NFL 2018 power rankings countdown No. 13: Tennessee Titans

A preview of the Tennessee Titans ahead of the 2018 season.

Check back every day for a new 2018 team preview in this year’s NFL power rankings countdown.

Today’s team is the Tennessee Titans.

13. Tennessee Titans

Keegan’s highest rated player: Kevin Byard, safety

Biggest strength: Offensive tackle

Biggest weakness: Wide receiver

Best offseason move: Signing Dion Lewis

Worst offseason move: Not finding a tight end of the future

Game to circle on calendar: Week 12, at Houston

Breakout candidate: Harold Landry, edge rusher

Key players in contract years: Rishard Matthews, Quinton Spain, Bennie Logan, Brian Orakpo, David Morgan, Kenny Vaccaro, and Kendrick Lewis

Offensive preview

The Titans will have one of the league’s most improved offenses in 2018. The scheme that Mike Mularkey ran in Tennessee was outdated and it did not maximize Marcus Mariota‘s talent. Matt LaFleur (who helped Matt Ryan in Atlanta as quarterbacks coach, and Jared Goff in Los Angeles as offensive coordinator) has a chance maximize Mariota’s talent.

By far the smartest move the Titans made this offseason was signing Dion Lewis. Don’t be surprised if Derrick Henry is used as the workhorse back, but Lewis will be a huge contributor in the Titans’ passing game (just like he was in New England). This will be one of the most exciting backfields in football.

The biggest question mark with the receiving corps is whether Corey Davis can rebound in his sophomore season. If Davis lives up to his draft position, he has real potential to become the number one receiver in this offense. Don’t give up on Rishard Matthews quite yet though; if LaFleur’s magic works on Mariota he has a shot at 1,000 receiving yards.

Delanie Walker will be once again the most talented option for Mariota in the passing game. Don’t be surprised if he pulls together another Pro Bowl caliber season at the age of 34. The Titans need to start looking at a options for the future at the tight end position — Jonnu Smith could be the guy after Walker retires, but it wouldn’t hurt to look at other options.

The Titans will have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL this season. The strength of this line will be at offensive tackle, as they have the best tackle combo in the league with Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin.

The interior line should be well-rounded as well, but the biggest need the Titans have on the offensive line is left guard, but they aren’t even that bad at that position.

Defensive preview

The Titans’ defense has a lot of potential this season, and it all starts on the defensive line. Jurrell Casey has been a dominant player for a long time now, and he will be one of the strongest leaders on this team.

One of the most underrated free agent signings this offseason was Bennie Logan, and he will be an immediate contributor on this line. The Titans have a strong defensive line filled with veteran players.

There are a lot of reasons to like the linebacking corps. Brian Orakpo is in a contract year, and he will be the team’s top edge rusher. Another thing to note is the middle linebacker duo of rookie Rashaan Evans and Wesley Woodyard — both of these players are well-rounded for their position. Having Mike Vrabel (a former linebacker) as head coach won’t hurt this group either.

The secondary added a top-10 cornerback when they signed Malcolm Butler. Butler won’t be the player he is today by the time he’s in the fifth year of his deal, but I understand the Titans making a win-now move when they still have Marcus Mariota under a rookie contract. It’s reasonable to believe that Adoree’ Jackson will be much better in his sophomore year as well. This will be one of the most improved cornerback groups in 2018.

Kevin Byard is an exceptional player for his age, and it would be absurd to think he couldn’t be an All-Pro safety once again in 2018. The Kenny Vaccaro signing was one of the savviest moves of the offseason. This was the best move they could have made after Jonathan Cyprien’s injury.

Coaching staff/front office preview

Mike Vrabel’s hiring will certainly help out the Titans’ defense, but I would have gone with an offensively-oriented coach to help Marcus Mariota. Matt LaFleur was a smart hire at offensive coordinator, and he could be a head coaching candidate next season if he turns Mariota into the top-10 caliber quarterback he has the potential to be.

Dick LeBeau not returning as defensive coordinator is the one thing that is worth being concerned about with this coaching staff. Fortunately, the Titans have a veteran defense which will make the loss of LeBeau easier, but not having him at defensive coordinator is a worthwhile concern.

Jon Robinson has done a great job rebuilding this Titans franchise. Looking back the Jared Goff trade was a win-win for both sides. This trade helped accelerate the Titans’ rebuild, and there is no way they would be this high in these power rankings if it weren’t for this trade.

Besides this trade, Robinson has made some smart free agent acquisitions. He is becoming part of the thesis statement of why it’s a good idea to hire disciples of the New England Patriots’ front office.

Overall outlook for 2018

This Titans team is a sneaky contender for the AFC title, but they could easily miss the playoffs as well given the fact they play in one of football’s toughest divisions.

This is a well-rounded team with no real weaknesses on their roster. Their in-division games could be harder than some of the games they would play in the playoffs.

Previous teams:

14. Denver Broncos
15. Dallas Cowboys
16. Kansas City Chiefs
17. Seattle Seahawks
18. New York Giants
19. San Francisco 49ers
20. Indianapolis Colts
21. Detroit Lions
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Chicago Bears
24. Oakland Raiders
25. Baltimore Ravens
26. Washington Redskins
27. Cleveland Browns
28. Buffalo Bills
29. New York Jets
30. Cincinnati Bengals
31. Miami Dolphins
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers