The 2023 season was the Tennessee Titans' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 64th overall, their 27th in the state of Tennessee and their sixth and final under head coach Mike Vrabel. The Titans attempted to improve upon their underachieving 7–10 record from last year. They also attempted to make it back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2018. However, after a Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans in overtime, they were eliminated from playoff contention for the second year in a row.[1] The following week they were locked to last in the AFC South after losing to the Seattle Seahawks 20–17 in Week 16, and they failed to improve on their 7–10 record from 2022. On January 9, the Titans fired Vrabel.[2]
2023 Tennessee Titans season | |
---|---|
Owner | KSA Industries |
General manager | Ran Carthon |
Head coach | Mike Vrabel |
Home field | Nissan Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 6–11 |
Division place | 4th AFC South |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | RB Derrick Henry |
Uniform | |
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Offseason
editCoaching changes
editOn January 9, 2023, the Titans fired offensive coordinator Todd Downing, offensive line coach Keith Carter, secondary coach Anthony Midget, and offensive skill assistant Erik Frazier.[3] Under Downing in 2022, the Titans' offense was 30th in the league in yards and 28th in points-per-game.[4] Fans had called for his firing since during the 2021 season, and many celebrated his departure.[5][6] Carter's offensive line under his tenure was consistently ranked low, and Midget's secondary finished 2022 as worst in the league in passing yards.[7][8] On February 7, passing game coordinator Tim Kelly was promoted to offensive coordinator, Charles London was hired as the quarterbacks coach from the Atlanta Falcons, and Chris Harris was hired as the defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach from the Washington Commanders.[9] Lori Locust was hired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the first full-time female coach in Titans history, alongside Justin Hamilton, as defensive quality control coaches.[9] Jason Houghtaling was promoted to offensive line coach, Luke Steckel was moved to run game analyst, Pat O'Hara was moved to pass game analyst, and Tony Dews was moved to tight ends coach.[9]
Organizational changes
editOn January 18, 2023, the Titans hired San Francisco 49ers executive Ran Carthon as their new general manager.[10] The Titans had fired previous general manager Jon Robinson in December 2022 at the beginning of their seven-game losing streak.[11]
Roster changes
editReserve/future free agent contracts
editThe Titans signed 11 players to futures contracts on January 10, 2023. By January 23, the Titans had signed three additional players.[12]
Draft
editRound | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Peter Skoronski | OT | Northwestern | |
2 | 33 | Will Levis | QB | Kentucky | From Houston via Arizona |
3 | 81 | Tyjae Spears | RB | Tulane | |
5 | 147 | Josh Whyle | TE | Cincinnati | |
6 | 186 | Jaelyn Duncan | OT | Maryland | From Atlanta |
7 | 228 | Colton Dowell | WR | UT Martin |
Undrafted free agents
editThe Tennessee Titans have currently signed 22 undrafted free agents.[13]
Player | Position | School |
---|---|---|
Anthony Kendall | DB | Baldwin-Wallace |
Mo Hasan | QB | USC |
Sammy Wheeler | LS | Kansas State |
Jahleel Billingsley | TE | Texas |
Shea Pitts | LB | UCLA |
Keenan Agnew | DL | Southern Illinois |
Eric Garror | CB | Louisiana Lafayette |
Tyreque Jones | DB | Boise State |
Maxwell Worship | S/LB | Vanderbilt |
Matthew Jackson | LB | Eastern Kentucky |
Tre'Shaun Harrison | WR | Oregon State |
Shakel Brown | DL | Troy |
Thomas Rush | LB | Minnesota |
Kearis Jackson | WR | Georgia |
Trey Wolff | K | Texas Tech |
Jacob Copeland | WR | Maryland |
John Ojukwu | OT | Boise State |
Caleb Murphy | EDGE | Ferris State |
TK McClendon | EDGE | Eastern Kentucky |
Steven Jones Jr. | CB | Appalachian State |
Charles McClelland | RB | Cincinnati |
Otis Reese IV | LB | Mississippi |
Staff
editFront office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
editPreseason
editThe Titans' preseason opponents and schedule was announced in the spring.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 12 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–23 | 0–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
2 | August 19 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 24–16 | 1–1 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 25 | New England Patriots | W 23–7 | 2–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
editSchedule
editNote: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
editWeek 1: at New Orleans Saints
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 15 |
Saints | 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 10
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,024
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (CBS): Chris Lewis, Jason McCourty, Ross Tucker and Amanda Guerra
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
Titans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,438
- Referee: Alan Eck
- TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely and Tiffany Blackmon
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Cleveland Browns
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Browns | 3 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sun/Clouds, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,919
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Titans | 3 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,951
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
Colts | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 8
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 53 °F (12 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 65,287
- Referee: Brad Rogers
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Amanda Renner
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 6 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 24 |
Titans | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
- Date: October 15
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. BST/8:30 a.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 52 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 61,011
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (WTVF/NFLN): Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner and Jamie Erdahl
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 23 |
