Pro Football Rumors

2) Find weapons for Marcus Mariota: Exotic smashmouth worked! Many laughs were had at Titans head coach Mike Mularkey‘s expense after he described his intentions to mold Tennessee’s offense into a run-first unit, but the approach was ultimately successful, as the club ranked third in both rushing yards and yards per attempt, and sixth in rushing DVOA. Trade acquisition DeMarco Murray rebounded from a dismal season in Philadelphia to post 1,287 yards and six touchdowns, while second-round pick Derrick Henry added almost 500 yards of his own. The Titans’ rebuilt front five, meanwhile, was recently named Pro Football Focus’ Offensive Line of the Year.

Tennessee’s passing offense remains somewhat limited, however, and the club certainly needs to add one or two new receivers this offseason. Tight end Delanie Walker should remain a large part of the Titans’ attack after tying for the team lead in receptions, while Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe will also return after experiencing varying levels of success in 2016. Free agent Kendall Wright has already intimated that he won’t be part of the Titans roster next year, while fellow receiver Harry Douglas looks like a release candidate after playing on less than a quarter of Tennessee’ offensive snaps.

The draft should offer a number of reinforcements in the form of wide receivers, and the Titans could choose to use the first of their first-round picks on a playmaking pass-catcher such as Clemson’s Mike Williams, whom Matt Miller of Bleacher Report sent to Tennessee in his most recent mock draft. Williams is generally regarded as the best receiver in the 2017 draft, and there’s little chance that he’ll still be around when the Titans make their second selection of the first round at pick No. 18. As such, the club may need to use the fifth choice on Williams before targeting secondary help later in the round. Other receivers with first-round grades include Western Michigan’s Corey Davis, Washington’s John Ross, and USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster.

While the Titans could also look to free agency to find another receiver, the market doesn’t offer many options who could be viewed as true No. 1’s. Alshon Jeffery is the only WR who profiles in that regard, but Tennessee doesn’t strike me as a fit for the Bears pass-catcher. Michael Floyd could be an interesting complement to the Titans’ rushing attack, especially since he grades out as an excellent run-blocker (although teams aren’t paying wide receivers for their blocking prowess). Tennessee just fired wide receivers coach Bob Bratkowski, and whoever is hired to replace him could give some indication as to which direction the Titans will go as they target new receivers. But either through the draft or free agency, Tennessee needs to at least two new players to its wide receivers room.

3) Exhaust all remaining resources on bolstering the defense: Aside from adding a few new receivers, the Titans should use nearly all the rest of their cap space and draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. The club is set at quarterback, running back, and along the offensive line, and if Tennessee can fix its defense, it should be considered for the AFC South title in 2017.

As noted above, the Titans should probably use their first-round picks and/or a good deal of cap room to secure elite players at both corner and receiver. But the defensive front seven could also use several playmakers and an overall increase and depth, and the free agent market possesses plenty of both. As such, I expect general manager Jon Robinson to be relatively active during the upcoming free agent period as his team looks to take the next step forward. After investing in a top-notch corner, his second move in free agency should involve spending big on one more defensive player.

The options for doing so are numerous, but one area of the Titans’ roster that could use a boost is the defensive line. Tennessee already boasts one of the league’s best lineman in Jurrell Casey, but outside of him, the rest of the club’s front is relatively obscure. Securing an athlete such as Arizona’s Calais Campbell or Kansas City’s Dontari Poe would beef up the front line and give Casey more room to work. Both will be expensive, but Tennessee has the cap space to lure one of them to Nashville. Also acting in the Titans’ favor is that both the Cardinals (Chandler Jones) and the Chiefs (Eric Berry) have other players who may require the franchise tag, meaning Campbell and Poe could hit the open market.

The Titans have an impressive crop of pass rushers headlined by Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan, but there are at least two reasons why the edge is another area that the team could target this offseason. First, both Orakpo and Morgan have a history of injuries, while second-round pick Kevin Dodd missed most of his rookie season with health issues, as well. Second, a club can never have enough pass rushers given that rotations at outside ‘backer often work best, so despite the fact that the Titans have at least two competent edge men, they could certainly add more. Nick Perry and John Simon could both be of interest to the Titans this offseason, with Melvin Ingram also lurking as an option if Tennessee is willing to meet his price tag.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t link at least a few Steelers free agents to the Titans given that former Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is still calling the plays in Tennessee. Staying on the theme of edge rushers, the Titans could take a look at failed first-round Steeler Jarvis Jones, who has managed only six sacks in four NFL seasons, with the hope of offering him a career turnaround. Veteran inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons could also intrigue the Titans, though it’s an open question as to whether he’d be an improvement over the current Tennessee combination of Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard.