AFC South

In the NFL, a team's playoff window can close over the course of an offseason. With a couple of key losses and a star player coming off a serious injury, the Tennessee Titans will disappoint anyone with high expectations for them in 2022.

Multiple AFC teams added Pro Bowl or All-Pro talent. The Los Angeles Chargers acquired edge-rusher Khalil Mack and signed cornerback J.C. Jackson. The Denver Broncos acquired quarterback Russell Wilson. The Miami Dolphins inked a deal with left tackle Terron Armstead and traded for wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Cleveland Browns made a move to bring in quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Indianapolis Colts acquired quarterback Matt Ryan.

All five of those AFC teams could make a push for the postseason after failing to clinch a playoff berth in 2021.

What about the Titans? 

Most importantly, their star player has to stay healthy. Last season, running back Derrick Henry missed nine games because he fractured his fifth metatarsal and had to undergo surgery. Though the bruising ball-carrier returned for a divisional-round matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded 20 rushing attempts for just 62 yards and a touchdown.

While it's premature for anyone to say Henry will continue to battle injuries, one has to wonder if he's headed down the same path as Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who had a tremendous workload for consecutive campaigns before his body started to break down in 2020.

Between 2018 and 2019, McCaffrey recorded 729 touches for 4,357 yards and 32 touchdowns from scrimmage. For comparison, Henry logged 681 rushing attempts for 3,567 yards and 33 touchdowns between 2019 and 2020.

Though McCaffrey handled slightly more touches in a two-year span as a dual-threat playmaker on the ground and in the passing game, Henry takes a lot of physical punishment as one of the league's few workhorse running backs. The latter led the NFL in carries in 2019 and 2020.

Henry has a workload that isn't sustainable at an optimal level. Through eight appearances in 2021, he averaged 4.3 yards per carry, which is a notable drop-off from his 2019 (5.1) and 2020 averages (5.4).

Tennessee selected Hassan Haskins in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, but he doesn't compare to a 6'3", 247-pound two-time rushing champion. If the rookie cuts into Henry's touches, the Titans' run-heavy offense could take another step back. 

In a glass-half-full outlook, Henry could bounce back from an injury-riddled campaign, and Haskins may help keep him fresh through a 17-game slate. With that said, both running backs could struggle to find holes between the tackles and on the perimeter of the Titans' zone run-blocking scheme.

Tennessee released Pro Bowl guard Rodger Saffold. Even though he'll turn 34 years old in June, the club doesn't have a clear-cut replacement for him.

During the NFL owners meetings in March, head coach Mike Vrabel expressed confidence in Jamarco Jones.

"This is a player we feel his best football is in front of him," Vrabel said. "We've been able to evaluate him against some very good opponents. This year he played left guard against the Saints, and we’re hoping he can start there and compete at left guard. But he has versatility as well and has played all across the line."

The Seahawks selected Jones in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, and he's only started in seven out of his 36 contests. He's played every position except center, though the 25-year-old offensive lineman didn't establish himself at any position. The Ohio State product may win the starting job through training camp, but he needs more experience against starting-caliber players. 

Among last year's starting offensive linemen, the Titans also moved on from David Quessenberry, who signed with the Buffalo Bills. While the 31-year-old had plenty of lapses in pass protection, allowing 11 sacks through 1,184 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, he often sealed the outside lanes for ball-carriers. SI.com's John Glennon provided some insight.

"Quessenberry's forte is the zone-blocking run game, which works well for the Titans," Glennon wrote. "His PFF run-blocking grade last season was 86.5 in 2021, sixth-highest among all NFL tackles."

Dillon Radunz, a 2021 second-rounder, could succeed Quessenberry at right tackle, but he lost a battle for the position last offseason and played in a reserve role at guard and left tackle. 

For the sake of the running game, the Titans need Radunz and perhaps Jones to fill big roles. If not, quarterback Ryan Tannehill may have to shoulder a bigger load for the offense, which isn't a promising alternative outlook. 

