While the Tennessee Titans have been busy in free agency, for the most part, their moves didn’t move the needle in power rankings from different outlets. This makes some sense, as the Titans ranked at the bottom of the NFL after the 2024 season, and these moves can only be viewed on paper.
Yes, there have been improvements, but just how much can’t yet be determined. Enter Ben Solak of ESPN, who took a different approach at ranking the offseason moves across the NFL and came up with his own ranking of actual improvement based on many different factors.
The Titans saw a nice jump in the standings and are no longer ranked at the bottom in his rankings of all 32 teams by their offseason process.
27. Tennessee Titans
Key acquisitions and returning players: OT Dan Moore Jr., DE Dre'Mont Jones, G Kevin Zeitler, LB Cody Barton, DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
What I loved: How serious the Titans are about their offensive line. They signed Moore to ensure JC Latham gets to play his natural position on the right side, while Zeitler will serve as a stopgap option at right guard. They added Blake Hance -- who has familiarity with line coach Bill Callahan -- as a swing guard and tackle, and Corey Levin as continued depth at center. Four of the five projected starters will have been acquired in the past two offseasons, which tells me the face-lift is complete and quality offensive line play should be the expectation moving forward.
A good offensive line is a floor raiser for any quarterback -- Will Levis, a veteran or a rookie selected with the No. 1 overall pick.
I didn't love: The impact of the money. Moore is likely to be a fine starter at left tackle, and I can talk myself into Zeitler retaining his level of play despite being 35. But for the $84.6 million in guaranteed money spent -- seventh-most among all teams this offseason -- there's a worrying lack of punch in the Titans' additions. Jones and Barton are replacement-level starters at their positions; Joseph-Day adds good depth, but he's not a starter behind T'Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons.
If Moore and Zeitler can plug up the remaining gaps in the offensive line, perhaps the rising tide of that five-strong unit will equal the value spent on them, but that feels like a reach.
He's not wrong, the Titans have taken a calculated approach to free agency and have done a good job at addressing needs by bringing in solid players who could develop into a nice core during this rebuild. Their free-agent class lacks splash; and their long-term impact remains unknown.
Moving up six spots is a nice jump from the bottom of the standings and with the draft right around the corner, they could see that upward trend continue.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans move up in ESPN's power rankings of their offseason process
