The Tennessee Titans could have won the Super Bowl during the Mike Vrabel era. There’s no double in my mind. I mean, as a head coach he logged a W against every team except the Steelers and Cardinals. They beat Tom Brady’s Patriots in the playoffs, then beat the Ravens. They beat Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen. It’s a testament to how hard it is to actually win. But, with Mike Vrabel fired and staples like Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill on their way out, it’s a new era in Tennessee. And, if Will Levis develops the way we hope, it could be an exciting one. To prepare for the new era, let’s take a look at the Tennessee weapons depth chart from both an NFL perspective and a fantasy football perspective to do a little preview of what’s to come in free agency!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

Fantasy Relevant Depth Chart

Quarterback

Will Levis

Ryan Tannehill

Malik Willis

 

Running Back

Derrick Henry

Tyjae Spears

Hassan Haskins

Julius Chestnut

Wide Receiver

DeAndre Hopkins

Chris Moore

Colton Dowell

 

Wide Receiver

Treylon Burks

Mason Kinsey

  

Wide Receiver

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Kyle Philips

  

Tight End

Chigoziem Okonkwo

Josh Whyle

Trevon Wesco

Kevin Rader


White = unrestricted free agent

Green = role is safe

Yellow = role could be in jeopardy

Red = could be traded or released

PROJECTED 2024 SALARIES:~ $178M

ESTIMATED 2024 CAP SPACE: ~$74M

Quarterback

Will Levis: A lot of folks forget how much slander Josh Allen got as a prospect. In fact, it lasted for two years in the NFL. And, honestly, rightfully so to some degree was he wasn’t even in the top 32 QBs for completion percentage either season. What they said about Josh Allen was that he had the physical tools but he needed to develop. A guy like Josh Allen honed his craft and became great while other players of that ilk, like Jay Cutler, might not have put in enough work on the fundamentals. We don’t know for sure how Will Levis will pan out but you’ve got a raw talent with a big arm here and that’s exciting both for the Titans and for fantasy gamers. 

Ryan Tannehill: The Tannehill era is over. The question now is whether he wants to compete for a starting job or if he’s content being a backup and “coach on the field” a la Andy Dalton with the Panthers. Teams at the top of the draft are expected to draft QBs but there are some opportunities to start out there with teams like the Raiders, Falcons, or Steelers.

Malik Willis: It became clear pretty quickly that Malik Willis was not likely going to pan out but very few third round QBs do. Over the last 40 years, the best is Russell Wilson and the next best are guys like Chris Chandler or Matt Schaub. The question now is whether Willis makes the roster as a backup or whether they consider bringing in a veteran. Continuing to develop Willis is interesting but they might want someone 

TITANS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Malik Willis is interesting to develop as a prospect but it’s difficult to trade those guys without them playing much and you have your starter. The appeal of a veteran would be to help Levis develop while helping run the scout team so they could go that way if they can do it with an affordable deal.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Teddy Bridgewater, Blaine Gabbert, Trevor Siemian, Matt Barkley

Running Back

Derrick Henry: All indications are that Derrick Henry’s Titans tenure is coming to an end and that he’ll hit the free agent market as the team moves in a new direction. He should land somewhere where he’s at least the front end of a committee, operating on early downs and short yardage situations. There are a number of teams in “win now” situations that could use his services like the Philadelphia Eagles or the Baltimore Ravens.

Tyjae Spears: Spears is highlighted in green above but, to me, he probably should be more of a yellow-green. His CURRENT role is safe in that he’ll at least serve as the passing down back. There is one key part of that role where he excelled which was pass blocking. Of the backs that blocked on 60+ pass plays, only four had a grade over 70 per Pro Football Focus.

  • Tyjae Spears - 79.6
  • Saquon Barkley - 76.6
  • Antonio Gibson 71.9
  • Tony Pollard 70.6

The hope for fantasy football purposes is that he can transition into the starter and a full-time back this year. But they could bring in a heavy hitter on a cheap deal to help with short yardage. Either way though, barring them bringing in a high-end option, he’s at least looking to have the same role or better in 2024 which is more of a green than a yellow for me.

Hassan Haskins: It has been rocky for Hassan Haskins to say the least. He missed the entire season with injury this year.  Then he faced some fairly serious allegations from his girlfriend that have since been dismissed. He has been removed from the commissioner exempt list so, at the end of the day, whether he makes the team will boil down to how his rehab goes and how the team views him as a player. He could be released for over $800K in savings with $346K in dead cap.

Julius Chestnut: Chestnut is an exclusive rights free agent so he could be retained for a fairly cheap price if they chose to do so in 2024. That would primarily be a depth play if they keep him.

