The Titans’ offense is still stuck near the bottom of the league, and Brian Daboll’s fingerprints are all over the mess.
Through Week 7, Tennessee sits 31st in points scored per game, and the criticism is landing most heavily on the offensive coordinator. Daboll was handed full control of the offense, then given the freedom to bring in familiar faces in free agency to smooth the transition. That plan has not paid off, and the Daniel Bellinger signing is looking like one of the roughest decisions so far.
Bellinger landed a three-year, $24 million deal, a contract that puts him at about $8 million per season and roughly 20th among tight ends in annual salary. For that kind of money, the Titans expected real impact. Instead, they’ve gotten almost nothing in the passing game, and the move is starting to look like another early miss attached to Daboll’s name.
The production has been thin from the start. Bellinger had never topped 300 receiving yards in a season before arriving in Tennessee, and he is on an even bleaker pace now. In seven appearances, he has just six catches for 34 yards, which works out to a career-low 5.7 yards per reception.
That said, the passing game around him isn’t exactly helping. Tennessee ranks second-last in passing yards per game, and quarterback Cam Ward missed him on Sunday on what should have been a walk-in touchdown when he overshot a wide-open Bellinger.
Still, the Titans weren’t bringing Bellinger in to be a star receiver. The idea was that he would be the dependable in-line blocker, freeing up sophomore Gunnar Helm to handle more of the pass-catching load. That arrangement has not taken shape.
Instead, the two tight ends have been asked to do the opposite of what seemed logical on paper. According to Pro Football Focus, Helm has 155 snaps as a blocker, while Bellinger has 113. That gap makes a little more sense when you look at the overall usage - Helm has outsnapped Bellinger 310-175 - but it still points to a muddled plan for how to use them.
Helm was shaky as a blocker during his rookie season, while Bellinger has long been the stronger blocker of the two. That makes it hard to ignore the possibility that Daboll should be dividing those responsibilities differently.
Bellinger’s own run-blocking has been underwhelming, too. His 54.2 run-blocking grade from PFF is on pace to be the worst mark of his five-year career. Those grades are not perfect, but the Titans’ problems in the run game line up with what the film is showing.
Helm is running routes on 78% of his snaps, down from 82.6% as a rookie, so the Titans are still leaning on him as a receiver. But signing Bellinger as the primary blocking tight end, then also asking Helm to absorb more blocking work, is not the split many expected.
The result is a tight end pairing that hasn’t produced the kind of balance Tennessee wanted. For now, that leaves another glaring question mark next to Daboll’s offense.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Have A Real RB2 Debate Behind Tyjae Spears
Tyjae Spears was supposed to have a firmer grip on the Titans No. 2 running back job, but a knee injury and uneven play have opened the door for someone else. Michael Carter has been getting more work in recent games, and his ability to handle all three downs has caught attention from coach Robert Saleh. In a backfield that already leans heavily on Tony Pollard, the battle for touches behind him has become a real subplot.
Carters recent production has outpaced both Spears and rookie Nick Singleton, and that alone is changing the conversation about how Tennessee wants to structure its backfield. If Spears cannot get back to form, the Titans may have to decide whether Carter is simply a short-term fill-in or the more reliable option as RB2. The picture could shift again if Pollard is traded, which would only make this situation more important to watch in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Trade Buzz Now Centers On One Name Fans Wont Like
The trade chatter around the AFC South has widened beyond the usual deadline-day noise, with multiple NFL teams reportedly inquiring about deals for Colts receiver Josh Downs and Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The latest buzz has also linked Jacksonville to a possible pursuit of Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, adding another layer to a division already full of roster questions as teams weigh whether to buy, sell or stay put.
League sources have also put Jermaine Johnson, Tony Pollard and Alontae Taylor in the conversation as potential trade candidates, which only adds to the sense that the market could move quickly if one deal gets enough traction. For the Titans, it is another reminder that the division around them is not standing still, and any shift at the deadline could alter both the short-term race and the longer view of how these rivals are built. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Loom In One Of The NFLs Biggest Trade Decisions
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the league has already seen one of its most consequential in-season swings, as the Colts moved guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks for future draft picks and sent defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for a draft pick. Deals of that size have a way of resetting the market, and they tend to invite every team with a meaningful decision to the center of the conversation.
For Tennessee, that matters because Jeffery Simmons is part of the wider trade discussion now forming around some of the leagues biggest names. Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Brian Thomas and Budda Baker are also being floated as potential candidates, with possible landing spots already being mapped out, but the bigger question is how aggressive teams become once a move like Seattles changes the temperature. The Titans may not be the only club watching closely, but they are firmly among the teams who need to know where that market is heading before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]