In two years under former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Tannehill earned his first Pro Bowl nod and won Comeback Player of the Year, throwing for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions through 12 contests (10 starts) in 2019. He also threw for a career-high 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2020. 

Last offseason, Smith took the head-coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons, and Tannehill's passing production dropped significantly under new offensive coordinator Todd Downing. He threw for just 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions—his most turnovers through the air since his 2013 term with the Miami Dolphins. 

Perhaps Tannehill needs an extended adjustment period in Downing's system, but the Titans play-caller doesn't have a good track record. In 2017, he served in the same position for the then-Oakland Raiders, overseeing an offense that ranked 23rd in scoring and 17th in yards. Last year, his Titans unit was 15th and 17th for those offensive categories, respectively.

Downing must keep the ground attack on track despite changes along the offensive line and put Tannehill in a position to flourish without his best wide receiver from the previous three years.

The Titans traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during the first round of the 2022 draft. General manager Jon Robinson said that the team didn't have a contract offer close to the Pro Bowl wideout's contract demands. 

"The trade thing kind of manifested itself from them, and we really started working on that over the last 18, 20 hours," Robinson said, per ESPN's Turron Davenport. "I dealt with [Brown's agent], went back and forth really over the last two to three weeks and just realized that the gap was really too far for us to bridge."

After Tennessee sent the Brown to the Eagles, the club selected Treylon Burks with the No. 18 overall pick acquired in the deal. The Arkansas product models his game after versatile wideout Deebo Samuel. But do the Titans have the offensive coordinator to maximize his talent? Most people would trust an accomplished play-caller such as Kyle Shanahan to get the most out of a dynamic playmaker, but Downing hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt.

Robert Woods, whom the Titans acquired from the Los Angeles Rams, can provide a reliable veteran presence with a 63.5 percent catch rate, but he's 30 years old and coming off a torn ACL.

Going into the 2022 season, the Titans have uncertainty in various areas of their offense. Will Henry bounce back? Can the offensive line create holes for him? How quickly can Tannehill develop a rapport with two new projected starters at wide receiver and incoming tight end Austin Hooper? Is Downing fit to put all those playmakers together for a viable offensive attack? 

In a scoring shootout, Tennessee may need its defense to keep the opponent's scoring opportunities at a bare minimum, and even that comes with a big question mark.

Cornerback Caleb Farley hasn't been able to stay healthy, playing 60 defensive snaps through his rookie campaign. Since March of 2021, he's undergone back surgery and torn his left ACL. If the first-rounder cannot stay on the field, rookie second-rounder Roger McCreary may have to take on a big role on the boundary right away. 

The Titans have one too many voids amid noteworthy offensive changes to replicate their strong runs as AFC South champions in each of the last two seasons. You can close the window on their playoff aspirations this year. 

               

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.

The Malik Willis hype is already building in Tennessee.

"I've talked to some teams who believe that they will have a package somewhere down the line for him in actual game action, even though he's largely considered a project, needs some time, but he can have some goal-line work as a way for the Titans to use his running game. I'm told he had a really big day yesterday, looked the part in a major way in their day two of minicamp," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. 

The Titans drafted Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft after he surprisingly slipped into Day 2.

While Willis' combination of speed and arm strength garnered comparisons to Josh Allen, he fell down the draft board in large part because he'll likely take at least a year or two to catch up to adjust. Liberty's strength of competition pales in comparison to the NFL, and Willis did not put up bonkers numbers. He threw for 2,857 yards and 27 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while adding 878 yards and 13 touchdowns as a runner.

Titans starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill made waves earlier this month when he said it wasn't his "job" to mentor Willis, but the rookie says he and the veteran are already off to a good start as teammates. 

"It was never anything negative," Willis told reporters. "Ryan's a good dude. Everything is cool. He had us over [to] the house the other day and gave us a little bit of game regarding what comes with this process."

Tannehill has two years and $56 million remaining on his contract. 

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay helped provide relief to Ukraine as the war in the country continues following Russia's unprovoked invasion in February.

