The Tennessee Titans failed to put up any points at home against the Baltimore Ravens in an ugly Oct. 14 loss that ended in a 21-0 Ravens victory.
Sitting at 3-3 going into week seven, the Titans have been unable to score a single touchdown in three of the six games they’ve played thus far, with only one of those three games ending in a Titan’s victory. The week three game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, an AFC South rival, was decided by field goals only, with the Titans barely escaping Jacksonville with a 9-6 win.
The Titans went up against said weaker Buffalo Bills squad in week 5 and still relied solely on field goals for points. While the Bills relied heavily on field goals as well, they actually managed to score a touchdown thanks to a 14-yard scramble from rookie quarterback Josh Allen.
Mariota is failing to find the end zone and the receivers at Mariota’s whim aren’t helping matters either. The Titans should look at improving their offense through either trades or free agency. Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant is currently a free agent and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is showing distaste for his contract situation and likely won’t be playing in Pittsburgh much longer. Should the Titans look at acquiring these two?
Dez Bryant, while not as good as he used to be, could be a solid addition to the Titan’s wide receiver core. Bryant, a three-time Pro Bowler and former first-team all-pro, had his best year in 2014. In Bryant’s 2014 season with the Cowboys, he had 88 receptions, 1,320 receiving yards and set a career-high 16 receiving touchdowns while playing all 16 regular season games. His stats have gotten progressively worse since that year, but Bryant can still be an effective leader on the team.
On the other hand, running back Le’Veon Bell is currently showing distaste for his contract situation with the Steelers. The Titans may consider going after the star running back, but if the Titans try to trade for him, they would have to sell too many core pieces. If Bell signs as a free agent, he’ll demand a ton of money from whoever signs him, and may not decide to even glance at the Titans due to the team’s status as a fringe playoff team. Not only that, the Titans have enough decent running backs on the team, such as 24-year-old Derrick Henry and Super Bowl LI champion, DJ Lewis.
But really, the Titans need to find their mojo on offense. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has yet to show that he can perform at a high level consistently. Some games, Mariota will play lights out and lead his team to glory. Other games, however, Mariota becomes an interception machine. This can all be attributed to coaching and a lack of truly great receivers, but Mariota needs to live up to his projected potential of being a franchise quarterback.
The Titans should focus on either investing on talented receivers for Mariota or begin the search for a new quarterback. While Bryant and Bell may be options for the Titans, these ideas have potentially risky outcomes.
