The end of the 2022 season was a disaster for the Tennessee Titans. They lost their last seven games of the season, losing the AFC South division title to the Jacksonville Jaguars on their 10th and final loss of the season. That meltdown paved the way for some major changes this offseason.
Tennessee has said goodbye to multiple veterans this offseason. Taylor Lewan, Zach Cunningham, Bud Dupree and Robert Woods were all released. David Long Jr. departed in free agency along with Nate Davis. Rumors have also swirled that more moves could be on the horizon.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is in the last season of his deal before his contract voids, could be traded during the 2023 NFL Draft. Running back Derrick Henry could meet the same fate, while safety Kevin Byard was approached about taking a pay cut but declined.
When there is smoke, there is usually fire, so people are keeping a close eye on the Titans ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. Teams are looking to trade down near the top of the draft order, but not many teams are looking to move up. One of the teams that could look to make the jump up is the Titans.
That is exactly what Todd McShay of ESPN is predicting to happen in his latest mock draft. He believes Tennessee will pony up and make a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, jumping up to No. 3 in the draft order.
“If Houston, as we projected here, does not take a quarterback, I expect Tennessee to get aggressive in exploring a trade up. And it’s no secret that Arizona wants to move out of the No. 3 spot. The Titans can jump a handful of QB-needy teams, while the Cardinals can slide back into a more favorable range for some of the prospects they might be targeting. The price of doing business for Tennessee would likely be something in the ballpark of a 2023 second-round pick (No. 41) and a 2024 first- or second-round pick.”
With that selection, McShay believes the Titans are going to select Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. With a new regime in place led by Ran Carthon, he makes an aggressive move to get his quarterback of the future.
Tannehill can handle starting duties for the 2023 season before ceding the job to Stroud down the road. This would spell bad news for Malik Willis, who was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft but struggled in his action as a rookie.
Tennessee certainly needs to address their lack of weapons in the passing game, as 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks is the building block that they have. But, as long as Henry remains in the fold, he has proven more than capable of putting the offense on his back and carrying them to success.