Irsay tweeted that he purchased a baseball that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed during a visit to New York in 2019 with some of the proceeds going to help Ukraine:

Added to my @IrsayCollection yesterday at auction, the only known baseball signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to NY in 2019. A portion of proceeds going to Ukrainian relief. 💪

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 12, 2022

TMZ Sports noted the baseball sold for $50,103, and more than $15,000 of the proceeds will go toward Zelensky's country. The president signed the ball in both Ukrainian cursive and English print.

According to TMZ, the ball was projected to sell for $15,000, so the final sale price exceeded projections by more than three times.

As the war in Ukraine continues, the House of Representatives passed a relief bill for approximately $40 billion on Tuesday.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo is suing the team for $3.5 million. 

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court in Duval County. 

Lambo alleges the Jaguars and former head coach Urban Meyer created a hostile work environment. He is seeking his full salary from the 2021 season ($3.5 million), plus additional damages for emotional distress. 

Lambo became a central figure in the final days of Meyer's tenure as Jaguars head coach. He told Stroud on Dec. 15 that Meyer kicked him in the leg during the preseason. 

"I'm in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back," Lambo said. "Urban Meyer, while I'm in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey Dips--t, make your f--king kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."

Lambo went on to say Meyer's kick "certainly wasn't as hard as" he could have done it, noting it would probably register as a five on a 10-point scale, but "in the workplace, I don't care if it's football or not, the boss can't strike an employee."

Per Stroud, Lambo said he told Meyer "to never strike him again" and Meyer responded, "I'm the head ball coach, I'll kick you whenever the f--k I want."

According to Lambo, the situation began during a practice ahead of an exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 29 after he missed one field-goal attempt in each of Jacksonville's first two preseason contests.

Lambo added that Meyer didn't call specialists by their names: "It was 'Kicker, Punter, Long snapper.' Or S--tbag, Dips--t or whatever the hell it was."

Meyer denied the allegations, telling Stroud that Lambo's characterization of what happened "is completely inaccurate."

"[General manager] Trent [Baalke] and I met with him on multiple occasions to encourage his performance, and this was never brought up," said Meyer. "I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team and wish him nothing but the best."

The Jaguars announced Meyer's firing Dec. 16, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell finished out the season as interim head coach. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter, the Jaguars fired Meyer for cause and don't intend to pay the remainder of his contract. A spokesman for team owner Shad Khan told the Associated Press the decision to move on from Meyer was made after a 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans and wasn't related to Lambo's comments. 

According to Stroud, Lambo says in the lawsuit he verbally reported the kicking incident immediately to the team through his agent.

Richard Irvin, Lambo's agent, and the Jaguars both confirmed to Stroud on Dec. 15 that Jacksonville's legal counsel was contacted and offered Lambo a chance to speak with them. 

Lambo said he had "no recollection of being able to speak with the Jags' legal team."

The lawsuit notes that Lambo's release by the Jaguars violates Florida's Private Sector Whistle Blower’s Act because it came after he reported it to the team's legal counsel. 

Lambo spent the first two seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers. He signed with the Jaguars as a free agent in 2017. The Texas A&M alum made 91.6 percent of his field-goal attempts (76 of 83) in 46 games. 

The Jaguars released Lambo in October after he appeared in three games.     

After 14 seasons and 222 starts, the Atlanta Falcons moved on from Matt Ryan this offseason, trading him to the Indianapolis Colts.

While some fans may take a bit of time to get used to a new quarterback under center, head coach Arthur Smith thinks it's all part of the business. 

"It wasn't tough, because it had nothing to do with the respect I have for him," Smith told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer of the trade. "We'd moved on. He had a great career, and I'll always be appreciative of it, very thankful I got to work with him. But we moved on, and that's the nature of the game. Professionally, you have to separate that from your personal relationships and do what’s best for the team and organization. And that's what we did."

The Falcons made their desire to move on all but known by getting into the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. While Atlanta ultimately lost out to the Cleveland Browns, the writing was on the wall for Ryan's tenure in Atlanta. The Falcons traded Ryan to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick and signed Marcus Mariota to be their presumed starter in one fell swoop on March 21.

