Tennessee
After a season of blunders and hurt QBs, why is the Tennessee Titans’ O-line still so bad?
HOUSTON — With blood crusting over the open wound on his left elbow and a bandage spread across the back of his left hand, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill joked that he felt a little bit like Keanu Reeves’ John Wick character at the end of one of his movies.
Which John Wick movie? Tannehill says it doesn’t really matter. John Wick gets beat up pretty bad whenever he’s on screen.
Tannehill knows the feeling.
After this year especially.
The veteran quarterback took a beating in the Titans’ 26-3 loss Sunday to the Houston Texans, Tennessee’s third straight loss and seventh in nine weeks. He was sacked five times, and he played barely half of the game. Rookie Will Levis had to exit in the second quarter with a foot injury after he was obliterated on a sack that turned into a fumble and a Texans touchdown.
In two games against the Texans just 14 days apart, the Titans (5-11) allowed 13 sacks and 23 quarterback hits. The 62 sacks allowed for the year are already the second-most in franchise history, and the most in any season since the club moved to Tennessee.
When asked if there were instances where he had no realistic chance to make a play because of the situation he was in, Tannehill answered with brutal honesty.
“Yeah,” he said. “Definitely.”
So what’s actually wrong with the Titans’ offensive line?
The Titans seem pretty certain they know what the problem isn’t.
“It’s definitely not for a lack of effort,” right tackle Dillon Radunz said.
“It’s not a lack of effort,” left guard Peter Skoronski said. “Guys are working.”
“We know what’s going on on the inside,” left tackle Andre Dillard said. “We’re trying to grow and learn from everything that we experience.”
So what’s left? There’s awareness. There’s scheme. There’s execution. And there’s ability.
Awareness didn’t seem to be a problem Sunday; the only penalty called against the Titans’ front was an illegal substitution. So there weren’t any costly holds or false starts, and none of the sacks came from unaccounted-for blitzers.
Which leaves scheme, execution and ability, and it’s tough to separate those. Take rookie John Ojukwu, the sixth lineman who checked in as an eligible receiver 18 times. He was the one veteran who Jerry Hughes blazed past on the sack where Levis got hurt. Speaking with The Tennessean after the game, Ojukwu said he just needs to get into his pass blocking set more quickly to prevent mistakes like that from happening.
Is there anything more the Titans could’ve done to help Ojukwu, Dillard, rookie Jaelyn Duncan or any of the other struggling blockers schematically? Yes and no. Titans coach Mike Vrabel conceded the team probably could stand to chip a little more on third downs or keep an extra blocker in a little more often. But that creates all sorts of other problems.
More blockers means fewer players running routes. When defenses are in zone coverage, fewer routes means less favorable matchups. Which means receivers are less likely to get open quickly. Which means quarterbacks have to hold on to the ball longer. Which defeats the purpose of the extra blockers to begin with.
Running the ball more effectively would help; the Titans averaged only 2.5 yards per carry on 21 carries Sunday. Getting Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears going should free up the play-action passing attack. But the fact that the backs are struggling also could be a product of the offensive line struggles.
Radunz said the line takes full responsibility for the seven plays inside the Texans’ 10-yard line where the offense failed to score a touchdown. And heck, there was a play earlier in the game where the Titans snapped the ball directly to Henry behind seven offensive linemen and two tight ends and he couldn’t even get back to the line of scrimmage.
Henry, for what it’s worth, refused to put any blame on the offensive line. He said everyone needs to be better, himself included. But it’s obvious the season-long struggles are weighing on the guys tasked with opening holes for him.
Why isn’t anything working?
Dillard is tied for the NFL lead with 12 sacks allowed despite playing little more than half of the snaps of the player he’s tied with. He was benched for the third time this season after allowing sacks on back-to-back plays toward the end of the first half, and he was candid about the struggles.
“Surprised? It’s not a happy feeling. I’ll say that,” Dillard told The Tennessean when asked if he’s surprised the effort isn’t leading to better results. “It’s complicated. Obviously we want to do well. We’re not going to give up on that. We’re not going to give up on trying to grow.”
Dillard is one to stay off the internet. He doesn’t read what people are saying about him or his teammates. Doesn’t see value in it. The only opinions that matter, he says, are the ones in the meeting rooms and on the practice fields with him.
But two of those people are Levis and Tannehill. And for the third time this season, the line had to watch as one of their quarterbacks limped off the field after a hard hit and couldn’t return.
“As an offensive lineman, seeing a quarterback be injured is sort of gut-wrenching,” Skoronski said. “It’s like nails on a chalkboard. You never want to see that. It really sucks to be honest with you. We have nobody to blame but our unit.”
It’s enough to ask what all of this effort the players are talking about actually looks like. Dillard said the struggles aren’t as black-and-white as some outside observers may think, and issues that crop up on Sundays aren’t always what they seem. But he said he didn’t see value in expanding on what goes on the other six days of the week.
Some of his teammates did. It’s watching extra film. It’s fundamental work. It’s working on sets and punches and profiling rushers. It’s bonding exercises to build chemistry.
It’s a lot of work. And it’s a lot of work that isn’t exactly paying off when it counts.
Duncan said it didn’t look or feel like the Texans did anything different this time than they did 14 days ago. That’s a tough reality to accept, especially because they played without top edge rusher Jonathan Greenard Sunday. The Texans lined up and did the same thing twice in three games and the Titans had no answers either time.
“We have to be able to protect the quarterback,” Vrabel said. “The numbers are the numbers. You have to be able to protect the quarterback if you want to throw the football in this league.”
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
With OTAs and minicamp now behind us, all we have before the preseason gets underway is training camp. The Titans will enjoy the next month off before getting started with camp in late July.
This time of year is always fun because you get to see a few players come out of nowhere and work their way into the roster discussion. You also get to see if the young players have made progress, and we get a good idea of what the depth chart is looking like. Today, let’s go over eight players who were winners at camp and four who didn’t have the best showings.
Winner: Cam Ward | QB
Cam Ward has to be considered a winner. The quarterback faced a ton of criticism for his performance at OTAs, and if he had gone out and had a bad showing at minicamp, you can just imagine what the talking points would be.
Luckily, Ward looked much more relaxed and efficient during minicamp. On Tuesday, Ward made a few very nice throws, including a sidearm touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm that I’m sure everybody has seen by now. On Wednesday, Ward showed off his chemistry with Wan’Dale Robinson and Chimere Dike, in particular, as both guys caught several passes.
I think we saw what we needed to see from Ward this offseason. He’s a young passer learning a new offense, it’s not crazy to think there are some kinks to work out.
Winner: Tyjae Spears | RB
It seems like many forgot about Spears this offseason. After the talk of Jeremiyah Love around the draft and Nicholas Singleton being added, it seems like not many were expecting big things out of Spears.
However, Spears has done nothing but impress this summer. The Tulane product looks as explosive as ever and had a couple of really nice runs. Spears also caught some passes and mentioned that he actually wants to get even better as a pass-catcher. Spears did well enough this summer that Robert Saleh already said Spears and Pollard will be the bellcows. That has to be a win.
Winner: Xavier Restrepo | WR
Xavier Restrepo was the most productive wide receiver on the team this offseason. The receiver had more catches than any other pass-catcher and legitimately looked like an NFL-caliber player. Restrepo also had probably the most impressive catch of the summer on Wednesday. That’s really saying something, too, considering this receiver room is incredibly deep.
I still think Restrepo still has an uphill battle to make the final roster, but it would have been very difficult to have a better couple of months than Restrepo has had.
Winner: Chimere Dike | WR
Someone who definitely WILL make the roster is fellow receiver, Chimere Dike. Dike was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro as a rookie thanks to his special teams prowess, but he showed off his talent as a wide receiver too this summer.
Dike caught a ton of passes during minicamp and finished behind only Restrepo in total catches this offseason. He offered plenty of value already as a returner, so if he can give more on offense as well, watch out.
Winner: Austin Schlottmann | C
Austin Schlottmann was signed this offseason, and at the time, the deal didn’t exactly make a ton of headlines. It was expected that Schlottmann would be battling for the starting center job with several other players, but it already seems clear that the veteran is the leader for the job.
