National Football League

New Titans GM Ran Carthon’s offseason checklist starts with quarterback decision

Updated Jan. 25, 2023 6:35 p.m. ET

New Titans general manager Ran Carthon has his work cut out for him to fix a Tennessee team that collapsed to conclude 2022, losing seven straight games to finish the year at 7-10, the franchise's first losing season since 2015.

The Titans' biggest priority, at this point, is finding a new offensive coordinator. But as the leader of the personnel department, Carthon will be judged on how he constructs the roster to be competitive for 2023 and beyond (in alignment with coach Mike Vrabel's vision).

Here are the six most important things Carthon must address in his first offseason with Nashville:

Make decision on Ryan Tannehill's future

It's not so much about what Carthon decides to do with Tannehill, whether it's keeping him or moving on. It's the conviction he must have in his choice either way.

As he said in his introductory press conference last week, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and people are fired or hired based on the choices at the position.

If keeping Tannehill is the choice, figuring out how to do so with a softer blow to the 2023 salary cap should be the priority. The veteran quarterback is scheduled to have a $36.6 million cap number for next season, fifth-highest in the league. Extending him with a contract that lowers his cap hit for 2023 and contains a future team-friendly out feels like the best-case scenario, if he remains a Titan.

Brady's next team?

Reports have tied Tom Brady to signing with the Raiders, Titans and 49ers, among others, this offseason as a free agent.

If moving on from Tannehill is the decision, however, Carthon should aggressively pursue a trade to avoid losing a starting quarterback for nothing. The Titans would get the same cap savings by dealing him as opposed to releasing him. Tennessee would save $17.8 million against the cap by trading him with a pre-June 1 designation.

That, of course, would put the Titans in the quarterback market. With the No. 11 overall pick, they could try to move up for one. Acquiring a quarterback from another team is also on the table. Trey Lance's name has been in the ether because of the 49ers' quarterback situation and his connection to Carthon, who worked with San Francisco the previous six seasons.

"Ryan has been great here," Carthon said Friday. "He's won a lot of football games, and I look forward to us winning football games. But I still need more time to evaluate and make those decisions. … I want to spend more time evaluating that position, so I'll have my opinion and Mike and I will confer and figure it out."

Create cap space

The Titans are currently more than $23.4 million over the 2023 salary cap, ranking 29th in the NFL, according to Over The Cap. Carthon is inevitably going to have to cut some veterans to create the financial flexibility needed to drastically improve the roster.

Tennessee could clear more than $46.04 million in cap space by releasing these five players as cap casualties:

Outside linebacker Bud Dupree ($9.35 million in cap savings)
Left tackle Taylor Lewan ($14.84 million)
Wide receiver Robert Woods ($12.02 million)
Linebacker Zach Cunningham ($8.92 million)
Offensive lineman Jamarco Jones ($900,000)

Fortify offensive line

Outside of quarterback, the offensive line is the position group that should be Carthon's top priority.

The Titans' O-line ranked 29th in pass protection in 2022 with a 9.5% adjusted sack rate, which accounts for opponent quality, down and distance, according to Football Outsiders. Tannehill, when healthy, didn't have adequate time in the pocket to get through his progressions to push the ball downfield.

Tennessee should absolutely be in the market for a new left tackle, as the 31-year-old Lewan is a strong cap casualty candidate. An upgrade is also needed at left guard, a spot manned in 2022 by the undersized Aaron Brewer, who'll be a restricted free agent in March. Right guard Nate Davis will be an unrestricted free agency, though he could be back in Nashville. Tennessee also needs a succession plan at center with Ben Jones entering the last year of his contract.

Re-sign DT Jeffery Simmons

Carthon's predecessor, Jon Robinson, erred in failing to extend star receiver A.J. Brown, who was traded during the spring to the Eagles, signed a big-money extension, dominated Tennessee in Week 13 and is now a game away from the Super Bowl. The Titans had one of the worst wide receiver rooms in 2022 without Brown.

It must be a priority for Carthon to extend Simmons, the other big star Tennessee drafted in 2019. In doing so, Carthon could set a tone that under him, the team is committed to awarding second contracts to deserving top picks it drafts and develops. In more than six seasons with Robinson, a Titans' first-round pick never received a second contract from the franchise.

A new contract for Simmons, who's currently scheduled to play under his $10.753 million fifth-year option in 2023, figures to reset the defensive tackle market. It would also soften his cap hit for the upcoming season, giving Carthon more financial wiggle room.

Add talent at wide receiver

The Titans didn't have a receiver with more than 527 receiving yards last season. In fact, Brown (1,496 receiving yards) nearly had as many receiving yards as Tennessee's entire wide receiver room combined (1,595).

Why Rodgers could be a fit with Titans next season

Colin Cowherd makes a case for Aaron Rodgers to play in Nashville for the Titans next season.

This is clear as day: Carthon needs to find Vrabel more playmakers on the outside. Rising second-year pros Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo (a tight end) are a good start, but the team will need another two to three dependable pass-catchers around them to seriously threaten opposing defenses in 2023.

Find depth at defensive back

The Titans had the worst pass defense in the NFL in 2022, allowing 274.8 passing yards per game. Tennessee has a strong safety tandem in the league in Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker, and has some young talent at cornerback (Kristian Fulton, Roger McCreary), but injuries were a serious issue in the secondary. Hooker and 2021 first-round cornerback Caleb Farley, who's had a rough start to his career, both missed eight games. Fulton missed six. Nickelback Elijah Molden missed 15.

Moral of the story: the Titans need more cornerback and safety depth.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

Top stories from FOX Sports: