It is incredible to think about what life as a Tennessee Titans fan would have been like if Taylor Lewan's ACL surgery had gone well in 2020.
If Lewan hadn't gotten disqualified from Pro Bowl honors due to a suspension in 2019, he would have captured four straight Pro Bowl appearances prior to his ACL injury in 2020.
Unfortunately, after an up-and-down season in 2021 where he struggled to stay on the field, Lewan played just two more games for the Titans in 2022 before effectively retiring from the NFL at 31 years old.
Lewan's absence was bad enough, but when you are forced to find starters at left tackle and you end up with Dennis Daley and Andre Dillard, it turns a bad situation into a nightmare. To make things worse, the rest of the line quickly decayed with injuries and age catching up to the likes of Rodger Saffold and Ben Jones.
As the line imploded, the rest of the team spiraled, bringing us to where we are today.
Don't discount the obvious upgrades
For the sake of Titans fans, and the sake of anyone with eyes, the biggest issue might have been solved after GM Ran Carthon drafted J.C. Latham in the first round to play left tackle.
If the Titans sat on their hands and only made that change on the offensive line, the line would already have been leaps and bounds better, given how bad Dillard and Daley were. Even if Latham isn't a star out of the gate, an average starting left tackle is hard to find, especially one with a trump card like his elite strength and size.
However, that isn't the only thing the Titans did. They acquired a massive upgrade at center, adding a certified people-mover, and one of the best pass-blocking centers in the NFL, Lloyd Cushenberry via free agency (even if PFF forgot about that when ranking centers earlier this offseason).
Even if you're conservative with your projections on what Latham and Cushenberry will be in Tennessee, Carthon made clear improvements to the personnel on the offensive line. But personnel changes weren't enough, so he and new head coach Brian Callahan also brought in one of the best offensive line coaches in NFL history in Bill Callahan.
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report noted all of this when he recently called the Tennessee Titans' offensive line the most improved offensive line group in the NFL and the third-biggest upgrade of any position group this offseason. In his analysis he said,
"Callahan himself must be added to the equation. The elder coach followed his son to the Volunteer State after the latter earned his first head coaching gig. Callahan is arguably the league's best offensive line coach. His presence alone will drastically improve the Titans' front five.
Along with the additions of running back Tony Pollard and wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, the Titans could be in the playoff conversation after finishing dead last in the AFC South last season."
That is very high praise and it is a contrarian take right now with many people ready to bury the Titans at the bottom of the NFL this season.
Shutting out the negativity
Even Titans fans have a hard time believing that this offensive line might be good this season, and they have every right to be cautious. If you are looking for a reason to be concerned, you can look at the right side of the offensive line and get nervous about what happens there this season.
I would encourage all of the fans who are concerned about the right side of the line to listen to Jared Stillman's interview with Trevor Matich on July 2nd. The former first-round pick played on the offensive line for 12 seasons in the NFL before starting his career as a broadcaster and analyst for ESPN. When it comes to discussing offensive linemen, there aren't many people with his level of experience, so he is always very interesting and informative.
While discussing the offensive line, Matich described the Titans' situation there in a way that I hadn't thought about. He said,
"Last year the right side of the line was the strength of the offensive line. This year some of those same guys are over there competing and we will see who ends up starting at right guard and right tackle...last year the weak spot was center and left tackle with poor Peter Skoronski in the middle coming back from an appendectomy early in the season."
That is completely accurate. On the right side, Daniel Brunskill and Dillon Radunz were actually a very solid combination for the last two months of the season. They weren't Pro Bowlers, but Brunskill was league average, and Radunz was one of the better right tackles in the NFL for a stretch, even though he received help from tight ends.
Saahdiq Charles and Nicholas Petit-Frere are likely going to be the starters at right guard and right tackle this season, but in order to confirm that, they have to prove to this new coaching staff that they are better than Brunskill and Radunz respectively.
So if we all agree that Brunskill and Radunz were average, then that means that the right guard and right tackle spots should be average or better throughout 2024.
Putting all of that together, you can expect that every spot on the offensive line is going to be average or better than they were last season. Tennessee's center (Lloyd Cushenberry), left guard (Peter Skoronski), and left tackle (J.C. Latham) all have a legitimate chance to be above average, good, or even great at the position.
After watching every one of these players extensively in the offseason, and listening to analysis from several informed analysts, Titans fans need to stop asking if this offensive line is going to be good.
They should start asking if this is one of the 10 best offensive lines in the NFL.