Schlottmann was made available to the media, which usually is a good sign that the player is in the team’s plans. Teammates and coaches have praised Schlottmann’s leadership and familiarity with Brian Daboll’s offensive system. Schlottmann looks primed to step into the largest role of his career in a system he’s familiar with.
Winner: Pass Rushers
There are several defenders on the line who deserve praise. This defensive front made life hard for the offensive line, especially on Wednesday. Truman Jones, Earnest Brown, Jacob Martin, and Jermaine Johnson II were all credited with would-be sacks on Wednesday.
This is another group that didn’t seem to have the best depth, but looks much better now. The line was able to dominate even without Jeffery Simmons and Femi Oladejo, too, which is more impressive.
Winner: Alontae Taylor | CB
Alontae Taylor was a big-ticket addition for the Titans and is expected to play a crucial role in 2026. Taylor missed some time at OTAs, but if there were any worries about that, those should be put to rest now.
At minicamp, Taylor showed why the Titans valued him so highly. The veteran is talkative and always seemed to be around the ball. The defender almost came down with an interception on Tuesday on a nice play and then had another nice pass breakup on Wednesday. Jim Wyatt noted that Titans fans will love Taylor’s “scrappy play and feistiness.”
Winner: Keydrain Calligan | CB
Keydrain Calligan isn’t a name that was on many radars a month ago. That’s changed now, as the depth corner took full advantage of his opportunities at OTAs and minicamp. Calligan came down with an interception and had several pass breakups over the last few weeks.
I was worried about the corner depth, and I’m still not thrilled with it, but Calligan has made me feel better. The former undrafted free agent also has some versatility and can play safety as well. Perhaps nobody more helped their chance to make the roster than Calligan.
Loser: Hendon Hooker and Will Levis | QB
I didn’t want to just pick on Will Levis, as Hendon Hooker was also underwhelming. Both passers had a perfect chance to impress, considering Mitchell Trubisky missed the first part of OTAs, and neither were able to do so.
There was probably no scenario where Levis or Hooker earned the QB2 spot, but with a good offseason program, they could’ve forced the Titans to keep a third quarterback. Instead, the young passers were either bad or mediocre for the majority of the offseason. I don’t see a scenario where either quarterback is on the final roster.
Loser: Kalel Mullings | RB
As I mentioned above, Saleh has already appointed Pollard and Spears as the team’s top running backs. Rookie Nic Singleton should also factor in as well, but there’s likely going to be four running backs on the roster. This meant that Mullings seemingly entered the offseason with a great shot to stick.
Unfortunately, Mullings didn’t take advantage of his opportunities. Michael Carter, who is also competing for a spot, made more plays, and Julius Chestnut probably has the edge due to his special teams prowess. Mullings still has time, but it would have been nice to have seen him do more this summer.
Loser: Femi Oladejo | EDGE
It feels bad to put Oladejo here because injuries are unavoidable. However, it’s objectively disappointing that Oladejo wasn’t able to do much this offseason. The young pass-rusher missed minicamp with an unspecified injury, missing out on valuable offseason reps.
Oladejo has a shot to fill an important rotational role this year. After losing most of his rookie season, it would have been nice for him to get some hype going this summer. Instead, we’ll head to training camp still not knowing what to expect from Oladejo.
Latrell McCutchin Sr. | CB
I was very high on McCutchin when the Titans signed him right after the draft. McCutchin has good size for the boundary and had a ton of pass breakups in college. With the lack of depth the Titans have at corner, I thought McCutchin had a great shot to make the team.
Instead, McCutchin has been overshadowed by Keydrain Calligan and Micah Robinson. I had McCutchin making the roster over those two originally, but if the season started tomorrow, I’d have the rookie behind both. McCutchin needs a strong camp and preseason to avoid landing on the practice squad.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Tennessee
Tennessee Titans’ Star Jeffrey Simmons Addressed Health and Contract Concerns on Wednesday
The Tennessee Titans wrapped up minicamp on Wednesday and will now head for a summer break. Before heading out, several players spoke with the media. Jeffery Simmons was one of those, and the veteran revealed he’d been managing an elbow issue for years before deciding to address it this offseason.
“That’s the reason why I’ve been wearing a brace, you know? Probably, what, two and a half years to where I wasn’t even able to straighten out my right arm,” Simmons said.
