2023 Season Plan

[KingTitan]

I love the roster building process more than anything. 
So this is fun for me. 

Some tough decisions need to be made. We are currently drafting #21.  
Why look into this now?  Simply because it's time to be realistic if not sooner. 
We fail to score more than what 10 points in the 2nd half in any game this year? Something like that. 

Barring a complete abandoning of the Vrabel way and miracle improvement by an historically bad O-line, we are bound to host the Bengals in the 1st round of playoffs and lose for the 3rd time in a year to them.

Moving forward, what do we do?

Let's restructure some deals like the Saints.  Going into 2023 they have a Projected 2023 Cap: -$62,680,802.  Just bad decisions with trades and FA's. Welcome to life without a franchise QB and good coach. 

Cap should be around $220 million maybe. I'm not good with the cap so I won't pretend to know.

However, just for the good of our cap and team we have to:
Rules say you can designate 2 players as post June 1st cuts. Dupree and Tanny,
Cut Lewan
Cut Zach Cunningham.
Cut Jamarco Jones

Doing that should give us $52 million in cap space.  According to Overthecap.com

Fire Todd Downing.

FA: 
Offensive line....should start the conversation. I can't say I want to bring back Nate Davis.  
Need to replace LT, LG, and RG. Center if Jones retires. NPF is the only player I want back, just because he hasn't had a history of suckage yet. 
Radunz is back up in this plan. So is Brewer., That gives 2 semi reliable guys that can step in, in a pinch.  I want to draft a LT in the 1st. 
So leaves LG and RG. 

A few guys:
Dalton Riser
Elton Jenkins
Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Deiter, Miami Dolphins

Tanny is gone. Henry is still here. I think a revamped line will give Henry more life and still prove to be a great piece. 
I'm going to give it to Malik. And hope a good running game, still good defense and some added weapons can help him. Along with an offseason with NFL coaching.

We can afford to spend on weapons, with Malik on a cheap rookie deal. 
Bring in a vet QB that is willing to be cheap and compete maybe.  Baker, Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones. 
Not a lot to choose from here as far as WR's in FA.  Sterling Shepard, DJ Chark, Marvin Jones

LT in the 1st.
WR in the 2nd

So we have a rookie LT, FA OG, Jones, FA OG, NPF. Radunze/Brewer depth.
WR: Burks, Phillips, 2nd round Draft pick, Woods, NWI, McRath, FA WR
TE: Chig, FA TE (Hooper maybe re=signed). Rookie TE.
QB. Willis, FA QB.
RB: Henry, Haskins, Hilliard

New OC.

Defensively: 
Weaver, Autry, Landry, Simmons (re-signed).  FA Depth, Murchinson, draft picks
Re-sign Long, Rice, Dylan Cole, Chance Campbell, FA LB, draft pick LB.
CB; Fulton, McCreary, Farley, Avery,FA CB, Draft pick FA.
S-Byard, Hooker

 

 

[deeluxx3]

I do think it’s time to blow it up 

I don’t think we should resign davis or Fulton

Long yes but we cannot give him a stupid contract 

If it helps us financially — dupree, Woods and yes sadly Tannehill should be gone 

time for a mini rebuild 

[615finest]

Idk man.. the way Daley been getting abused at LT makes me appreciate and wanna keep Lewan lol

but Dupree should definitely be gone with that contract. I would say cut woods but we need bodies at WR and I honestly think we’re using him wrong. Woods was always good on jet sweeps and we don’t do anything like it.

the off-season definitely needs to start with a new OC.. that should be the first thing 

[Justin615$]

Roster building is definitely my favorite thing too. I think we HAVE to fix this oline first and foremost. Will need 3 new starters at least imo. Say we get 2 oline in free agency and then Bijan Robinson is sitting there with our pick.... would you all like that selection if no one else is jumping out to us there? I know we have Henry for another year for sure but the more I think about it the more I like it with the identity Vrabel wants. As long as we can get a WR and at least 2 good olineman in free agency. This goes along with Cunningham, Dupree, Lewan, Jones, and possibly Tannehill cuts

[KingTitan]

I do think it would be too early to get rid of Henry, even though I can see why some would want too. I think if he went to another place, he would be back to a MVP type level. Behind a better line, it would be amazing. 

