Should Tennessee Titans try Peter Skoronski at left tackle? (And other thoughts) | Estes

TAMPA, Fla. — Diving into the shipwreck that was the Tennessee Titans' 20-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday:

1. The Titans’ two-year search for a left tackle shifted Sunday to Dillon Radunz (who picked up back-to-back false start penalties). This was after Andre Dillard exited the game, reportedly being evaluated for a concussion.

So who knows what's next for Will Levis' blindside?

Uncertainty at such an important position keeps raising a popular question: Why not try first-round rookie Peter Skoronski at left tackle instead of left guard?

Titans coach Mike Vrabel has continued to say the plan is to keep Skoronski at guard.

I asked Skoronski after Sunday’s defeat if the switch had even come up.

“That's not really my decision,” he replied. “Obviously, I'm open to it. I'll do whatever the team wants me to do. But not my decision. That's above my pay grade.”

Skoronski played left tackle in college, but in the Titans’ defense, he was widely projected more as a guard than a tackle prior to the NFL draft. His draft profile on NFL.com, for instance, quoted an anonymous NFC executive as saying, “He’s a Pro Bowler at guard but just an average tackle if a team keeps him there.”

It makes sense that the Titans started him out at guard. It also makes sense that they wouldn’t want a promising rookie who's still settling into the NFL to have to move around this quickly. To do so, even on a short-term basis, indeed would feel like a desperate measure.

However, are these not desperate times?

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2. The general tone in the Titans’ locker room after this latest loss was frustration in trying to decipher what has been going wrong on Sundays.

Here’s a sample:

Skoronski: “I think we know what we're capable of. I think we've shown flashes . . . We haven't been consistent enough.”

Cornerback Kristian Fulton: “We've got to be better. We'll try to figure out what the problem is. We just can't keep beating a dead horse. We've got to figure it out.”

Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair: “Every week it's something different, but it's all the same, if that makes sense . . . It's tough. Because it's the same message, the same thing. We're just not doing enough, not executing enough to win games. That's just what it is, and until we fix that, we're not going to win.”

Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons: “We've just got to find a way to win. We haven't won. We start off the game rolling: offense driving, we get a stop. We've just got to be consistent, consistently making plays down the field, affecting the quarterback. All of it has got to play a part. We haven't had that.”

3. Hard to believe that Levis was sacked only four times Sunday. Felt like more, right? Indeed, the Buccaneers were credited with 13 QB hurries. Wasn’t just one or two defenders. Those 13 were spread among eight players, and four Buccaneers recorded sacks.

Given the shoddy pass protection, it’s hard to fault Levis too much for his worst NFL start yet. In that way, it was a lot like many of Ryan Tannehill’s bruising starts these past two seasons.

4. The run blocking wasn’t there, either. Derrick Henry’s 24 yards on 11 carries would have been his lowest total as a Titans starter since the 2018 season were it not for the loss to the Cleveland Browns in September, during which he totaled 20 yards on 11 carries. This was the third game this season in which Henry didn’t have a run of at least 10 yards.

5. The Titans’ offense had only two plays Sunday longer than 15 yards, and both were fourth-quarter passes by Levis to Kyle Philips — one for 29 yards and another for 23.

Philips, who is no longer the Titans’ punt returner, has quietly become more prominent of late in the offense. His team-high 61 receiving yards followed a 68-yard performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

6. Looking for a silver lining in Sunday’s loss? The Titans’ run defense was better. The Buccaneers ran for just 77 yards and 2.7 per attempt. It was the first time since the Oct. 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals that the Titans held an opposing offense to less than 100 rushing yards.

7. Here’s another nibble of encouragement: Harold Landry statistically had his most productive game this season. He was credited with nine tackles, two QB hurries and a sack. He hasn’t been the same player he was in 2021, prior to his 2022 knee injury. Perhaps this was a positive step.

8. Tannehill was inactive Sunday as he continues to heal from an ankle injury, but he was in uniform. It’s conceivable he could have played as the emergency third quarterback had Levis and Malik Willis gotten injured. I’d imagine Tannehill will be backing up Levis soon enough.

9. After the Titans amassed 10:45 of possession time in the first quarter, the Buccaneers got the better of each of the final three quarters, including an edge of 18:36 to 11:24 after halftime.

10. The Titans have been outscored in every quarter this season except the second, during which they have a 57-49 edge. The one that really hurts, though, is the fourth quarter. That’s their lowest-scoring quarter (26) and their opponents’ best (53).

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Should Tennessee Titans try Peter Skoronski at left tackle?