“So to just be able to get that cleaned up… I feel good. I don’t think it’s gonna be a big difference from last year because, like I said, it’s already years in the past… I mean, I played with the brace, and [I might] play with the brace this year, who knows? But at the same time… I feel great. My body feels good, I’ll be ready to go. I’m gonna get back to training camp and hopefully this year continue to keep getting better as a player.”
Let that sink in. Simmons just put together the best season of his career while unable to fully straighten his right arm. That’s absurd.
Big Jeff Speaks: Dollars and Cents
Simmons also made it abundantly clear he’s not interested in any noise on the contract front.
“I think the biggest thing is, since I got to Tennessee, this organization has been nothing but good to me. We’ve been on the same page since I got here. So when it comes down to the contract, I [let] everything play out,” Simmons said.
“Since I got here, I don’t think we [missed] a [beat] in the front office. Me and Ms. Amy, everyone been on the same page. And whenever [it’s] time to talk contract… I know my agent… they’re going to work together to make sure it’s done the right way.
That’s a veteran who knows exactly where he stands — and trusts the people around him to handle the business side.
“One thing when it come down to that contract, we know how messy it could get. And that’s not what I’m looking for, especially going on year eight… This organization been nothing but good to me. So I’m not so focused on the contract right now. Like I said, my goal this offseason is, let me go work my tail off and get ready for training camp.”
The Scariest Part for the Rest of the AFC
Here’s where it gets fun. It’s going to be fascinating to watch how defensive guru and new Titans’ head coach Robert Saleh chooses to deploy Simmons — especially alongside his new running mate, John Franklin-Myers, who signed a three-year, $63 million deal in the spring.
Simmons is legitimately one of the best defenders this organization has ever had. In 2025, he racked up a career-high 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 67 tackles. He’s an absolute monster. For his career, he’s now at 42.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles.
Pairing a player at the peak of his powers with a legit interior running mate, under a head coach whose entire reputation is defensive violence? It’s not a stretch of the imagination to now call Jeffery Simmons arguably the best defender in the AFC. And if he played all of last season with one good arm? Look out.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a Kingsport man was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison after an investigation found that he trafficked large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl from Chattanooga to Sullivan County for distribution.
A release says Aaron Tyshawn Jackson, of Kingsport and formerly of Chattanooga, was sentenced Wednesday to 288 months behind bars by a U.S. District Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
Jackson is set to serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison term.
The release says a federal jury in February convicted Jackson of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
He was also convicted of two other drug-related offenses.
Evidence presented at trial showed Jackson purchased large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Chattanooga for years, and distributed the drugs in Kingsport.
TBI says Jackson was pulled over on October 22nd, 2024, following what they say was a trip to Chattanooga to purchase drugs.
Jackson was in a vehicle with three other people when police attempted to stop the car.
When officers activated their lights and sirens, TBI says Jackson told the driver to “drive,” and a pursuit followed, ending in a crash.
The release says the vehicle reached speeds in excess of 120 mph before the collision.
Authorities said Jackson threw a duffel bag out of the window while fleeing.
The bag contained more than 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and 11 ounces of fentanyl.
Agencies involved in the joint investigation included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Kingsport Police Department, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Chattanooga Police Department, and Etowah Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan L. Gomez and AnCharlene Davis represented the United States.
TBI says the case was part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative focused on illegal immigration enforcement, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
Depend on us to keep you informed as we learn more.
-
Fitness50 seconds agoWhen is the best time to exercise in the heat?
-
Movie Reviews11 minutes ago‘Maa Inti Bangaram’ Movie Review: Samantha Rocks, Writing Suffers
-
World23 minutes agoUS tells ASML it is concerned China may have top chip tool, Bloomberg News reports
-
News26 minutes agoSan Francisco Film Patrons Are Found Dead on Side of Highway
-
Politics31 minutes agoVideo: Reflecting Pool Turns Green, Paint Peels After Renovation
-
Health46 minutes agoNew At-Home DNA Test Reveals if GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs Will Work for You
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoWhat does freedom actually look like? : It’s Been a Minute
-
Technology1 hour agoBarret Zoph is out at OpenAI again after just five months
