Taking a look at the Tennessee Titans entering Preseason Week 4

At last, the final week of preseason football is here, which means next Sunday (not this Sunday) is the start of the 2018 regular season. I’m sure we’re all ready for Vikings football, touchdowns, and horrible penalties presented by the new helmet rule.

With that said, let’s take a look at the last preseason matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

Entering the 2018 season, the Titans revamped their team a little bit, firing head coach Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie in exchange for Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel as head coach and Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur in the same role.

In terms of the roster, the team signed Patriots back Dion Lewis to a four-year deal, then signed fellow Patriot corner Malcolm Butler. Their key draft acquisitions were first round linebacker Rashaan Evans and second round linebacker Harold Landry.

For this article, I will take a look at each unit of the team on both offense and defenses, giving brief thoughts.

Offense

Quarterback: Marcus Mariota has gotten a lot of heat for his play in his junior season, where he threw 13 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. But Mariota was placed in a Mike Mularkey offense that forced him to throw perfect passes to ill defined route combinations and receivers that couldn’t separate. It was a near impossible offense to manage and it required Mariota to be perfect.

Still, I thought Mariota played better than given credit for. His accuracy and poise were phenomenal, and he was largely responsible for Tennessee making the playoffs in the first place. Blaine Gabbert is trash, and Luke Falk has been a hot mess in the preseason.

Running Back: Derrick Henry is a solid back, but his vision is inconsistent and he tends to go after the sideline instead of tying to work between the tackles. The addition of Dion Lewis is big for the Titans’ Not only is he an exceptional receiving back with great quickness, but he’s the superior overall back to Henry, and should not be excluded to a third down role.

Offensive Line: Taylor Lewan is a very good left tackle who was recently extended. The Titans offensive line as a whole isn’t spectacular (the guard play is rough), but they should be athletic enough to execute Matt LaFleur’s zone offense.

Wide Receivers: This is a relatively unknown group. Corey Davis was limited in his rookie season due to injury, but he’s a talented receiver that can create separation downfield, put himself in a position to get yards after the catch, and has the potential to win contested matchups at the catch point. He just needs to stay healthy.

Rishard Matthews isn’t great, but he’s a solid second receiver and his health is important for a group that lacks experience. Taywan Taylor has struggled against tight matchups, but is a weapon on screen passes. Tajae Sharpe is also unknown, which is both bad and good in his case.

The important thing about this group is that there’s a greater focus on speed and yards after the catch than last year’s Titans receiving corps.

Tight Ends: Delanie Walker had a rough 2017 where he dropped more passes than he should, but he showed no signs of slowing down in regards to creating separation, so he should have a bounce back year. Sophomore tight end Jonnu Smith is an intriguing player that can be lined up as a fullback and has impressive speed in the open field.

Coaching: Matt LaFleur promises to install the play action heavy spread offense he helped install with Sean McVay’s Rams in 2017, and he’s done that during the preseason, putting Taywan Taylor as the screen guy and guys like Taylor and Nick Williams in the slot.

 

Defense

Defensive End: DaQuan Jones hasn’t been anything special so far, but he’s solid, and recently got extended this March.

Defensive Tackle: Jurrell Casey is a stud, and he’s one of the best defensive tackles in football, capable of outrageous jabs and movement at the line of scrimmage combined with freight train power. Nose tackle Benny Logan isn’t as good, but provides some quality against the run game.

Linebackers: This might be the best unit on the Titans defense. Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo are quality players, and the Titans managed to snag two potential game changers in Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry. Evans combines quickness, patience, and a deadly spin move to eat up quarterbacks while Landry has a fantastic bend along with top notch balance, agility, and speed.

Secondary: Kevin Byard is one of the best young safeties in football, and despite Malcolm Butler’s presence, Byard is the leader of this secondary. Butler is an upgrade at corner, Adoree Jackson flashed in his rookie season last year, and Logan Ryan isn’t bad either.

Coaching: Mike Vrabel wasn’t that good of a defensive coordinator in 2017, but he could turn things around with a very talented front seven and a young, intriguing secondary.

The game takes place at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee at 7 p.m.

 

 

 

 

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