NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Fifty-two percent of the Titans current 52-man roster is new.
Counting 12 starters on each side to accommodate three-wide and two-tight on offense and base and nickel on defense, the 24 “starters” include 16 new players (66 percent).
That is sweeping change under a coaching staff that includes a new boss and 18 other new people.
Teams go from bad to good often in the NFL and it’s one of the top things that makes the league so entertaining.
Chad Brinker said in the spring that the pace of how quickly the Titans gel will go a long way toward
determining their success in their first year with him as president of football operations and Brian Callahan as head coach.
From March 21st: How Chad Brinker, Ran Carthon Will Define Success for 2024 Titans
And that was with a good deal of change still ahead.
“Any time you’re adding new players, new faces, you people, you’re looking at change, you’re looking at relationships you have to build,” Brian Callahan said. “I feel really good about the ones we’ve built so far. And we’ll add in the guys that we’ve added in, and keep pushing forward. I think we’ve got the right people which Is what I think makes the biggest difference, really good people on the roster, on our coaching staff, on our team and people I think are really good at building relationships.
“I’m not going to gloss over it and say everyone always comes in on the same page every second, every moment. It takes work. The guys who have been here have worked at it and we’ll continue to work with the guys that we added, so it will always be in progress I think.”
Carthon said the transition is a testament to the leaders that the Titans have. He cited Jeffery Simmons and Will Levis for the work they’ve done. We know the two arranged one big outing to Top Golf during training camp for guys to bind off property and away from football.
The GM also pointed to a couple of working relationships he’s watched form between new teammates: Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd running post-practice sprints together regularly and Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard, who will share running back duties, “joined at the hip at every turn.”
“That’s pretty consistent across our roster,” Carthon said.
Success this year will include building a long-term foundation, Callahan said.
“Something that is going to be enduring, sustainable for the foreseeable future,” he said. “There is a lot of work in building the culture of the building between the coaches and players, our coaches and our front office staff, our coaches and our front office staff and the rest of our building. So that’s part of an ongoing process for us.
“I’m looking to continue building a foundation and you’re hoping that’s what propels you. We have talented players, we have talented coaches, I feel good about our team’s ability to be competitive in these games that we have to play and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
Yes, success will be defined by how much the Titans win.
I expect they will improve on last year’s 6-11 mark. A playoff berth may be asking a lot, though. Since the field expanded to seven teams per conference in 2020, teams have qualified with 9-8 and 9-7-1 records but it's also taken 10-6 and
Other big measures of success will come with how well the Titans answer these questions:
💥 Is Callahan a successful play-caller and does his scheme work conceptually?
Early returns are good. We won't know what they mean until we see things in meaningful situations.
💥 Does the offensive line, coming off two brutal years, make significant gains with back-to-back first-round picks and Bill Callahan as position coach?
There have been no complaints about JC Latham's move to the left side and Peter Skoronski looks good at the start of Year 2. Lloyd Cushenberry was just elected a captain. The right side and the depth are the questions.
💥 Do the Titans come out of the season feeling confident that Will Levis is a long-term starting quarterback they can win with?
He's going to be more efficient by the design of the plays, with progressions and checks. He's got better protections and weapons. But we still need to see him do the things that make him consistent enough to be a guy who qualifies as the guy.
💥 Can first-time defensive play-caller Dennard Wilson find the right mix of pass pressure with blitzes to support his front?
He needs healthy guys and to win the game of odds and matchups at a high rate.
💥 Has injury luck turned in their favor after a terrible stretch despite reliance on some players brought in with injury concerns headlined by L’Jarius Sneed and including Jamal Adams and Chidobe Awuzie?
A new strength and conditioning staff didn't fix Kyle Phillip's hamstring or prevent issues for Chidobe Awuzie or DeAndre Hopkins. Those sorts of demands were ridiculous on the previous staff. Will they be the same from the fan base now? And whatever it takes, can fewer guys miss fewer games?