The AFC South was a hard division to nail down throughout the season. The Jaguars were the clear favorite entering the season and the Texans and Colts were favorites to win 3rd and 4th place. Mike Vrabel and the Titans had many issues including a lack of aggressive offense and a defense that kept getting burned.
Here is one move every AFC South team can do to improve their roster this offseason.
Houston Texans: Sign Safety Jordan Whitehead
The Texans are a team that is heading in the right direction. They drafted arguably the best offensive and defensive player in the draft and it worked out. They went from second overall pick to losing in the Divisional Round the next season.
Rookie QB C.J. Stroud was electric leading the Texans to a 10-7 season and they became the hottest team in the NFL heading into Wild Card weekend. Will McDonald IV was another fantastic addition giving the Texans a much-needed boost in the pass-rushing arena. Even the wide receivers produced with another outstanding draft pick Nico Collins gaining the trust of Stroud and catching nearly 1,300 yards with a great showing in the Wild Card rout against the Browns.
The Texans don't have a glaring hole in their roster and the rookies will presumably produce at a higher level next season as the hunger for the Super Bowl will linger. This being said, the Texans need some upgrades in their passing defense. Houston gave up over 4,300 yards in the passing game and allowed 17 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Jordan Whitehead will likely be a salary cap causality for the Jets and Houston should attempt to sign him to at least a 3-year deal. The 26-year-old is coming off a great season on a team that struggled without Rodgers in the lineup.
Indianapolis Colts: Re-sign Wide Receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
I'll admit I've been a Colts fan since I was about 8 years old, and Peyton Manning came to town. The legacy Manning and Dungy left behind was always going to be hard to obtain. This year, the Colts had a rough go with Jonathan Taylor holding out and the injury to Anthony Richardson.
The Colts offense struggled throughout the season leading to losing multiple games by less than 10 points and even losing games where they had the lead in the 4th quarter. Backup QB Gardner Minshew played well and is probably the best backup in the league. However, the star of the show was wide receiver Michael Pittman.
Pittman has had a crazy career so far. He's played with and practiced with more quarterbacks than many receivers play within their career and had more OCs and head coaches than other successful receivers. But, he's still productive through it all. His comments regarding testing the Free Agent market make me think the Colts and Pittman are far apart in either guaranteed money or length of time under contract.
Whatever the case, the Colts must retain him. With a weak receiver room even with him under contract, their options are limited as Chris Ballard isn't one to spend big money in free agency so Mike Evans won't be coming to town and Alec Pierce isn't a clear #1 receiver either. Josh Downs had a great season, but he's also not a #1 and the tight ends aren't going to be top receivers either.
Pay Michael Pittman, and pay him well.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trade for or sign a top Cornerback
The Jaguars have been absent a shutdown corner since Jalen Ramsey left and their defense has suffered because of it. The Jags gave up 27 touchdowns through the air to only 16 interceptions while giving up over 4,300 yards. This being said, the Jags need a top corner and there's a candidate I think the Jags could grab.
The Buffalo Bills are in cap hell right now and a casualty of that cap hell will more than likely be Tre'Davious White. The Bills will look to trade him before the draft to see if they can get a 2nd or 3rd-round pick for him, and the Jags have enough cap space to take on his deal. Trading White would save the Bills about $13 million and releasing him will save only $8 million.
White had a great season last year and is currently signed through 2025 which gives the Jags enough time to negotiate a long-term deal. the 29-year-old is coming off a season where he only played four games but looked good in those four games. Obviously the Jags would take a risk of an injury-prone corner nearing 30, but when White is on the field he's a darn good cornerback and I'm fairly certain the Bills would take $0.75 on the dollar due to their cap situation.
Tennessee Titans: Sign Mike Evans
You might be wondering why I'm saying this with DeAndre Hopkins on the team, but we can't ignore that Hopkins has lost a step. With this being said, the Titans biggest enemy was their offensive coordinator, not their head coach. Mike Vrabel was a great head coach and was respected by the team and the leaders of the locker room.
This being said the NFL is a production business and the firing of Vrabel was an obvious business decision. The hiring of Brian Callahan tells me they are willing to invest in Will Levis and will be looking to add some weapons to their offense this offseason. The Titans sit at the 8th overall pick and could look to either trade up for Marvin Harrison Jr. or they could sign a veteran free agent.
This year, Mike Evans will be the top receiver in free agency but what if they could sign Evans and trade up for Marvin Harrison Jr? That would mean they'd be rostering Hopkins, Evans, and Harrison Jr. Many Titans fans have complained of their lack of aggressiveness in the passing game and their need to stick to the power run,1980s style of ball. Will Levis and Brian Callahan tell me they plan to air the ball out this season.
In order for Levis to be successful, they need to get him weapons.