Former Exec: Titans Among Teams With Most To Do This Offseason

Jeff Diamond says quarterback Ryan Tannehill should remain in control of the offense but needs better players and coaches with which to work.

Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today Sports

The Tennessee Titans did what seemed unthinkable not that long ago.

They missed the playoffs, which commenced Saturday afternoon. In mid-November, the Titans were 7-3 and battling for the top spot in the conference standings. Then came a season-ending seven-game losing streak that left them with their first losing record in five seasons under coach Mike Vrabel and out of the postseason for the first time in four years.

As a result, a former Titans executive identified them as one of the teams with a lot to do this season.

Jeff Diamond, Tennessee’s President and CEO from 1999-2004, included his former franchise among Five NFL Teams With Long To-Do Lists to Get Back on Track in 2023, a column posted this week on The 33rd Team. He included Tennessee along with Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Rams, all of which had even worse seasons.

Diamond’s assessment of the current Titans incudes the belief that they should stick with Ryan Tannehill as their quarterback but get him some help.

“It’s convenient to blame quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who missed five games (including the last three) because of ankle injuries, but the team was only 6-6 with him in the lineup, so it runs deeper,” he wrote. “Tannehill (34) still has some good years ahead, but he needs a replenished offensive line (they were bottom five in sacks allowed with 49) and more depth at wide receiver (their 16 TD receptions were third lowest in the league).

He further notes that the decision on a new offensive coordinator is critical. The Titans will have their fourth different play-caller after Todd Downing was fired days after the end of the regular season.

“(Vrabel) needs to find a top replacement to fix the 30th-ranked offense,” Diamond wrote. “… The new offensive coordinator must get [Malik] Willis to improve more rapidly so there’s a viable backup (quarterback).”

All of that does not leave much time to focus on the defense, which is just fine with Diamond.

“The defense is good enough under Mike Vrabel’s guidance,” Diamond wrote. “… They also should extend their Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (7.5 sacks, 54 tackles), who is going into his fifth-year option season.”