After dominating the AFC South for a few seasons, the Tennessee Titans are drastically declining and that should be great for the Indianapolis Colts.
In the last three seasons, the Tennessee Titans have won 30 games and two AFC South Championships, and was one game away from a third-consecutive division crown this past season. Fortunately for the Indianapolis Colts and the rest of the AFC South, it seems like Tennessee’s brief stint of dominance is coming to a end. The Titans may not admit to it, or are ready to accept that reality, but all of the franchise’s recent moves shows that the team is heading towards a rebuild.
Not long ago, the Titans released Taylor Lewan and Robert Woods, two players the Colts should look into. On Monday, it was reported that Tennessee is expected to release outside linebacker Bud Dupree, and the the Titans are also reportedly shopping Derrick Henry. Regardless of what the Titans say, if they are genuinely shopping Derrick Henry, they are heading towards a rebuild.
Henry is the engine of everything Tennessee does; moving on from him is essentially like the Titans filing for bankruptcy. That means they shouldn’t be a threat to win the AFC South for a couple of seasons, and the Colts should have a clearer path to re-establish themselves as contenders.
The Titans are listening to offers for Derrick Henry, per @MikeSilver pic.twitter.com/5GQAcewrPP
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) March 6, 2023
Colts must capitalize on the declining Titans
This comes a season after Tennessee traded away AJ Brown, so things have just been gradually going downhill. There’s no guarantee that Derrick Henry will actually be traded, and Mike Vrabel is still a pretty good coach, however, the Titans won’t be the same dominant team that they were in the past few years. That opens up the AFC South and makes room for a new power to emerge.
Who’s to say the Colts will be the team to take over? It’s no guarantee, after all, the Jacksonville Jaguars will enter next season as the division’s defending champion. They also recently received some great news about Calvin Ridley. With their youth and talent, Jacksonville certainly has a chance to take over the AFC South, but so does Indianapolis.
The Colts are coming off a 4-12-1 season but they also have plenty of young talent, an exciting new coach, and will soon add a rookie quarterback. If things go according to plan for Indy, Indianapolis will be developing into a threat while the Titans descend into mediocrity.
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