Smith is coming off a 7-10 debut campaign as a head coach, a mark that clearly left him unsatisfied with the roster's direction. The former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator went with a largely status quo roster, minus Julio Jones, in 2021 and seemed committed to Ryan as his quarterback.

That changed as the season went along, with the Falcons offense sputtering amid a dearth of skill-position talent and Ryan failing to prop it up. Ryan threw for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions during the regular season.

The yardage number was his lowest since 2010, and his 20 touchdowns tied for the second-worst mark of his career—a major concern given that he had an extra game to work with. Ryan's 46.1 QBR was the worst mark of his career.

The Falcons set off for what appears to be a short-term rebuild, one likely aimed at landing a quarterback at the top of the 2023 draft. 

Ryan, meanwhile, will be the latest in a revolving door of Colts quarterbacks since Andrew Luck's retirement in 2019. 

The Tennessee Titans "simply weren't comfortable" with paying former star wide receiver A.J. Brown what he wanted before the Philadelphia Eagles traded for the ex-Ole Miss star during the NFL draft.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared details Monday:

In the weeks leading up to Round 1, we were hearing that the Titans were adamant about keeping Brown long term. There was no tangible feeling about him leaving. But things became clear during draft week—and most definitely on the night before the trade—that the Titans simply weren't comfortable paying Brown what he wanted. As rapper Fat Joe says, yesterday's price is not today's price. Brown 's value was only going up. The Titans were probably resigned to this fate earlier but held out hope until Philadelphia got aggressive in the 18 to 24 hours or so before the draft. I'm told that Brown largely did not expect to be traded until the day of the draft.

The Eagles dealt the No. 18 and No. 101 overall draft picks to Tennessee for Brown and signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension (including $57 million guaranteed).

Brown was entering the final year of his rookie contract. He caught 185 passes for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns over his three years in Tennessee, per Pro Football Reference.

Both Brown and Titans general manager Jon Robinson said that money was the primary obstacle prior to the trade.

"This wasn't my fault," Brown told ESPN's Turron Davenport. "I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer. The deal they offered wasn't even $20 million a year."

Brown told Davenport that the Titans' best offer was for $16 million per season with incentives that could have raised it to a $20 million average.

Robinson told reporters that the gap between what the Titans offered and what Brown wanted was too big to get a deal done:

These are the decisions I am faced with, and they are hard decisions. There's a lot of discussion that goes into them, a lot of thought that goes into them. At the end of the day, we have to make—I have to make—the hard decisions. And there's a lot of things that impact those decisions. Certainly, the finances impact the decisions and trying to get value when we can. And that's the decision we made today.

In Philadelphia, Brown will pair with DeVonta Smith to potentially form one of the NFL's best wide receiver duos. Brown already has a great off-field rapport with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

The Eagles made the playoffs last year at 9-8, but adding Brown along with some key defenders (Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Haason Reddick) upgrades their 2022 outlook.

With the 18th pick, the Titans selected Treylon Burks out of Arkansas to help reload at wide receiver following the Brown deal. Tennessee also added Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods in free agency and UCLA's Kyle Philips with a fifth-rounder.

The Titans offense will look drastically different with two of their biggest weapons in Brown and Julio Jones (released) gone. Tennessee also may have its future franchise signal-caller on the roster after adding Liberty's Malik Willis in the third round. 

What someone says isn't always as important as how they say it.

During voluntary team activities, reporters asked Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill how he can help third-round pick Malik Willis. His defensive response indicated he's threatened by the idea of losing his job to the rookie.

"We're competing against each other. We're watching the same tape. We're doing the same drills," Tannehill said. "I don't think it's my job to mentor him. But if he learns from me along the way, then that's a great thing."

Insert eyeball emoji.

To be fair, nothing Tannehill said was wrong. The two will be in the same quarterback room, learning the same things and competing. Nothing in his contract says he must mentor his counterpart. In the NFL, an individual plays as long as their team can't find a better or cheaper alternative. It's clear Tannehill remembers how he came into his position.

