ESPN gives underrated ranking to Tennessee Titans skill players

The Tennessee Titans’ offense dominated in the second half of the 2019 season, yet ESPN ranks their playmakers in the bottom half of the league.

When you look at who the Tennessee Titans will be putting on the field to run the offense in 2020, the Titans look poised to have double-digit wins and win the AFC South.

Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and AJ Brown headline the offense and could be a lethal trio. According to ESPN, that likely won’t be the case.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN ranked the NFL’s offensive weapons and somehow came to the conclusion that the Titans are not only in the bottom half but the bottom third of the league.

Barnwell ranked the Titans at No. 22 in the league. The Titans currently have the 2019 Rushing Champion, one of the best second-year players in the league, and a quarterback that took a 2-4 Titans team to the AFC Championship. That doesn’t sound like the 22nd-best skill group to me.

If you read his reasoning behind the ranking, you would probably think that the Titans are ranked in the top half of the league, but even though it seems like Barnwell likes the Titans, it wasn’t good enough to get the Titans in the top-20.

"“The Titans might have landed on an absolute superstar in A.J. Brown,” Barnwell wrote. “The second-rounder averaged more than 20 yards per reception last season, while his 2.92 yards per route run were second among wideouts, behind only Michael Thomas. Brown posted one of the best YAC rates of the past decade, and while that’s likely to regress, he looks like he’s going to be a great player. If 2017 fifth overall pick Corey Davis were to take a step forward after three relatively anonymous campaigns, the Titans could have one of the best young wideout groups in football. They’ll also hope for more out of Adam Humphries after a disappointing debut campaign in Tennessee.“Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith can also boast of last year’s rushing leader in Derrick Henry, although his impact as a receiver mostly consisted of one 75-yard touchdown on a screen. With Dion Lewis leaving and Henry playing on the franchise tag, I wonder if the Titans decide to go all-in and use Henry as a three-down back with an Ezekiel Elliott-type workload. On the other hand, this offense would be a mess if Henry got injured, which means I was surprised that the Titans didn’t add another power back this offseason. I also thought they could pursue a tight end, but they’ll turn things over to the combination of Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser after moving on from Delanie Walker. This is a top-heavy group.”"

If Tannehill can stay healthy and the offense doesn’t overuse Henry in the first half of the season, the 2020 Titans could be one of the best teams that we’ve seen in the past decade.

The Titans have a lot to prove in 2020. The main reason they might not have respect is because since the Titans officially moved to Tennessee, they’ve failed to be a consistently good football team. That could change in 2020.