Titans | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,008
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (CBS): Beth Mowins, James Lofton, Jay Feely and Amanda Guerra
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 9: at Pittsburgh Steelers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: November 2
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST/7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Mostly clear, 40 °F (4 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,969
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (Prime Video): Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 20 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: November 12
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 85 °F (29 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,725
- Referee: Alan Eck
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Jaguars | 7 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 12: vs. Carolina Panthers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Titans | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 31 |
Titans | 10 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 28 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at Miami Dolphins
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 28 |
Dolphins | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 27 |
at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: December 11
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST/7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 66,068
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky and Laura Rutledge
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 15: vs. Houston Texans
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
Titans | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: December 17
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
- Game attendance: 66,219
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. Seattle Seahawks
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 20 |
Titans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 17: at Houston Texans
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Texans | 3 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: December 31
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 71,517
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Robert Smith and Jen Hale
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 18: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
Titans | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: January 7
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,744
- Referee: Tra Blake
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Standings
editDivision
editAFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) Houston Texans | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 377 | 353 | W2 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 377 | 371 | L1 |
Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 396 | 415 | L1 |
Tennessee Titans | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 305 | 367 | W1 |
Conference
edit# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .543 | .529 | L1 |
2[a][b] | Buffalo Bills | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .471 | .471 | W5 |
3[a] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .481 | .428 | W2 |
4 | Houston Texans | South | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .474 | .465 | W2 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5[c] | Cleveland Browns | North | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .536 | .513 | L1 |
6[b][c] | Miami Dolphins | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .450 | .358 | L2 |
7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .540 | .571 | W3 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8[d] | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .574 | .536 | W1 |
9[d][e] | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .533 | .477 | L1 |
10[e] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .491 | .444 | L1 |
11[f] | Las Vegas Raiders | West | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .488 | .426 | W1 |
12[f] | Denver Broncos | West | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .488 | .485 | L1 |
13 | New York Jets | East | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .502 | .454 | W1 |
14 | Tennessee Titans | South | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .522 | .422 | W1 |
15 | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .529 | .388 | L5 |
16 | New England Patriots | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .522 | .529 | L2 |
Tiebreakers[g] | |||||||||||
|
References
edit- ^ Derrick Henry ponders future after Titans eliminated from playoff contention, NBC Sports, December 17, 2023
- ^ "Titans fire head coach Mike Vrabel after six seasons". NFL.com. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 9, 2023). "Titans Part Ways With OC Todd Downing, OL Coach Keith Carter, Secondary Coach Anthony Midget and Offensive Skill Assistant Erik Frazier". TennesseeTitans.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Davenport, Turron (January 9, 2023). "Titans fire four assistants, including OC Todd Downing". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Moraitis, Mike (January 9, 2023). "Titans fans elated after Todd Downing gets fired". TitansWire.USAToday.com. USAToday. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Lomas, Will (January 9, 2023). "Tennessee Titans fire Todd Downing and give hope for 2023". Titansized.com. Fansided. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Moraitis, Mike (January 9, 2023). "Titans fire Todd Downing, Keith Carter among 4 coaches". TitansWire.USAToday.com. USAToday. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Kuharsky, Paul [@PaulKuharskyNFL] (January 9, 2023). "#Titans' final numbers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Wyatt, Jim (February 7, 2023). "Titans Elevate Tim Kelly to Offensive Coordinator While Making Several New Additions, and Changes". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 18, 2023). "Titans Hire Former 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon as the Team's New General Manager". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 6, 2022). "Titans Part Ways with GM Jon Robinson". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 10, 2023). "Titans Sign 11 Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Tracking the Titans' 2023 undrafted free agent signings". titanswire.usatoday.com. April 29, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.