TITANS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Titans technically have the cap space to go big on a free agent if they want but that feels like a move you do down the road if you need. It doesn’t make much sense to go for a guy like Austin Ekeler if you are letting Derrick Henry walk so, if they go big, it would be on someone like Josh Jacobs or Saquon Barkley who are 3-4 years younger than Henry. More realistically, maybe they just supplement the smaller Spears with a bruiser.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard, Gus Edwards, AJ Dillon, D’Onta Foreman, Rashaad Penny, 

Wide Receiver

DeAndre Hopkins: DeAndre Hopkins is in red here specifically because he’s a trade candidate. Rumors did swirl about that this year at the deadline. But for fantasy football purposes you don’t need to worry as he’s a top two target on the Titans as is and, if a team is going to acquire him, they will do so to make him a focal point. So the dynasty value for Hopkins is safe, regardless of where he is playing. 

Treylon Burks: Burks is still a mystery box to some degree. The big issue is that he was touted as a raw talent but injuries have largely prevented them from developing this talent. His roster spot is in tact but his role could be jeopardy as a top two target on the team (which is crucial for fantasy success). He was behind DeAndre Hopkins in the pecking order but also operated behind Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine and Chris Moore at times in terms of snaps. All it takes is for the Titans to add one WR in free agency or the draft that lands ahead of Burks in the pecking order and his upside takes a big hit.

Kyle Philips: Philips played the vast majority of his snaps out of the slot as a part time player. For him to have fantasy relevance, you’d need the Titans to do very little at WR in free agency and commit to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylong Burks on the outside with Philips in the slot in 11 personnel. It feels like an uphill battle but his roster spot should be safe.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine: NWI operated as the split end in this offense give his size. Colton Dowell is really the only other player on the team with that size and he’s likely to miss most of the year so there’s a real chance the Titans bring either Westbrook-Ikhine back or Chris Moore if they don’t spend up on a new split end. We’ll hit on it below but there are a couple great split ends out there…

Chris Moore: As we mentioned, this boils down to what they want to do at split end. He’s not the long term solution but could be a short term one. 

Mason Kinsey: Like most guys called up from the practice squad, Kinsey could be cut for $915K in savings with zero dead cap so he’ll need to earn his spot. His special teams contributions make that possible and, if they keep him, they can keep him on an affordable exclusive rights free agent deal in 2025 as well. 

Colton Dowell: The local 7th round pick not only made the team but found his way on the field via special teams. Was a real shame to see him suffer a serious injury in their Week 17 game which will cost him a huge chunk of 2024.

TITANS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: There are a lot of directions they can go here. They have cap and, at the high end for split ends, you have guys like Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, and Michael Pittman. I doubt they would go with Evans as he’s older and Michael Pittman is probably staying in Indy so Higgins is the best bet. After them the split end options are guys like DJ Chark or Demarcus Robinson so they might as well stick with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine/Chris Moore or go through the draft.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Michael Pittman, Tee Higgins, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine, Chris Moore.

Tight End

Chigoziem Okonkwo: This is a player I like. He’s incredibly athletic - he ran the same 40 time as George Kittle who leads all tight ends in 40+ yard plays since he’s come into the league. He’s not as big as Kittle though so he’d need to develop into more of an Evan Engram type. There is a risk that they do want a more typical tight end but the free agent market is loaded with options there. I could see Chig being the pass-catching tight end if he can hold off Josh Whyle.

Josh Whyle: Whyle isn’t as athletic as Chig but he does have prototypical tight end size. We don’t know for sure what direction new head coach Brian Callahn is going to go here. We do know he likes to run 11 personnel which usually favors one balanced tight end (which would favor Whyle). More on that below. 

Trevon Wesco/Kevin Rader: Both are free agents. Given the use of blocking tight ends like Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox during his time in Cincinnati, there might be room for one of these two in Brian Callahan’s offense. They don’t offer much in terms of pass-catching.

TITANS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: This is interesting. They could either draft a tight end or go for one in free agency to be TE1. In free agency, the options aren’t mind blowing but the best two-way tight ends are included below. Otherwise, they might just add a blocking tight end then let Chig and Whyle battle it out for pass-catching reps. If you have Chig Onkonkwo on your dynasty team and can afford a spot, it might make sense to sneak Whyle on there. If Callahan does decide to sneak his buddy Tanner Hudson on the team (who is a free agent), I’d probably avoid the whole situation for fantasy. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Noah Fant, Gerald Everett, Drew Sample, Mitchell Wilcox, Tanner Hudson

NFL Free Agency Previews

Discover our other breakdowns for the rest of the league ahead of 2024 NFL free agency: