2023 Tennessee Titans season
OwnerKSA Industries
General managerRan Carthon
Head coachMike Vrabel
Home fieldNissan Stadium
Results
Record6–11
Division place4th AFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersRB Derrick Henry
Uniform

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]

Offseason

Coaching changes

On 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

On 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

Reserve/future free agent contracts

Player Position
Curtis Brooks DE
Shyheim Carter CB
Zack Johnson G
Mason Kinsey WR
John Leglue OT
Zach McCloud OLB
Thomas Odukoya TE
Sam Okuayinonu OLB
Jayden Peevy DE
Justin Rigg TE
Reggie Roberson WR
Andrew Rupcich OT
Tyler Shelvin NT
Caleb Shudak K

The Titans signed 11 players to futures contracts on January 10, 2023. By January 23, the Titans had signed three additional players.[12]

Draft

Main article: 2023 NFL draft
2023 Tennessee Titans Draft
Round 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

The 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

2023 Tennessee Titans staff

Front office

  • Owner – KSA Industries
  • Controlling owner – Amy Adams Strunk
  • President/CEO – Burke Nihill
  • General manager – Ran Carthon
  • Assistant general manager, strategy – Chad Brinker
  • Assistant general manager – Anthony Robinson
  • Vice president of football administration – Vin Marino
  • Director of college scouting – Jon Salge
  • Director of pro scouting – Brian Gardner
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Kevin Turks
  • College scout – Matt Miller

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Shane Bowen
  • Outside linebackers – Ryan Crow
  • Inside linebackers – Bobby King
  • Inside linebackers assistant – Zak Kuhr
  • Defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks − Chris Harris
  • Safeties – Scott Booker
  • Defensive assistant – Clint McMillan
  • Defensive quality control – Justin Hamilton
  • Defensive quality control – Lori Locust

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Director of sports performance – Frank Piraino
  • Assistant director of sports performance – Brian Bell
  • Sports performance assistant – Tyler Rouse

Final roster

2023 Tennessee Titans final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 19 inactive, 14 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Preseason

The 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

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 at New Orleans Saints L 15–16 0–1 Caesars Superdome Recap
2 September 17 Los Angeles Chargers W 27–24 (OT) 1–1 Nissan Stadium Recap
3 September 24 at Cleveland Browns L 3–27 1–2 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap
4 October 1 Cincinnati Bengals W 27–3 2–2 Nissan Stadium Recap
5 October 8 at Indianapolis Colts L 16–23 2–3 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
6 October 15 Baltimore Ravens L 16–24 2–4 United Kingdom Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London) Recap
7 Bye
8 October 29 Atlanta Falcons W 28–23 3–4 Nissan Stadium Recap
9 November 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 16–20 3–5 Acrisure Stadium Recap
10 November 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 6–20 3–6 Raymond James Stadium Recap
11 November 19 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 14–34 3–7 EverBank Stadium Recap
12 November 26 Carolina Panthers W 17–10 4–7 Nissan Stadium Recap
13 December 3 Indianapolis Colts L 28–31 (OT) 4–8 Nissan Stadium Recap
14 December 11 at Miami Dolphins W 28–27 5–8 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
15 December 17 Houston Texans L 16–19 (OT) 5–9 Nissan Stadium Recap
16 December 24 Seattle Seahawks L 17–20 5–10 Nissan Stadium Recap
17 December 31 at Houston Texans L 3–26 5–11 NRG Stadium Recap
18 January 7 Jacksonville Jaguars W 28–20 6–11 Nissan Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

Week 1: Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 6 3 0615
Saints 3 3 10016

at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 3 11 010024
Titans 0 10 77327

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 3: at Cleveland Browns

Week 3: Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 3 003
Browns 3 10 7727

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 3 0 003
Titans 3 21 3027

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts

Week 5: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 3 10016
Colts 7 3 7623

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens

NFL London games

Week 6: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Ravens 6 12 0624
Titans 3 0 10316

at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England

Game information

Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 3 0 61423
Titans 7 7 7728

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

Week 9: Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 10 3016
Steelers 7 3 3720

at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 10: Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 0 036
Buccaneers 0 7 10320

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 11: Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 0 7714
Jaguars 7 6 14734

at EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,175
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Amanda Renner
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 12: Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 3 7010
Titans 7 10 0017

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 51 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,493
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 13: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Colts 7 6 93631
Titans 10 7 26328

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: December 3
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Partly sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,641
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: at Miami Dolphins

Week 14: Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 10 31528
Dolphins 7 0 31727

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

Week 15: vs. Houston Texans

Week 15: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Texans 0 3 67319
Titans 6 7 03016

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

Week 16: Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 31420
Titans 0 10 0717

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 60,181
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: at Houston Texans

Week 17: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 3 003
Texans 3 17 3326

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 18: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 18: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 3 10 0720
Titans 7 14 7028

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Standings

Division

AFC 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

AFC
# 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]
  1. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head sweep.
  3. ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Miami based on conference record.
  4. ^ a b Cincinnati finished ahead of Jacksonville based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Indianapolis (see below).
  5. ^ a b Jacksonville finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head sweep.
  6. ^ a b Las Vegas finished ahead of Denver based on head-to-head sweep.
  7. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

  1. ^ Derrick Henry ponders future after Titans eliminated from playoff contention, NBC Sports, December 17, 2023
  2. ^ "Titans fire head coach Mike Vrabel after six seasons". NFL.com. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Davenport, Turron (January 9, 2023). "Titans fire four assistants, including OC Todd Downing". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Moraitis, Mike (January 9, 2023). "Titans fans elated after Todd Downing gets fired". TitansWire.USAToday.com. USAToday. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  6. ^ Lomas, Will (January 9, 2023). "Tennessee Titans fire Todd Downing and give hope for 2023". Titansized.com. Fansided. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Moraitis, Mike (January 9, 2023). "Titans fire Todd Downing, Keith Carter among 4 coaches". TitansWire.USAToday.com. USAToday. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Kuharsky, Paul [@PaulKuharskyNFL] (January 9, 2023). "#Titans' final numbers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 6, 2022). "Titans Part Ways with GM Jon Robinson". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 10, 2023). "Titans Sign 11 Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  13. ^ "Tracking the Titans' 2023 undrafted free agent signings". titanswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.

External links

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