Pro Football Focus left of Chris Johnson
from the Tennessee Titans
All-20-Year team, and he's not alone as a snub from the list of deserving players.
Pro Football Focus played a fun game this week by creating an All-20-Year Team for every NFL franchise, covering the 2006 through 2025 seasons, and the Tennessee Titans' roster tells THE ultimate story about the franchise's last two decades.
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Ryan Tannehill
at quarterback, Derrick Henry
at running back, and a defensive front anchored by Jeffrey Simmons and Jurrell Casey
are the top headliners.
But the Titans' list also reveals some glaring omissions and a few structural issues with how PFF built its roster template.
PFF's "methodology"
counted only each player's five best qualifying seasons, including postseason play, with a qualifying season requiring a PFF grade of 60 or higher. That's a reasonable framework, but it creates some odd results when applied to a franchise like Tennessee.
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Tannehill as the franchise's best QB says everything
The quarterback selection is Ryan Tannehill. It's obviously correct, but let's unpack the context of how…
The Titans took three swings at top-10 quarterback draft picks during this window with Vince Young, Jake Locker
, and Marcus Mariota
. All three missed. Tannehill, who Tennessee acquired from a Dolphins' salary cap dump, ended up leading the best era of Titans football in this 20-year stretch. That tells you everything about how the franchise has operated at the most important position.
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Will Cam Ward
be able to flip the script 20 years from now?
PFF's Titans All-20-Year Team and Snubs
Offense
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QB: Ryan Tannehill (2019–2023)
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HB: Derrick Henry (2016–2023)
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TE: Bo Scaife (2006–2010)
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RG: Jake Scott (2008–2011)
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RT: David Stewart (2006–2013)
Defense
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DI: Jurrell Casey (2011–2019)
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ED: Derrick Morgan (2010–2018)
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SLB: Keith Bulluck (2006–2009)
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S: Michael Griffin (2007–2015)
3 Titans snubs PFF got wrong
The biggest snub is Harold Landry
. Derrick Morgan held down the fort from 2010 to 2018 and deserves credit for flipping the culture out of the bad Titans era into the stretch that produced playoff runs. He and Orakpo crossed over for four seasons as the edge duo from 2015 to 2018. But Landry's sack production (50.5 in six years in Tennessee) and his ability as a true hair-on-fire pass rusher off the edge should earn him the nod over Morgan (44.5 sacks in nine seasons) on this list.
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The second snub is structural. PFF lists a slot receiver spot, after two wide receiver spots, and Corey Davis landed there. Having the slot spot exist doesn't make sense for this franchise. A.J. Brown and Nate Washington are the only two receivers who belong on this roster. If PFF had used a flex spot instead of a locked-in slot receiver designation, Chris Johnson would be on this team. Johnson was the sixth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season when he crossed the mark in 2009. He also broke the yards-from-scrimmage record that year once you add in his receiving numbers. For that stretch of time, Johnson was an absolute weapon who scared every defense when he touched the ball. He's only off this list because Derrick Henry is a future Hall of Famer. That's a roster construction problem, not a talent problem.
The third snub requires removing a linebacker. The Titans don't need three off-ball linebackers on this list. I would take Jayon Brown off (he had some good moments, no disrespect) and replace him with Logan Ryan
. Ryan signed a significant free agent contract from New England
, played all of it, and both sides parted naturally when it was over. That almost never happens.
Ryan is one of the most underrated players this franchise has had over the last 20 years. In hockey, there's the secondary assist, where you make the pass that sets up the pass that becomes the goal. Logan Ryan had so many hockey-assist-type plays on defense. His defensive IQ on how to use leverage, set the edge from the nickel spot, play in the box against the run, or position himself between offensive players to funnel the ball carrier into a teammate was a skill set that never got the recognition it deserved.
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You could also argue Taylor Lewan
over Roos at left tackle. Lewan may have more Pro Bowls, but Roos was steadier when it came to floor-and-ceiling performance over nine seasons within this window.
For the most part, the Titans' last 20 years are fairly cut and dry. But my three snubs all deserve the recognition.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: PFF's Titans All-20-Year Team leaves out three Titans fan favorites, including a franchise great at running back Chris Johnson
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