14. Tennessee Titans
The Titans' defense last season is irrelevant at this point. Too much has changed. Although the Titans are not a finished product on that side of the ball, new head coach Robert Saleh is going to be calling the defense and his presence alone will give the Tennessee defense a significant boost.
The moves this team made will obviously give the Titans a huge jolt in the talent department, starting with the addition of John Franklin-Myers on the defensive line. Few defensive linemen have been as consistent as JFM in recent years, and he has been one of the top interior linemen in pressures and sacks over the past couple of seasons.
The Titans also brought in former Jets 1st-round pick Jermaine Johnson to reunite with Saleh, and I loved their move to trade up for Keldric Faulk. They absolutely stole Anthony Hill Jr. in the 2nd round. Given Saleh's track record for player development, I expect this unit to be on the rise in a hurry.
13. Las Vegas Raiders
It's possible that the Raiders backed into not being the worst defense in the NFL this year when the Ravens reneged on the Maxx Crosby trade. Without Crosby, even with all of the additions the Raiders have made, this was a rough-looking group.
The Raiders were 25th in the NFL last year in points allowed, 30th in 3rd-down defense, and they allowed 22 rushing touchdowns (3rd-most in the NFL). They struggled even with Maxx Crosby, so imagine what life would be like without him...
The Raiders threw in the towel quietly on another former 1st-round pick, sending Tyree Wilson to the Saints in a trade during the NFL Draft. The additions of Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean could end up being huge for this team at off-ball linebacker, but the draft selections in the secondary might make the most noticeable difference. Treydan Stukes, Jermod McCoy, Dalton Johnson, and Hezekiah Masses make for a really fascinating class.
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