Friday, September 8, 2023

Tennessee Titans Week 1 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2023 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Below you will find a Week 1 roundup for the Tennessee Titans in our consensus 2023 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 26

On the hot seat: CB Kristian Fulton

Fulton is on the hot seat, but not because of a lack of performance when he's on the field. He has shown he's capable of taking on the opposing team's top receivers. This is a contract year, and the Titans need to see that he can play weekly. Fulton has just 24 starts over the past three seasons. Many of the injuries that kept him out of the lineup have been of the soft-tissue variety, so he went to Miami for individual training starting in February. Titans coach Mike Vrabel said this is the best shape he's seen Fulton in since he got to Nashville. -- Turron Davenport

NFL.com -- Rank: 22

Especially on offense, the Titans feel like they're entering a flashpoint season, capable of going one of two ways. Either veterans Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins flourish and put the Titans back in real contention, or they flame out collectively, pushing this franchise into the rebuild some (not Jeffery Simmons!) thought might occur this offseason. But there are two younger players entering critical seasons who can go a long way toward helping the veteran core: WR Treylon Burks and LT Andre Dillard. After a tough rookie season, Burks dealt with an LCL sprain in August. Can his ability shine through? Is Dillard truly a first-round talent who never got a proper shake in Philly? If those two players flourish, the Titans could really have an offensive foundation in place. If they struggle, all bets are off.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 22

They will be tough, physical and stay in most of their games. That's the Mike Vrabel way. But this season is about Ryan Tannehill and the passing game.

USA Today -- Rank: 20

With a clean start, Tennessee could certainly reassert itself atop the AFC South. If not, you wonder if this team will be recognizable after the trade deadline.

The Athletic -- Rank: 22

Best-case scenario: Underestimated again, Mike Vrabel's ability to get the most out of his players continues. Derrick Henry never slows down, DeAndre Hopkins brings the same dynamic Brown used to, and Chigoziem Okonkwo breaks out with a Pro Bowl berth. Jeffery Simmons and a healthy Harold Landry combine for more than 20 sacks, and the most injured defense in football a year ago turns into a top-five unit. The Jaguars are overrated by the bumbling national media, leaving the Titans to win the division that has so often been theirs over the last decade.

Worst-case scenario: After a slow start, new general manager Ran Carthon trades Ryan Tannehill to the Falcons at the deadline so he can find out if either Malik Willis or Will Levis can be penciled in as the starting quarterback in 2024. Both players underwhelm in their tryouts, and the Titans are left without a long-term answer.

FOX -- Rank: 30

I'm not giving Mike Vrabel enough credit for being a hell of a coach, but it's just hard to see the vision. As much as the Titans like to pound the rock and rely on play action, their offensive line is a wreck and I'm not sure Peter Skoronski is enough to fix it. The defense is going to be good because Vrabel is coaching them, but is that enough?

Yahoo! -- Rank: 22

All the camp reports on Treylon Burks were good, until he sprained his LCL in his knee. But Burks returned to practice last week and it doesn't seem like it will be a long-term issue. The Titans need Burks to be a playmaker in his second season.

PFT -- Rank: 17

They're largely overlooked and ignored. Just the way Mike Vrabel would want it.

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