Some differences exist, though. Tannehill, a first-round selection himself in 2012, displaced 2015 No. 2 pick Marcus Mariota after Tannehill was traded to Tennessee in March 2019. The Miami Dolphins had given up on him. So, he knows what it's like to take someone's job and likely sees a similar pattern.

The way in which Tannehill responded said everything about his insecurity after the Titans chose Willis with the 86th pick.

Some may say too many are reading far too much into Tannehill's response. Jimmy Garoppolo endured a comparable situation last year when the San Francisco 49ers traded for the No. 3 pick last year, giving up two first-round selections and a third-rounder and then drafting his eventual replacement. 

"You come into this NFL career and start as the young guy. I came in, Tom [Brady] kind of showed me the ropes," Garoppolo said when asked about being a mentor on Keyshawn, Will and Zubin (h/t ESPN's Nick Wagoner). "The competition between us was awesome. It really made me grow as a rookie and a young player. Me and Trey [Lance] will mold our relationship into that. It'll happen naturally. You can't force anything. Let it come as it may."

Similar questions. Similar answers. Completely different tones.

The NFL can be cutthroat. No one denies how difficult and taxing the business aspect of professional football can be. But there's something to be said about leadership, particularly at the quarterback position, and how it permeates an organization. Quite a few current and former players had plenty to say about Tannehill's response and how it reflected poorly on his status as a team leader.

"If you don't want to mentor I get it," LeSean McCoy tweeted, "but don't call yourself a good teammate. If anything happens to you and he needs to replace you let's pray he is prepared. Winning is the only stat that matters if you are a good teammate."

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner added, "I will never understand the 'I'm not here to mentor the next guy' mentality."

Saints cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who's not shy about making his feelings known, went as far as to say he hopes Willis takes Tannehill's job.

Then again, former Titan Jonnu Smith rightly stated that it's a competitive league. Competition should make a player better. If it doesn't, he shouldn't be in that spot. With that mind, Tannehill could have a difficult time holding off Willis depending on how the latter picks up the system and develops based on the opportunities available to him.

Willis' developmental curve is the crux of the setup.

The dual-threat option was viewed as a first-round prospect because of his talent. No one in the quarterback class presented as much upside, not even Kenny Pickett, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers chose with the 20th pick and was the only first-round signal-caller.

Willis is an elite athlete with the arm to threaten every blade of grass.

"To me, he's the No. 1 guy in the class," an AFC general manager told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "And for whatever people want to talk about in terms of readiness or all this other stuff—it was the same thing with Josh Allen, it was the same thing with Patrick Mahomes. I think people are a little short-sighted with that kid."

An NFC coordinator agreed: "He's the only one with the talent level that deserves [to be picked in Round 1]. Now, there's some holes in his game. [But] to me, he's a better prospect than Trey Lance was a year ago and a better prospect than Justin Fields was a year ago."

An AFC coordinator said, "If I had to take a quarterback this year, I would take Willis, because at least he's got the talent to get himself out of a jam when things don't look pretty."

If so many believe in Willis, why did he fall into the third round? Simple: a steep learning curve.

The comparisons provided to Pelissero are interesting, and not just because two of them involved the game's best. Rather, the timing in those scenarios could provide a template for Willis and the Titans.

Allen started out of the gate. But Mahomes and Lance barely played during their rookie seasons. Even in Allen's case, he needed years of guidance while playing in the same system to fully harness his capabilities.

Tannehill shouldn't be worried that Willis will take his job at the onset of camp because the likelihood of that is basically nil. Willis needs time to adjust. While that is true of all rookie signal-callers, Liberty's offense under the direction of head coach Hugh Freeze did Willis no favors.

