After winning just three games during the 2024 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans actually have a favorable schedule this year. They'll play the fourth-place finisher from other divisions, the AFC South is still relatively weak, and the NFC West is an easy draw compared to other divisions in the conference.
Unfortunately, the team will have to make a long trek out west on multiple occasions to face the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. The Titans face the Cardinals and Raiders in consecutive weeks, and in years past, the decision-makers for Tennessee have opted to stay out west in such circumstances.
However, head coach Brian Callahan is not going to abide by the decisions of past regimes. According to AtoZ Sports' Easton Freeze, the team is making a key change this season in terms of how they will approach back-to-back games in the west.
"They will not (stay out west), per team sources," Freeze wrote. "They're both ultimately not that bad of trips, I was told. And on top of it not being worth an extended stay logistically, those who have paid attention to the Titans long enough will know that the last time a Titans team stayed out west, it didn't go very well."
Callahan may have had a rough start to his young head coaching career, but with new general manager Mike Borgonzi helping him out, things have a chance to turn around quickly. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward will also be a key factor in the success of this team, but if they cannot figure things out, Callahan could be on the chopping block.
Titans Defender Named Best-Kept Secret
The Tennessee Titans are going to need players to step up after Harold Landry III joined the New England Patriots following a goodbye from the team that drafted him in 2018.
With Landry gone, a new player will have to emerge as the top pass rusher, and there's reason to believe that could become Arden Key.
Bleacher Report writer Matt Holder named Key as the team's "best-kept secret."
"Likely part of the reason the Titans felt comfortable letting Harold Landry III go this offseason is because Key has been a steady presence on the edge," Holder wrote.
"He’s racked up six and six-and-a-half sacks during his two years in Tennessee, respectively, and has gotten to the quarterback 26.5 times since getting waived by the Raiders four years ago."
Key may not have had the greatest start to his career, but he is improving with age, and that helps the Titans out tremendously.
With Landry gone, this means Key should get more attention from opposing defenses and pundits alike. Recently, Pro Football Focus writer Jonathon Macri named Key the team's most underrated player.
"Key has bounced around the league a bit in his NFL career, playing for his fourth team in seven years now as a member of the Titans for the past two seasons. He has gone from being more of a role player on previous teams to that of a workhorse edge for Tennessee, playing more than 700 defensive snaps and landing six and 6.5 sacks, respectively, in each season with the team," Macri wrote.
"Over the past four seasons, Key has earned a 77.2 PFF pass-rush grade, which ranks 38th among 169 qualifying edge defenders since 2021."
Key's contract expires at season's end, so he'll be looking to go all out in hopes of landing another big deal in the spring.
