9 Tennessee Titans players with the most to prove in 2022

Heading into the 2022 season, the Tennessee Titans will look to capture their third-straight AFC South division title for the first time in franchise history.

Last year, head coach Mike Vrabel’s ballclub utilized a record number of players but still managed to lock up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

And they did so without superstar running back Derrick Henry, who was lost for the remainder of the regular season with a foot injury in late October.

We’ll look at several Titans players who have the most to prove in 2022, starting with Henry himself, who is one of nine players to make the list.

RB Derrick Henry

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Despite not playing, Henry remained in the top five in rushing into December before Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor literally ran away with the rushing title.

Taylor looks poised to challenge the 28-year-old Henry, who many out there are doubting after a serious injury, for the title of the league’s best running back, something many have already crowned him as.

But “The King” may not be ready to give up his throne just yet. Henry looks like a man possessed in his offseason workout videos and he should be 100 percent heading into the 2022 schedule, and the Titans offense figures to once again run through the former Heisman winner.

QB Ryan Tannehill

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Aside from Henry, perhaps nobody on the Titans’ roster will be looking to bounce back more than quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who will turn 34 in July.

While he threw for over 3,700 passing yards, Tannehill had a 21-to-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Added, he had three back-breaking interceptions in the Titans’ playoff loss to Cincinnati.

With a new cast of wide receivers, including first-round pick Treylon Burks, Tannehill will look to re-create his 2020 numbers while also trying to prove he has what it takes to take the Titans to a Super Bowl.

Tight end Austin Hooper should help on offense, but Tannehill needs to make better decisions with the ball heading into Year 4 with the Titans.

CB Caleb Farley

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With Janoris Jenkins no longer in the picture to play opposite No. 1 corner Kristian Fulton, Caleb Farley should have every opportunity to earn a starting role this season.

The Titans’ first-round pick in 2021 tore his ACL in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills last season. He’s had the opportunity to watch from the sidelines while adding much-needed muscle to his frame.

“He looks like he has been rehabbing hard and doing what he has been asked to do,” Vrabel said of Farley, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline. “I like his consistency. He looks good, and he certainly looks stronger when I see him in the training room.”

Farley will likely have a long leash, but don’t be surprised if 2022 second-round pick Roger McCreary challenges him for playing time should he struggle.

OL Dillon Radunz

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With one start under his belt, Dillon Radunz could be in line for a significantly bigger role in 2022.

The 2021 second-round pick is one of a handful of players set to compete for open spots along the offensive line at left guard and right tackle.

The 24-year-old offensive lineman recently responded to Vrabel saying he wasn’t ready to start early this offseason, saying he agreed that was indeed the case at the time Vrabel answered the question.

“Ultimately, when he said that, it’s true,” Radunz said of Vrabel’s answer via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline. “When you are in the offseason, I don’t think any of us are ready to start and play in a game at that moment. It’s the offseason, and there’s a reason it’s called the offseason. Obviously, as a competitor, it is my goal to start and all of that stuff. But the team is first and we’re going to make sure everybody on that starting line earns it.”

Radunz must earn one of the aforementioned starting roles in 2022 or else he’ll quickly be labeled a bust and get added to the pile of bad draft picks made by general manager Jon Robinson over the years.

OLB Bud Dupree

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Bud Dupree is now over a full year removed from ACL surgery, which delayed his Titans’ debut and effectiveness in the 2021 season.

The 29-year-old inked a five-year deal with Tennessee, but he collected just three sacks in his first season.

He had two sacks over the final four weeks of the regular season. He added another in the Titans’ playoff game against the Bengals, so there were certainly some encouraging signs that he was returning to 100 percent.

However, he made the headlines for the wrong reasons after the playoff loss to the Bengals for his role in an incident at a Walgreens.  The league’s response to it will be something to monitor.

Given his strong finish to the year, the Kentucky product will look to carry over that momentum into 2022. If he turns in another disappointing season, the Titans can get out of Dupree’s contract with a $10.85 million dead cap hit in 2023.

OL Aaron Brewer

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With Taylor Lewan and Rodger Saffold in and out of the lineup last year, the Titans turned to Aaron Brewer, who signed with the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

He made it into 12 games, including five starts, in 2021 and finished with a 56.3 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus.

Brewer, who allowed six sacks in 2021, has been a reliable backup the past two seasons but will look to earn the starting role at left guard and prove he’s capable of holding it in 2022.

OL Jamarco Jones

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Jamarco Jones could be a player that denies Brewer or Radunz a starting role, as he figures to compete at both left guard and right tackle.

However, Jones must prove he’s a capable starter after spending the vast majority of his career as a backup.

The 25-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Titans in March and brings 36 NFL games of experience, including seven starts, under his belt.

The former fifth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks played well in a limited role last year. In 10 games, including two starts, the Chicago, IL native didn’t allow any sacks and was tabbed for just two penalties.

WR Treylon Burks

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While it’s not entirely fair to put a lot of pressure on a rookie wide receiver, the circumstances surrounding Treylon Burks are different. The Arkansas wide receiver comes into the Titans organization at a challenging time.

After being selected with the No. 18 overall pick, acquired as part of the A.J. Brown trade with Philadelphia, Burks will be expected to have an integral role in the Titans’ offense.

Burks’ first couple of weeks of practice in Nashville have not gone as well as hoped.

After struggling to get through Day 1 of rookie minicamp and having another limited session in OTAs, Burks appears to have conditioning issues. A recent report also indicated that the rookie wideout labored through some pre-draft workouts, which got him red-flagged by some teams.

Needless to say, Burks will be looking to put the red flags in his rearview mirror, while also proving to the Titans that they made the right decision in trading Brown.

WR Robert Woods

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With all the youth and turnover in the Titans’ receiving corps., having a proven veteran like Robert Woods at the top of the depth chart is a good thing.

However, Woods is also 30 and coming off a torn ACL, and he’s going to a place where veteran receivers typically bomb, so there’s no telling what the Titans will get out of him.

Woods’ 2022 campaign naturally comes with some doubt considering the circumstances, and the Titans desperately need him to prove those doubts wrong.

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