Year too early or year too late?  I think we'd be on the year too late side. 

But it has to start with the O-line. Spend some money on proven guys in the middle and hope to find cheaper rookies that can be cornerstones in the draft. Good LT's aren't in FA. 

I thought about just trying to restructure Lewan, but can we really depend on him?  Coming back from his second ACL on top of consistent concussions and other things. Of course, he will just go somewhere else and never be hurt if we let him go, but can we afford to bank on him again?

I do think this last draft was a reset for Robinson after a couple of bad ones. I trust him more than most. I go back to my annoying comeback when asked about Robinson, show me the golden standard. Show me the person that we aim to be like and where the replacement might come from and I'll gladly reconsider my stance when comparing them. 

[Daniel]

Firing Downing is the most obvious thing that needs to be addressed.  We've got problems, sure, but he's the biggest.  Our offense is archaic, and even without that, his playcalling has been abysmal, and neither of those are the worst thing about him.  The worst is how he telegraphs what's coming to every defense we face.

I think the obvious cuts are Lewan, Dupree, Cunningham, and Woods.  Those alone give you a lot of money.

I also think we should probably cut/trade Tannehill.  Malik won't be ready by next season, and we can possibly recoup some value draftwise for Tanny and stick him on a team that can contend before he's washed.  And we need to know what we have with Willis.  I think by next year, he's gonna be ready to see the field, at least, and if he sinks, he sinks, and maybe we have a high enough draft pick to move on.

Use the money to re-sign Long, Simmons, and Davis, assuming none are big overpays.  You can probably sign a few of the defensive depth guys as well.  Then get another veteran receiver in free agency.  Someone who can step in for Woods and function as a depth piece that plays.  There are tons and tons of receivers better than everything behind Woods right now.

In the draft, priority 1, 2, and 3 should be the offensive line.  It's a crazy deep class with a ton of talent, and we can't do anything, pass or run, without it.  Beyond that, a premium pick needs to be spent on a receiving weapon, whether it's a TE or WR, it just needs to be a premium pick on someone who can make a difference.

As just a side note, for the love of god, stop investing all of our high end capital on DBs when we aren't getting returns there.  The Titans seem to be really, really good at getting DBs who can contribute and do their job on the back end, and really, really bad at getting early talent.  Please, we've invested so many ******* picks at CB that could have gone to much, much bigger needs and better players, please fall out of love with drafting a corner in the first two rounds every single year when we're just gonna use a dime package to actually defend the pass.

After that, see what we've got.  If we suck, we suck, but we've cut ties and started a rebuild, at least.  And we're gonna have to suck for a year to get a QB if Malik doesn't work out.  Just commit to the suck.

[KingTitan]

33 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Firing Downing is the most obvious thing that needs to be addressed.  We've got problems, sure, but he's the biggest.  Our offense is archaic, and even without that, his playcalling has been abysmal, and neither of those are the worst thing about him.  The worst is how he telegraphs what's coming to every defense we face.

I think the obvious cuts are Lewan, Dupree, Cunningham, and Woods.  Those alone give you a lot of money.

I also think we should probably cut/trade Tannehill.  Malik won't be ready by next season, and we can possibly recoup some value draftwise for Tanny and stick him on a team that can contend before he's washed.  And we need to know what we have with Willis.  I think by next year, he's gonna be ready to see the field, at least, and if he sinks, he sinks, and maybe we have a high enough draft pick to move on.

Use the money to re-sign Long, Simmons, and Davis, assuming none are big overpays.  You can probably sign a few of the defensive depth guys as well.  Then get another veteran receiver in free agency.  Someone who can step in for Woods and function as a depth piece that plays.  There are tons and tons of receivers better than everything behind Woods right now.

