Tennessee Titans in AFC South catbird seat amid Colts injuries

The AFC South appears to be the Tennessee Titans’ for the taking as the rest of the division is getting left in shambles.

After finishing second in the AFC South in three of the previous four seasons, the Tennessee Titans were able to get over the hump in the 2020 campaign to win the division for the first time since 2008 with an 11-5 record. But unlike their previous two playoff appearances, they failed to win a game in the postseason.

Thus, the organization went into the offseason ready to make some big changes and those have come. Tennessee traded for wide receiver Julio Jones while Corey Davis left in free agency. They also revamped their secondary, parting with Adoreé Jackson and Malcolm Butler while signing Janoris Jenkins and using their first-round pick on Caleb Farley. They also beefed up their edge defenders with a rich free agency deal for Bud Dupree.

Most people expected the Titans to be good but also in a precarious spot. There are concerns about the defense and the overall depth but, with Derrick Henry, Jones, A.J. Brown, Ryan Tannehill and the offense, they were expected to compete for the AFC South crown again. But with recent developments, they should run away with the division.

Those recent developments, of course, are the Indianapolis Colts getting decimated with injuries. After Carson Wentz went down with a foot injury that will sideline him for 5-12 weeks, star guard Quenton Nelson went down with the same ailment (and subsequent surgery) and will be out the same amount of time.

Not winning the AFC South would be an indictment on the Tennessee Titans.

With no proven contingency plan for Wentz at quarterback and now without their best offensive lineman, the Colts are looking like they’re in a dire position. This is a well-built roster but, if those two spots aren’t secure as they face a tough early-season schedule, they could end up in a hole they’re unable to climb out of.

Meanwhile, the Houston Texans, a team that might have the worst roster in the NFL outside of their quarterback who, incidentally, is facing a litany of lawsuits that could keep him off the field in 2021 (or he could be traded). As for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they have young talent but are going into the year with a first-year head coach, Urban Meyer, with no NFL experience at the position and a rookie quarterback.

Then we have the Titans. This is a flawed roster and the defense needs to come together. Moreover, they also can’t afford any major injuries to their top guys. But given the way things currently stand, how are they not the runaway favorites now in the AFC South?

Frankly, if they don’t win the division, that’s an indictment on head coach Mike Vrabel and the front office. This is a team that has seen plenty of success over the past half-decade but the AFC South has never been as ripe for the picking as it is coming into the 2021 season. And not getting the job done would be an abject failure for Tennessee.