playoff exits.

The Titans have no need to reinvent the wheel after having an elite offense the past two seasons with the same approach, and clearly Downing understands that.

Tennessee just has to build upon what it has done and take advantage of the big new wrinkle Jones adds in Nashville.

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