Super Bowl 2021 Five things the Tennessee Titans must do to reach the big game in Tampa

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The were the surprise team of 2019. After starting 2-4 and switching quarterbacks, they were able to make it to the AFC Championship game, where they fell to the , 35-24.No one tabbed this team as a Super Bowl contender during the preseason, but Mike Vrabel somehow got the Titans one game away from the Super Bowl. So what do the Titans need to do to better themselves in the offseason? How can they get over that final hump to turn themselves into a legitimate contender?Below, we will discu s five things the Titans need to accomplish to build on their most succe sful season in over a decade.1. Re-sign Derrick HenryI'm not one who usually advertises giving running backs big money. While there are stellar running backs who turn good teams into great teams, the truth is that there are plenty of backs who can contribute to a team that don't take Evan Neal Jersey up a good chunk of the salary cap. For example, of the rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries against the in the NFC Championship game. Mostert was an undrafted free agent and practice squad player who bounced around with six teams before landing with the 49ers. Is he an elite NFL running back or did head coach Kyle Shanahan just make him look like one? No offense to Mostert, but odds are it's the latter. Henry, however, is a different case. He's scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, and I think the Titans have to re-sign him. His 238-yard, four touchdown performance against the in Week 14 last year was clearly a turning point. He was the regular-season rushing champion in 2019 with 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns. He rushed 83 times for 446 yards and two touchdowns in three postseason games. To put it simply, the Titans don't get to the AFC Championship without Henry. Vrabel has clearly embraced the ground and pound strategy, and Henry is the perfect piece to run the offense through. His rare combination of size and speed is exactly what you want in a running back, and you have to open up your wallet for someone who has proven he can put the team on his back.Now, you have to be smart about how you do this. The gave a four-year extension with $45 million guaranteed. All of a sudden, he has arthritis in his knee and put up just 857 rushing yards this season. The sad truth is that the demise of star running backs comes quickly without any notice. I would make Henry one of the highest-paid running backs in the league, but as for the length of the contract -- that's something Henry's camp and the Jeremy Shockey Jersey Titans are going to have to come to terms on.2. Figure out the quarterback situation/re-sign While Henry was the MVP for the Titans in 2019, Tannehill wasn't far behind. The former quarterback took a 2-4 team to 9-7, and got the Titans to the postseason. He threw for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games and 10 starts, and finished the regular season with the highest pa ser rating in the NFL. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and was following the Titans' AFC Championship game lo s. "I'll have to take a step back and look at things here in the offseason," Tannehill said, . "Obviously, I love this team. I love what this team was able to accomplish. I have a lot of love for the guys on this team and Saquon Barkley Jersey love playing with them. I will take a step back and look at that. But right now, I just really can't think of anything but how close we were and this lo s."The quarterback is clearly the most important position in football, and he proved that he's definitely a starting quarterback worth a new contract. What kind of deal that will be and for how long remains to be seen. The 31-year-old may want to test the open market, or the Titans could utilize the franchise or transition tags -- both of which are on the table due to the league's expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement.If the Titans decide to move in a different direction for whatever reason, they will need to be ready to drop money on players like or in free agency, or pick someone up in the draft. Again, the quarterback position is important, so this situation needs to be forefront of the minds of the Titans. 3. Shore up the defenseThe Titans made it just one game from the Super Bowl, but a weakne s on this team was exploited against the Chiefs. The Titans' cornerbacks had trouble covering and . While they did suffer a big blow when , guys like , and don't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing receivers. There's no doubt that they upped their play in the postseason, but you have to imagine the Titans will want to upgrade the position. is a good piece, but -- the Titans No. 1 cornerback -- is set to be a free agent. Obviously they will want to re-sign him, but the Titans need to do more than that. , , , are just some Kenny Golladay Jersey of the cornerbacks slated to become free agents -- I wouldn't even mind going after a veteran like ! The point is the Titans need to sign more than one cornerback this offseason or draft at that position.Additionally, the Titans could look to sign or draft a pa s rusher. just turned 37-years-old and played in just nine games this season due to injury. stepped up in his absence, but the Titans could look to add another player who can up their sack total. Having someone opposite of who can consistently attack the backfield would take this defense to another level. 4. Re-sign I would say "figure out the right tackle situation," but I would like if the Titans re-signed Conklin. The former No. 8 overall pick just finished his fourth season, and has started every Julian Love Jersey game he has been active in for the Titans. It was reported last May that the Titans , which means he's slated to hit free agency this offseason.As a rookie in 2016, he started all 16 games and earned First-Team All-Pro honors. But in 2017, even though he completed another 16-game season, he took a step back in his level of play. In 2016, . In 2017, he graded out as PFF's 14th-best player at his position. To make matters worse, , which forced him to mi s the beginning of the 2018 season. Due to his delayed return, a concu sion and an additional knee injury he picked up later in the year, Conklin was limited to only nine games, during which he graded out as PFF's 18th-ranked player at his position.Conklin stepped up his game again in 2019, however, and proved that he's worth the money. How much he deserves and how this i sue will situate itself concerning the Titans' cap space is yet to be determined. The offensive line was a big reason Henry had a career year, and if you know Adoree' Jackson Jersey the Titans, you know they like to prioritize the offensive front. Having a talented right tackle for 2020 is a must, and if I had my choice, it would be Conklin. 5. Develop young pa s-catchersThere is no doubt that the insertion of Tannehill into the starting lineup benefitted the receivers, but they need to continue to take steps forward in their development.Rookie A.J. Brown clearly is an emerging star in this league. He led all first-year players with 1,051 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, and became the first Titans' wideout to record 1,000 receiving yards since 2013. Hopefully he can build on this year in 2020. As for the rest of the wideouts -- we didn't see much from them. , a former No. 5 overall pick, caught 43 pa ses for 601 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers are down from last year, when he caught 65 pa ses for 891 yards and four touchdowns. The Titans drafted him to be a star in this league, and that just hasn't happened yet. Tenne see tried to up its receiving corps by signing in free agency last offseason. He caught 76 pa ses for 816 yards and five touchdowns for the last year, but caught just 37 pa ses for 374 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games this year. In all honesty, he really had just one good game -- Week 3 against the Jaguars when he caught six pa ses for 93 yards.Those three are Tenne see's top wideouts, but they also got Leonard Williams Jersey some production from fourth-year receiver and . Sharpe recorded career-high numbers with 329 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and Raymond had his best NFL season yet with nine receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown. He will be remembered for catching a 45-yard touchdown against the in the divisional round. The Titans also appear to have a budding star at tight end, as caught a career-high 35 pa ses for 439 yards and three touchdowns. While Humphries is 26-years-old, the rest of the wideouts are 25 or younger. The Titans clearly have talent at receiver, but the wideouts recorded a total of just 208 receiving yards in three postseason games this year. This team would take a major step forward if this wide receiving corps could.
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