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Sports Illustrated lists Titans as team that should tank in 2023

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As the Tennessee Titans continue to toe the line between a retool and a rebuild, one writer believes the team should tank in order to put itself in position to grab the No. 1 overall pick — and, in turn, USC quarterback Caleb Williams — in the 2024 NFL draft.

In an article listing five teams who should tank in 2023 with an eye on 2024, Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr names the Titans as one of them, along with the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

If you’re the Titans, can you honestly look at the roster as presently constructed and think that a Super Bowl is in the cards? Or would you rather reload now, before the Jaguars pull away and the Texans start properly using all the capital they received for Watson?

Another factor I’m considering here is the tenure and survivability of a coach. Vrabel is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He just had his first losing season. The Titans have a GM at the beginning of a brand-new contract. While there is always pressure to win, they can afford a strategic gap year. 

As currently constituted, the Titans are heading for a mediocre season in which they’ll probably hover somewhere around seven to eight wins, mostly because Mike Vrabel and the defense will keep them competitive.

Now, things can change if the Titans decide to blow it up and rebuild by selling off key players like Derrick Henry, Jeffery Simmons and Kevin Byard, but I don’t see that happening on Vrabel’s watch.

Instead, the Titans will likely use 2023 as a transition year with an eye on 2024 when the team will have a lot of cap space to work. As a result, they’ll almost certainly miss out on Williams in 2024.

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