Eleven questions as Titans training camp begins

BY JOHN GLENNON

In the aftermath of a seven-game losing streak to end the 2022 season, the Titans made plenty of changes as they prepared for 2023

We’ll start to get our first significant look at all the moves when the Titans hit the field for their first training camp practice of the year.

Will this serve as a bounce-back season for the Titans, a trip to the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years?

Or will we see a continuation of last year’s struggles?

Here are 11 questions surrounding the Titans as training camp gets underway this week:

HOW MUCH IMPACT WILL DEAN DRE HOPKINS MAKE?

Because of his performance-enhancingdrug suspension and injuries, Hopkins played just nine games last season in Arizona. He was on the field with starting quarterback Kyler Murray for just four of those contests. But in those four games, he put up the same kind of numbers he always has, totaling 30 catches (almost eight per game on average) for 385 yards (96.3 yards per game) and three touchdowns. That’s encouraging news.

A healthy and effective Hopkins would not only improve the offense by himself, but would necessitate defensive attention. That would create more room and more opportunity for the Titans’ burgeoning, young playmakers, and it could mean less stacked boxes in front of Derrick Henry as well. Simply put, Hopkins is a huge additional option for quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the Titans, making the team much more difficult to defend.

HOW MUCH IMPROVEMENT CAN TIM KELLY MAKE IN THE OFFENSE?

After staggering last season offensively (ranked 30th in yards, 28th in points), the Titans jettisoned former offensive coordinator Todd Downing and named Tim Kelly to the position. Kelly was the Texans’ offensive coordinator for three years (2019 through 2021), and the team’s primary play-caller for the last two. In 2020, Kelly’s offense finished 13th overall, and in 2021 — with quarterback DeShaun Watson inactive for the entire season — the Texans plunged to 32nd. The very early returns on Kelly’s impact were positive during the offseason, as players said they liked the less-complicated verbiage, increased efficiency and quicker pace of the offense. But Kelly will be graded on how much he can get out of Hopkins, who played for him in Houston, as well as the improvement of the offensive line and the development of players like Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo.

WHAT WILL YEAR TWO HOLD FOR BURKS, OKONKWO?

A year ago, Burks, the team’s first round pick in 2022, got off to a poor start due to conditioning and asthma issues during the offseason and never really recovered. He was in and out of the lineup due to injuries (turf toe and concussion), and Burks was inconsistent in games, finishing with 33 catches for 444 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. But if the offseason is any indication — and there’s never a guarantee that it is — Burks looks like a completely different person and player. The 6-3, 225-pound receiver all but lived in the Titans facility during the offseason, doing everything he was asked to improve and to learn the new offense. With Hopkins on the other side of him, Burks should do some damage this year.

Okonkwo, meanwhile, may have set a record for appearances on “NFL Breakout Player” lists this offseason. It’s understandable, considering the 2022 fourth-round pick collected 24 of his 32 catches — and two of his three touchdowns — in the last seven games last season. Expect Kelly to find more ways to get the 6-2, 244-pound Okonkwo the ball this year, taking advantage of his speed and ability to pick up yards after the catch.

WILL DERRICK HENRY HAVE 300PLUS CARRIES FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN FIVE YEARS?

The Titans have a new offensive coordinator (Kelly), new running-game coordinator (running backs coach Justin Outten) and a new passing-game coordinator (quarterbacks coach Charles London) this season. So is this the year the Titans deviate from giving Henry 23 carries per game, which has been the King’s average over the past four seasons?

Henry’s average yards per carry over the past two years combined is 4.4, down nearly a yard from his 5.2 in 2019 and 2020. He’s not popping quite as many long runs as he used to either. Still, he’s a hugely effective weapon who needs plenty of carries to be at this best — and to wear down defenses late in games.

IS ANDRE DILLARD THE ANSWER AT LEFT TACKLE?

Desperate for an upgrade at left tackle after watching Dennis Daley flounder in long relief of Taylor Lewan last year, the Titans signed free agent Andre Dillard to a three-year, $29 million deal — one that includes cap hits of $10.7 million in 2024 and $13.2 million in 2025. Dillard has upside as a former first round pick. But he played just 58 offensive snaps >> PAGE 14