Well, another team was eliminated from the playoffs last week. In one of the weakest divisions in the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans have officially been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. This isn’t a shock because the Titans are in the middle of a rebuild; here are 3 reasons why the Titans didn’t make it.
Will Levis was once seen as a potential franchise quarterback when entering the 2023 NFL Draft. He fell into the 2nd round of that draft and the Titans took a chance on him. Well, from what I have seen from Levis he has been a disappointment, and with his terrible decision-making and turnovers, he cost the Titans games.
The season was all but done the moment they lost to the Jets and Levis fumbled in the red zone. Levis hasn’t had a strong season either as he’s thrown for 1,827 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. For a 10-game sample, that is a subpar stat line. Levis still has the potential to have a long career in the NFL, but not as a franchise starting quarterback.
The Titans were heavily aggressive in free agency last offseason. Looking back on it there were a ton of moves that have flopped.
L’Jarius Sneed was the big addition. Tennessee acquired him via trade with the Chiefs and he was expected to be their number 1 shutdown cornerback. Well, he was shut down for the season when he suffered a quad injury. He only played 5 games with the team and even when healthy Sneed didn’t play well on this defense.
He struggled in coverage and didn’t even break up a single pass in that game. To make things worse, according to PFF, he was one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL this season. Hopefully he improves next season, because with that gigantic contract, it could turn into one of the worst deals in the NFL.
Chidobe Awuzie as well has been injured for most of the season. He did have an interception against Jacksonville last week, but his absence affected the defense all season.
Kenneth Murray was a horrendous signing from day one. He was terrible in Los Angeles, and it’s not surprising that he was awful in Tennessee, too.
Lloyd Cushenberry was signed to a 4 year 50-million-dollar deal. However, he tore his Achilles and who knows if he will be the same player when he returns.
The Titans also signed Calvin Ridley to a 4 year 92 million dollar contract. Ridley isn’t horrendous but he hasn’t lived up to the massive contract in year one. Maybe with a better QB, he could have a better season.
The only signing that has been a steal for them is Tony Pollard. We’ll get to why at the end of the article. But the offseason additions absolutely contribute to the Titans missing the playoffs.
Like I said in the introduction, nobody expected the Titans to do much this season. The team was embracing the tank all season and it was for the best. Tennessee is still rebuilding and needs another year or 2 before being labeled as a contender again. That depends on how this offseason goes and the Titans draft correctly. I haven’t been impressed with the 2023 draft class, excluding J.C. Latham. However, getting a Top 5 pick will absolutely help the Titans in there rebuild.
There are a lot of negatives with the Titans, but a strong positive is RB Tony Pollard. As of today, Pollard has rushed for 937 yards and 4 touchdowns. Unless he gets shut down for the season due to injury, he should be able to get 1000 rushing yards which is a great milestone with how bad that Titans offensive line is. It was going to be hard replacing Derick Henry and while Pollard isn’t as talented as him, he did a serviceable job. Dallas could have used him, that is for sure.
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