Nashville, TN – The new additions to the Tennessee Titans team will join a nucleus of established veterans returning to the Two-Tone Blue.
On the offensive side, quarterback Ryan Tannehill enters his 12th NFL season and his fifth campaign with the Titans. He is first in franchise history in career passer rating (100.5) and completion percentage (66.9), and he ranks fifth in career passing touchdowns (89) and sixth in passing yards (12,831).
From the time of Tannehill’s first start in a Titans uniform (October 20th, 2019) through the conclusion of 2022, his 100.7 passer rating ranked fourth in the NFL behind only Aaron Rodgers (106.0), Patrick Mahomes (103.3) and Jimmy Garoppolo (100.8).
Three-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry continues his assault on the team’s record books heading into his eighth NFL season.
Last year he moved into first place in franchise history in career rushing touchdowns (78) and total touchdowns (81), and he sits in third place on the franchise rushing charts with 8,335 career yards, behind only Eddie George (10,009) and Earl Campbell (8,574). In 2022, he finished second in the NFL with 1,538 rushing yards, which was the sixth-best single-season total in franchise history. Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2016.
A pair of second-year offensive playmakers look to build upon their rookie campaigns, beginning with last year’s first-round pick, Treylon Burks. The wide receiver totaled 33 receptions for 444 yards and one touchdown in 11 games in 2022. Among NFL rookies, his 444 receiving yards finished as the ninth-best total.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo, a fifth-round choice, established a new record for franchise rookie tight ends and led all NFL rookie tight ends in 2022 with 450 receiving yards. The Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie performer placed fourth among NFL rookies at his position with 32 receptions, which also tied for third place in team history among rookie tight ends.
On the defensive side of the ball, safety Kevin Byard joins Henry as the two longest-tenured players currently on the Tennessee Titans roster. Since Byard entered the league, he has never missed a game, and his active streak of 105 consecutive starts is the longest in the NFL among active defenders going into the season. His 27 interceptions since the beginning of the 2017 season are the most by an NFL safety in that period, rank second among all players (28 by Xavien Howard), and put him in a tie for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time career interceptions list.
In April, the Tennessee Titans agreed to a multi-year contract extension with two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The former first-round pick, who added second-team All-Pro honors in each of the past two campaigns, totaled 21 sacks in his first four seasons. In 2022, he anchored a unit that ranked first in the NFL in rushing defense (76.9 opponent rushing yards per game).
The Tennessee Titans expect a boost in 2023 from a returning defensive leader who did not see the field in 2022—outside linebacker Harold Landry III, whose knee injury before Week 1 landed him on injured reserve. From 2018 through 2021, his total of 31 sacks led the team and fell behind only Jevon Kearse for a Titans/Oilers player’s first four NFL seasons since sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982. He was named to the Pro Bowl with 12 sacks in 2021.
