Tennessee Titans
1st AFC South · 11-5, 0-1 playoffs
The Titans must: get Mike Vrabel more help on defense.
Vrabel has been a defensive coordinator or head coach in four NFL seasons. In two of those four seasons (with the 2017 Texans and 2020 Titans), his defenses have been among the very worst in football. The other two seasons, the Titans' defense was mediocre. It's clear that Vrabel's coaching isn't providing a tremendous advantage; in fact, there's an argument to be made that he's providing a
disadvantage. It's not for lack of trying -- the Titans have spent tons of money and draft capital on defense. Their free agent signings last season (
Vic Beasley and
Jadeveon Clowney) did not work out, but the Titans have also struggled to draft difference makers. Still, there were enough quality individual performances (
Jeffery Simmons,
Kevin Byard,
Malcolm Butler,
Jayon Brown) to make the Titans' defensive collapse perplexing. Whether it was the loss of old defensive coordinator Dean Pees or Vrabel's coaching, Tennessee's pass rush was non-existent. Promoting Shane Bowen from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator, when Bowen called the plays last year, doesn't feel like much of a change. What Vrabel and GM Jon Robinson have done on defense through three seasons hasn't worked, so they need to try something different.