National Football League

Ranking AFC South position groups: Who can compete with the Jaguars?

Published Jul. 19, 2023 4:32 p.m. ET

The Jaguars enter 2023 as the AFC South's top team, and the Titans should be competitive for the division title with the expected addition of DeAndre Hopkins. The Colts and Texans are more in rebuild mode. The pecking order is clear.

But how should these teams be assessed at the micro level?

Ranking the AFC South teams by the strength of their position groups:

QUARTERBACKS

The best: Jaguars
Runner-up: Titans

Trevor Lawrence gives the Jaguars the easy nod here. In the division, he's the only proven franchise quarterback, a standing he earned last season. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 2,273 yards and 15 touchdowns with just two interceptions in the last nine weeks of the 2022 regular season, helping Jacksonville reach the divisional round. The former No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence should continue to ascend in his second season with Doug Pederson and the addition of WR Calvin Ridley.

Until C.J. Stroud and/or Anthony Richardson prove themselves, the Titans' Ryan Tannehill is the second-best signal-caller in the AFC South. He may not be elite, but he's been very good at times, especially when he has good weapons and protection. And with second-round rookie Will Levis and Malik Willis behind Tannehill, Tennessee also has potential in its depth at the position.

RUNNING BACKS

The best: Titans
Runner-up: Colts

Derrick Henry is still the best and most dominant running back in the division. While the Colts' Jonathan Taylor missed six games last season due to injury, Henry missed only one game — and that was to rest ahead of the AFC South title game against the Jaguars in Week 18. That gives Henry some distance on Taylor in the pecking order.

Henry in 2022 had a league-leading 349 carries for 1,538 yards (second in the league) and 13 touchdowns. Tennessee also has a third-round rookie in Tyjae Spears, who gives its run game a more diverse look for 2023.

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Despite an injury-riddled season, Taylor gets the slight edge over the Jaguars' Travis Etienne because he's a proven All-Pro talent. But the margin between Indianapolis' and Jacksonville's running back rooms isn't that wide. Etienne had 1,441 yards from scrimmage last season (1,125 rushing, 316 receiving) and third-round rookie Tank Bigsby, a physical, between-the-tackles runner, provides strong depth for the Jaguars.

WIDE RECEIVERS

The best: Jaguars
Runner-up: Colts

This wouldn't be particularly close even if the Jaguars didn't have Ridley. But with the former Atlanta Falcons star in the fold, it's not even a conversation.

Ridley has been a bona fide No. 1 receiver in this league, while both Christian Kirk and Zay Jones had 80-plus receptions last season. If Ridley regains his form from 2020, when he had more than 1,300 yards receiving, Jacksonville should have one of the top receiving trios in the league.

Hopkins was a major addition for the Titans, but the Colts have more proven talent and depth at receiver, pushing Indianapolis into second place at the position. Michael Pittman Jr. has had more than 900 receiving yards each of the past two seasons and he's entering a contract year, which could lift his production to another level. Alec Pierce, who had 41 receptions for 592 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, should take a step in Year 2.

Why DeAndre Hopkins chose Titans over Patriots

TIGHT ENDS

The best: Jaguars
Runner-up: Colts

Jacksonville has the best tight end in the division in Evan Engram, who had a breakout year last season: 73 receptions for 766 yards and four touchdowns. The three-year, $41.25 million extension he signed this week puts him among the highest-paid players at his position. The Jaguars also have Brenton Strange, a second-round rookie, behind Engram on the depth chart.

The Texans have the second-best tight end in the division in Dalton Schultz — he had 57 receptions for 577 yards and five touchdowns with the Cowboys last season — but the Colts' depth at the position puts them ahead of Houston.

Both Jelani Woods and Kylen Granson had more than 300 receiving yards last season for the Colts, while veteran Mo Alie-Cox is a proven pass blocker. Indianapolis also has a fifth-round rookie at the position in Will Mallory.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The best: Texans
Runner-up: Jaguars

The Texans' offensive line is a step above the rest of the AFC South.

Laremy Tunsil, who signed an extension this offseason making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history, is one of the league's elite left tackles. Veteran Shaq Mason, acquired via trade, has been one of the league's best guards for years. Tytus Howard is an above-average right tackle. It's a unit equipped to keep Stroud upright, helping his development.

There's some uncertainty with the Jaguars' offensive line, considering Jawaan Taylor's departure in free agency and Cam Robinson's four-game suspension to start the season for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. But Jacksonville has plenty of upside at offensive tackle between first-rounder Anton Harrison and Walker Little, a former second-round pick. And Brandon Scherff is one of the best guards in football.

DEFENSIVE LINE

The best: Titans
Runner-up: Colts

The Titans boast one of the NFL's best front fours — led by superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons — and they're getting outside linebacker Harold Landry III back this season after he missed 2022 with a torn ACL. A Pro Bowler in 2021, Landry was Tennessee's sack leader from 2019-21.

The Colts have one of the league's best interior defensive-line tandems in DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, but the production hasn't quite been there on the edge yet. Kwity Paye, a 2021 first-round pick, missed five games last season and was held to six sacks. Indianapolis' other two top edge players — Samson Ebukam and Dayo Odeyingbo — had a combined 10 sacks last season.

LINEBACKERS

The best: Jaguars
Runner-up: Colts

Shaquille Leonard is easily the best inside linebacker in the AFC South, but the NFL is a "what you done for me lately" business. And Leonard played just three games last season and his timetable to return remains unclear after two back surgeries. The Colts also lost Bobby Okereke in free agency.

That catapults the Jaguars into the top spot. Foyesade Oluokun has consistently been one of the best at the position for years, earning honorable mention honors in ESPN's annual poll of the top off linebackers. He's had at least 180 tackles, five pass breakups, two sacks and a forced fumble in each of the past two seasons. And he's paired with former first-round pick Devin Lloyd, who should show significant growth as a second-year pro in 2023.

SECONDARY

The best: Texans
Runner-up: Jaguars

The upside of the Texans' secondary puts them above the Jaguars, who have rising cornerback Tyson Campbell and standout veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins.

Houston has All-Pro talent in the back-end between safety Jalen Pitre, who had 147 tackles and five interceptions as a rookie last season, and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the No. 3 overall pick in last year's draft.

If Stingley stays healthy this season — he missed eight games as a rookie due to injury — a Texans secondary that was very productive in 2022 has the potential to be elite. Houston ranked first with just 15 passing touchdowns allowed and tied for fifth with an 82.7 passer rating allowed when targeted, according to Next Gen Stats.

Take the over or under on Cardinals, Colts, Texans win totals?

SPECIALISTS

The best: Texans
Runner-up: Jaguars

Having Jamal Agnew — one of the NFL's top returners — gives the Jaguars a strong case, but the Texans' overall strength of their special teams unit gives the latter the edge. Houston last season ranked second in the NFL in special teams DVOA, an advanced efficiency metric which assesses the value of each play.

Based on performance last season, the Texans also have the best place kicker in the division in Ka'imi Fairbairn. He hit 93.5% of his field goals and all of his extra points in 2022.

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.

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