The Tennessee Titans’ surprising playoff run fell one game short of the Super Bowl, but here are five offseason moves they must make.
The Tennessee Titans squeaked into the playoffs with a 9-7 regular season record, and their postseason stay figure to be short facing the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round. But they pulled that upset, then went to Baltimore and handled the No. 1 seed Ravens in the Divisional Round.
Tennessee started a third straight playoff upset bid strongly in the AFC Championship Game, leading the Kansas City Chiefs 17-7 more than halfway through the second quarter. But the Chiefs ran off 28 unanswered points to take control of the game, and hung on for a 35-24 victory.
The Titans are on a good track, with a solid talent base in place. Ryan Tannehill was a revelation under center after taking over for Marcus Mariota, with seven wins in 10 regular season starts as he set some clear career-best marks. Running back Derrick Henry had another late season surge, all the way to the rushing title (1,540 yards).
With some key decisions coming, all the Titans really need is some targeted reinforcements to be right back in the mix to make a deep playoff run next year.
On that note, here are five offseason moves that should be top priority for the Tennessee Titans.
5. Cut Delanie Walker
Walker has been something of an icon in Titans’ recent history, but it’s time to say goodbye. He has played just eight games over the last two seasons, and at 36 years old by the time next season starts it’s not like he’s going to suddenly become more durable.
The veteran tight end carries a cap hit a shade north of $8 million for 2020, the final year of his contract, but the Titans would only carry $1.66 million in dead money if they cut him. The team has plenty of cap space right now, but an extra $6.4 million never hurts.
Walker played less than 20 percent of Tennessee’s offensive snaps (201 total) in his seven games this season. But that’s also a solid chunk of snaps that can go to Jonnu Smith, Anthony Firkser or even MyCole Pruitt, and the Titans should have no trouble making that happen. Walker surely understands the business, and he may very well retire anyway.