In the draft, priority 1, 2, and 3 should be the offensive line.  It's a crazy deep class with a ton of talent, and we can't do anything, pass or run, without it.  Beyond that, a premium pick needs to be spent on a receiving weapon, whether it's a TE or WR, it just needs to be a premium pick on someone who can make a difference.

As just a side note, for the love of god, stop investing all of our high end capital on DBs when we aren't getting returns there.  The Titans seem to be really, really good at getting DBs who can contribute and do their job on the back end, and really, really bad at getting early talent.  Please, we've invested so many ******* picks at CB that could have gone to much, much bigger needs and better players, please fall out of love with drafting a corner in the first two rounds every single year when we're just gonna use a dime package to actually defend the pass.

After that, see what we've got.  If we suck, we suck, but we've cut ties and started a rebuild, at least.  And we're gonna have to suck for a year to get a QB if Malik doesn't work out.  Just commit to the suck.

Embracing the suck is my main reason for moving on from Tanny. Throw Malik out there and if he is terrible, then let's be terrible to find a QB. 
As I say that, I still want to try to win. 
I'm hesitant to cut Woods because looking at the FA market as it stands now, he would still be one of the better options.
Darius Slayton, Allen Lazzrd, JuJu, Jacobi Meyers, DJ Chark, Mecole Hardman, Jarvis Landry.
And we'd be foolish to give WR FA money to any of those guys, if you ask me. 

If you look at the Drafted WRs, They are still stepping in and being productive. (Pickens, Pierce, Dotson, Burks, Watson, etc) guys that have put up numbers and made plays with sometimes limited opportunities because of QB's or injuries. 

If we can put Woods in the proper #2 role, then I think we'd see more production. 

It will bring the question of why re-sign players like Long and Simmons. Are we trying to field a competitive team and miss out on top pick? 

[-Hope-]

30 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Firing Downing is the most obvious thing that needs to be addressed.  We've got problems, sure, but he's the biggest.  Our offense is archaic, and even without that, his playcalling has been abysmal, and neither of those are the worst thing about him.  The worst is how he telegraphs what's coming to every defense we face.

I think the obvious cuts are Lewan, Dupree, Cunningham, and Woods.  Those alone give you a lot of money.

I also think we should probably cut/trade Tannehill.  Malik won't be ready by next season, and we can possibly recoup some value draftwise for Tanny and stick him on a team that can contend before he's washed.  And we need to know what we have with Willis.  I think by next year, he's gonna be ready to see the field, at least, and if he sinks, he sinks, and maybe we have a high enough draft pick to move on.

Use the money to re-sign Long, Simmons, and Davis, assuming none are big overpays.  You can probably sign a few of the defensive depth guys as well.  Then get another veteran receiver in free agency.  Someone who can step in for Woods and function as a depth piece that plays.  There are tons and tons of receivers better than everything behind Woods right now.

In the draft, priority 1, 2, and 3 should be the offensive line.  It's a crazy deep class with a ton of talent, and we can't do anything, pass or run, without it.  Beyond that, a premium pick needs to be spent on a receiving weapon, whether it's a TE or WR, it just needs to be a premium pick on someone who can make a difference.

As just a side note, for the love of god, stop investing all of our high end capital on DBs when we aren't getting returns there.  The Titans seem to be really, really good at getting DBs who can contribute and do their job on the back end, and really, really bad at getting early talent.  Please, we've invested so many ******* picks at CB that could have gone to much, much bigger needs and better players, please fall out of love with drafting a corner in the first two rounds every single year when we're just gonna use a dime package to actually defend the pass.

After that, see what we've got.  If we suck, we suck, but we've cut ties and started a rebuild, at least.  And we're gonna have to suck for a year to get a QB if Malik doesn't work out.  Just commit to the suck.

this is what i want. in reality, what we’re gonna get is more half-assed commitment to the miserable purgatory we’re in.

