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ESPN Insider Offseason Priorities: Tennessee Titans

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The Tennessee Titans were one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, finishing at 2-14. As you'd expect, they face no shortage of personnel issues heading into the offseason, starting at the most important position on the field.

What are their top offseason priorities? Let's take a look.

1. Decide how to use second overall pick

The Titans emerged from the 2014 season with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. Tampa Bay owns the first pick. Both teams should be in the market for starting quarterbacks. Neither team was expecting to draft this early.

The Titans must maximize this opportunity. If they love two quarterbacks in this draft -- and right now, our ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay view Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston as the clear-cut top two QB prospects in this class -- they'll be in position to draft one of them. They are also in a situation where ownership needs to sell some hope. Drafting a quarterback to build around can help get that accomplished.

2. If they don't draft a QB, find another way to strengthen the position

Veteran Jake Locker and rookie Zach Mettenberger carried significant injury concerns into the 2014 season. Those concerns proved to be justified. Neither made it through the season. Locker is not expected back even though he is arguably the most talented quarterback on the roster. Mettenberger figures to get a shot at the starting job, but the Titans need to have other viable options.

They will have a shot at drafting one of the higher-rated quarterbacks, as mentioned above, but how well will the available prospects fit the profile Ken Whisenhunt has established for the position? To what degree would the coaching staff adapt to a quarterback with a different style? Could Jay Cutler make sense, either through a trade with Chicago or if the Bears let him go? The Cutler-Titans match was one suggested to me by a league source in December.

3. Reassess talent-coaching dynamic

Whisenhunt and staff went into their first season in Tennessee thinking there was enough talent to be respectable right away. But after a 2-14 season, Whisenhunt now has a 3-25 record in his past 28 games as a head coach. Did the new staff in Tennessee do a poor job of evaluating the talent left over? Did they do a poor job of coaching? Did they miscalculate how the players they inherited projected into their systems on offense and defense? Was it all of the above? This team needs an honest internal assessment before setting its course for the offseason.

4. Set reasonable goals in free agency

Team president/CEO Tommy Smith has vowed to move aggressively during the offseason to upgrade the roster. Free agenhttp://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12093591/offseason-fixes-tennessee-titans-nflcy, the draft and trades are critical vehicles to roster improvement, but there are few quick fixes. Increases in salary-cap space will make it easier for teams to retain their best players, further diminishing what is available in free agency. There could be a gap between Smith's bold talk and what can realistically be achieved in short order.

5. Figure out the offensive line

Replacing Mike Munchak with Whisenhunt meant the Titans would become more of a passing team by nature. They will need to set up their offensive line accordingly. The team has used high picks the past two years for Taylor Lewan and Chance Warmack, but 10 players started on the line this season. That has been the pattern over the past three years after Tennessee enjoyed relative continuity up front for several seasons previously.

Offseason fixes for Tennessee Titans - NFL - ESPN
By Mike Sando
 
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