The Flames didn't have talent around Willis. The scheme wasn't comparable to nearly anything in the NFL. Pocket pressure forced him to make things happen far too often. Willis even struggled to make the correct reads and decisions. Everyone sees his potential but understands he's a work in progress. That makes Willis the class' most intriguing quarterback prospect, as an NFC coach told Pelissero:

"If there's any of them that you're going to look back and say he turned into a really difference-making player at the position, the one guy that has a chance to do that is probably the Liberty guy. But there's also a chance that he just doesn't develop as a passer the way he's going to need to and he flames out. He's got a wide range of ways that his career could go. But he's a guy that you see some special plays on tape with, stuff you can't coach—off-schedule production, extending the play. He's an outstanding runner. He'll be a top-five runner, maybe a top-three runner at the position from day one. And then he's got all the arm in the world. It's just going to be about whether he can hone that in and learn to play the way a team's going to need him to play in the pass game, just in terms of decision-making and playing fast."

Willis landed in one of the best possible situations, even if the same can't be said for Tannehill. Willis won't have to deal with the pressure of being a first-round pick and face of the franchise. He won't be thrust into the lineup. He can sit back, take his reps and learn, even if the veteran in front of him isn't eager to help.

Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing could tailor portions of the offense to Willis' skill set and take advantage of his athleticism and strong arm as early as training camp. The Titans can sprinkle in run-pass options and designed packages to get Willis on the field. As he learns and grows, Willis can work his way into a bigger role, specifically a starting opportunity.

Willis' growth potential is enormous. Every season, the importance of quarterbacks working off-platform and outside of structure becomes more important. Willis is special in that regard. But his upside is only half the equation.

Tannehill's time is running short.

The 10-year veteran will turn 34 in July, and his contract only runs through 2023. If Willis shows promise this season—on the field or in practice—the organization can release Tannehill next offseason and save $17.8 million, per Over the Cap. If it waits until after June 1, that figure will balloon to $27 million.

Tannehill deserves credit for providing consistency and stabilizing the franchise. Even so, the Titans' trajectory plateaued because they don't feature the caliber of quarterback play needed to compete with the AFC's best, no matter how many wins they rack up in the regular season.

Running back Derrick Henry is the star of the show. Willis could provide something unique alongside the game's premier workhorse as yet another running threat who can bring extra defenders into the box and then throw over the top in play action.

The Titans lack dynamic traits. Willis can bring those. He simply needs time. As such, Tannehill knows his time is limited, and he reacted like someone who already knows his fate.

   

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Former Indianapolis Colts legend Reggie Wayne, who currently coaches the team's wide receivers, believes the addition of veteran quarterback Matt Ryan is such a good thing for the franchise that it makes him sick, specifically because the former Atlanta Falcons QB reminds him of a certain Hall of Famer. 

"It makes me throw up how much he reminds me of Peyton [Manning]," Wayne told reporters Wednesday. 

Wayne and Manning were teammates in Indianapolis for several years, but it's hard to imagine comparing the Hall of Famer to Ryan, who has yet to win a Super Bowl and reach the kind of status Manning was able to achieve over his career. 

Manning won two Super Bowls, was named a Pro Bowler 14 times, an All-Pro seven times and MVP five times over his legendary career. Ryan, meanwhile, is a four-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro and one-time MVP award winner. 

Regardless, Manning also sees something special in the former Falcons quarterback. He even helped Indianapolis recruit Ryan, Jim Irsay revealed last month. The Colts owner added that Manning's belief in Ryan "validates that the move was clearly the right one for us."

Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady also said last week that Ryan had spent a lot of time getting to know his new teammates, adding that he fits the franchise's offense "perfectly":

Just as far as he wants to get the ball out quickly, he's in rhythm, he's an accurate quarterback. One thing that he brings differently, he's damn near a coach in himself. He's really been, like this week and last week, he's coaching up the receivers as well. Like, 'This is what I'm looking for. This is what I except. This is the body lean that I want you to have.' It's just kind of a breath of fresh air to hear that so the rest of the room is not just hearing it from the coaches, they're hearing it from their quarterback. Because it's really about them as far as getting on the same page and timing. Definitely was excited when we got Matt.

The Colts are hoping to get more than just one season out of Ryan, too, and they hope he can lead them to their first Super Bowl title since 2007, when Manning was named Super Bowl MVP. 

