Offseason Outlook 2015: Tennessee Titans

Offense

Some big changes under year 2 of Ken Whisenhunt came for the Titans this offseason. The first thing that comes to mind is Marcus Mariota. Now hopefully Wiz will make the smart move and actually go with Mariota as the starter, but that at least brings some promise to an organization that has been lacking a franchise QB for too long now. I don't love what they did in the draft to be perfectly honest. Mariota was the obvious pick and that was the right pick, but they had bigger needs then Dorial Green-Beckham in the 2nd, and Jeremiah Poutasi in the 3rd. They have quite a few weapons for whomever their QB ends up being. Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter (too early to give up on him), Delanie Walker, Hakeem Nicks, Green-Beckham, and Bishop Sankey are all good players. The only problem is they don't have any standouts that can lift the offense. Kendall Wright is definitely a good receiver, but his ceiling is limited as a number 1 guy. The overall depth at the skill positions is really impressive, but the Titans will need one or two guys to step up to help out Mariota. Luckily their O-line looks very promising this season. Taylor Lewan is primed to have a big year, and their line is anchored by two big time guards in Andy Levitre and Chance Warmack. Their offense will go through its struggles this year as expected with a rookie QB, but they are filled with youth on the team and a few breakout players should be expected.

Defense

Okay Dick LeBeau, let's see what you got. The Titans actually have quite a bit of talent on defense despite giving up the 3rd most points per game last year. Jurrell Casey is a star. I don't care what team you are a fan of, this kid can flat out play and even through the titans struggles last year he was fun to watch. The signing of Brian Orakpo has the potential to be huge for Tennessee. LeBeau has a knack for getting the most out of linebackers, and Orakpo is a game changer when he's healthy. Jason McCourty is a good cornerback and hopefully he can influence the rest of their secondary. A big issue the Titans had last year was forcing turnovers. They only had 16 turnovers last year, which is bottom 5 in the league, but the big issue with that is every team below them addressed their defense this season but the Titans only move was signing Brian Orakpo. Maybe this is short sighted, but that's why I though trading out of the 2 spot to gather picks and reform a struggling defense would be more beneficial. Especially if the Titans think they have a franchise QB in Mettenberger, which earlier reports suggest they do. If LeBeau can find a way to manufacture a deadly pass rush this year to take pressure off of the secondary, then the Titans could be better then most think.

Unfortunately for Titans fans looking for immediate gratification this season, it's doubtful that it comes. They are still a couple years away from competing as the sad truth is they just lack the overall level of talent to compete with the Colts, Texans and maybe even Jags for the division. Luckily this season still has a chance to at the very least be fun to watch. Mariota is a very exciting player, as I'm sure anyone who watched him in college will attest to, and Justin Hunter and Dorial Green-Beckham are two massive receivers that will make highlight plays on a regular basis. Look on the bright side Titans fans, you might have found a franchise quarterback and not many teams in the NFL have one (I'm looking at you Bengals).