[Daniel]

1 minute ago, KingTitan said:

Embracing the suck is my main reason for moving on from Tanny. Throw Malik out there and if he is terrible, then let's be terrible to find a QB. 
As I say that, I still want to try to win. 
I'm hesitant to cut Woods because looking at the FA market as it stands now, he would still be one of the better options.
Darius Slayton, Allen Lazzrd, JuJu, Jacobi Meyers, DJ Chark, Mecole Hardman, Jarvis Landry.
And we'd be foolish to give WR FA money to any of those guys, if you ask me. 

If you look at the Drafted WRs, They are still stepping in and being productive. (Pickens, Pierce, Dotson, Burks, Watson, etc) guys that have put up numbers and made plays with sometimes limited opportunities because of QB's or injuries. 

If we can put him in the proper #2 role, then I think we'd see more production. 

It will bring the question of why re-sign players like Long and Simmons. Are we trying to field a competitive team and miss out on top pick? 

I mean, we don't want to dump young good players.  We don't want to tank.  And Jurrell Casey's years on the team shows that you can have an excellent interior DL and still have an awful team.  Despite the issues, I think the team is stronger than it looks.  We have a terrible OL, and a terrible OC, and are really injured right now.  You change those to a not terrible OC and an offensive line that can occasionally pass block (part of this though involves not benching every OL that is a capable pass blocker), and stop doing whatever it is they're doing to rack up injuries constantly in practice, we have a much better unit.

Don't forget, when this team is on, even this season, we almost beat the Chiefs with a backup QB.  We played the Bengals close while not playing well.  We're not that far off from being a complete team.  90% of our issues are offensive, and even there, there are some great pieces to build off of.

Plus, Malik has shown that he might turn into a very good QB.  You don't dump all your talent if you think he might be the real deal.

[deeluxx3]

I think all the offseason talk will ultimately revolve around one question

 

Are we willing to move away from the one single player whose involvement makes us most competitive, Ryan Tannehill, in effort to save some $ and start resetting our offense

 

My guess is that the ultimate decision here will be a resounding no

[seminoles1]

4 hours ago, Justin615$ said:

Say we get 2 oline in free agency and then Bijan Robinson is sitting there with our pick.... would you all like that selection if no one else is jumping out to us there?

Ew. HARD pass.

[seminoles1]

What do you think Tannehill's trade market would be like? I wonder if reuniting with Arthur Smith in Atlanta, who is out of reach for a top QB prospect, would be a good trade for all involved. Or maybe the Jets or Giants?

[-Hope-]

13 minutes ago, seminoles1 said:

What do you think Tannehill's trade market would be like? I wonder if reuniting with Arthur Smith in Atlanta, who is out of reach for a top QB prospect, would be a good trade for all involved. Or maybe the Jets or Giants?

commanders maybe? they've got everything but a QB and he'd probably do very well with that supporting cast.

[twotonebluenation]

15 minutes ago, seminoles1 said:

What do you think Tannehill's trade market would be like? I wonder if reuniting with Arthur Smith in Atlanta, who is out of reach for a top QB prospect, would be a good trade for all involved. Or maybe the Jets or Giants?

I wonder what we could even get for him.

[titans0021]

1 hour ago, deeluxx3 said:

I think all the offseason talk will ultimately revolve around one question

 

Are we willing to move away from the one single player whose involvement makes us most competitive, Ryan Tannehill, in effort to save some $ and start resetting our offense

 

My guess is that the ultimate decision here will be a resounding no

This really is the single most important question when discussing the future of this team. Are we willing to straight up sacrifice a year in order to chase something better long term?

Because that’s what getting rid of Tannehill is. Willis isn’t going to be a good starting QB in nine months. He’s just not. The best you can hope for is enough flashes and growth to think you have something long term.

But we’re never going to be bad with Vrabel as the HC and Tannehill at QB. Particularly not in this division. A very good head coach and a good QB in the AFC South pretty much guarantees 8 or 9 wins. And, as you said, I have real doubts whether we’ll be willing/able to walk away from a near guaranteed playoff berth to build for 2024 and beyond.