If Ryan is unable to lead the franchise to glory over the next few seasons, the team will likely move on to its sixth different starting quarterback since the 2018 season. 

Before selecting Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans pursued a more drastic approach to address the quarterback position.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday on NFL Live the Titans "were dipping their toes" in the Aaron Rodgers trade market and explored a move for Deshaun Watson, only to discover the Houston Texans wouldn't trade him within the division.

The Titans were sending an implicit message by adding Willis. Tannehill is under contract for two more seasons, but Tennessee is already sketching out a possible succession plan.

Considering Willis will likely need a lot of work in order to be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL, there's no guarantee he'll be the eventual replacement for Tannehill. The Pittsburgh Steelers tabbed Mason Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft to potentially take over for Ben Roethlisberger, and they've since moved on to another long-term solution with Kenny Pickett.

That Tennessee considered a trade for Rodgers or Watson signaled a more pressing desire to replace Tannehill.

The 33-year-old saw his numbers decline in 2021. He threw for 3,734 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His 55.9 QBR was the lowest of his Titans tenure, per Pro Football Reference.

Then came the AFC divisional round. Tannehill finished 15-of-24 for 220 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions as the top-seeded Titans were sent packing.

Just as the arrival of Jordan Love seemed to light a fire under Rodgers to stymie the Green Bay Packers' future plans, the selection of Willis could have a galvanizing effect for Tannehill. Granted, he lost his No. 1 wide receiver, A.J. Brown, this offseason.

Tannehill's comment that he doesn't see it as his "job to mentor [Willis]" seem to expose a level of uneasiness he feels about his status within the Titans' plans. Based on Schefter's report, that feeling wouldn't be unwarranted.

Newly acquired Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown reportedly made it clear to the Tennessee Titans well before the 2022 NFL draft that he wanted to be traded.

According to ESPN's Turron Davenport, Brown asked for a trade and cut off all contact with the Titans, including his coaches, three weeks before the draft after the two sides were unable to come to terms on a new contract.

As a result, Tennessee traded Brown to the Eagles for the 18th overall pick, as well as a 2022 third-round selection. The Titans used No. 18 to select Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, who will presumably be Brown's replacement.

Meanwhile, the Eagles signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid wideouts in the NFL.

With Brown's deal averaging an annual value of $25 million, only Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders and DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals make more on a per-year basis at the wide receiver position, according to Spotrac.

Given Brown's resume, it is both easy to understand why the Titans were reluctant to give him that type of contract and why the Eagles jumped at the opportunity.

Brown will only be 25 years old when the 2022 season begins, and the 2019 second-round pick has done some good things during his three-year NFL career.

Overall, Brown has 185 receptions for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns, putting him on pace for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns per season.

He reached the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie with 52 grabs for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns, and he followed that up with his first and only Pro Bowl nod to date in 2020 when he had 70 catches for 1,075 yards and 11 scores, all of which remain career highs.

Brown's production fell off last season, however, to 63 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns. Injury was partly to blame, as he missed four games.

The former Ole Miss standout also missed two contests in 2020, so durability concerns may have factored into the Titans' decision to trade him.

Brown said the Titans only offered him a contract worth $16 million per year that could have reached $20 million with incentives. He added that he would have signed a new deal with Tennessee had he been offered $22 million per season.

According to Davenport, a Titans representative said Brown was offered a deal worth $20 million per season without incentives, but Brown wanted more than $25 million once the wide receiver market exploded during the offseason, particularly with the Jacksonville Jaguars signing Christian Kirk to a four-year, $72 million deal.

As for the Eagles, they were likely to use one of their two first-round picks on a receiver, but trading for Brown gives them a proven option right away.

While Philadelphia did not have a 1,000-yard receiver last season, 2021 first-round pick DeVonta Smith showed promise, finishing with 64 catches for 916 yards and five touchdowns.

Now quarterback Jalen Hurts has a legitimate wide receiver duo of Brown and Smith to throw to, as well as an ascending tight end in Dallas Goedert.

There is some risk involved with the deal, but it could be a move that helps the Eagles truly contend for the NFC East crown this season.