Tennessee Titans: Offensive Identity is Forming

The Tennessee Titans are trying to become a better football team in 2016. Finding their offensive identity will help them accomplish that.

In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans had Marcus Mariota fall into their lap with the second overall pick. After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jameis Winston first overall, the Titans made the no-brainer decision to select the versatile Mariota.

At Oregon, Mariota was the leader on a very explosive offense in college, but his transition to the NFL was a difficult one. The Titans didn’t have a lot of help for Mariota on offense to succeed in 2015, and that was one of their main goals this offseason.

After failing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, DeMarco Murray was traded to the Titans with a fourth round pick for the Titans’ fourth-round pick in 2016. After having one of the best single seasons we have ever seen by a running back in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys, Murray was never able to find his groove with Chip Kelly and the Eagles.

Last season, Murray totaled 702 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and 3.6 yards per carry average. The Eagles did their best to clean the roster of all things related to Kelly, and Murray was one of those casualties this offseason. The Titans are in need of an identity on offense, and their current roster has them best-suited to be an effective running team.

"“That’s a lot of talent and a lot of excitement,” Mariota said while at a football camp in Virginia, to Dave Johnson of the Daily Press. “Now it’s on our shoulders to bring that together, build a chemistry for the season, and hopefully lead to some wins. I told Coach Mike that I’ll hand the ball off 40 times a game if we win games. That’s what’s important to me, to giving us an opportunity to win. Having those two workhorses back there should help us out.”"

Mariota certainly has the tools to be a great quarterback in the NFL, but he does need some experience in the NFL before that happens. In the meantime, having a great running game will be a huge help in the development of their young quarterback.

In addition to adding Murray this offseason to help solidify the backfield, the Titans also used their second-round pick on running back Derrick Henry from Alabama. Henry was able to wrap up his college career in 2015 with a Heisman Trophy for the Crimson Tide, as he totaled 2,219 rushing yards in his junior season.

If Murray can regain his form from 2014 and Henry lives up to the expectations of a Heisman Trophy winner, the Titans will have a lot of talent in their backfield to support Mariota. Even great running backs need a good offensive line in front of them, and the additions of Jack Conklin in the draft, and Ben Jones in free agency will certainly help that.

It has been a tough few seasons to watch Titans football, but they appear to at least have an identity forming which will hopefully translate into more wins.

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