August 9th, 2019 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
The Tennessee Titans take on the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 1 of the 2019 NFL preseason.
Sporting News Picks the NFL 2019 Division Winners – Where Do the Titans Land?
It’s that time of the year when national pundits start to look ahead and pick records for teams around the league, as well as pick the winners of the divisions.
Sporting News is out with their 2019 predictions, and they have their picks in for the AFC South.
The longtime company picks the Colts with Andrew Luck to win the division with a mark of 11-5, and coming in second will be the Texans with a record of 8-8.
The Titans are going to be third place at 5-11, while the Jagaurs, who were just in the AFC Title Game in January of 2018, will be last at 4-12.
Here’s the complete rundown of who Sporting News likes along with the Super Bowl teams.
Titans LT Taylor Lewan Says He’s Suspended for the First Four Games of 2019
The Titans were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday as the team’s training camp gets set to get started.
Left tackle Taylor Lewan is telling everyone that he is suspended for the first four games of the 2019 campaign.
Lewan, who is the highest paid left tackle in the league, said that the suspension comes after failing a drug test for a banned substance.
The tackle claims he didn’t knowingly take the prohibited supplement. He put out a video on Twitter explaining the situation.
“My name’s Taylor Lewan, I’m the left tackle for the Tennessee Titans. And I’m making this video so it comes from me and from nobody else and it doesn’t leave anything up for interpretation,” Lewan said. “I received a letter from the NFL a few weeks ago saying that I failed a drug test for Ostarine. Ostarine is a supplement banned from WADA (world anti-doping agency) in 2007. It’s known as a SARM (selective androgen receptor modulators). The way the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) works is a strict liability policy. So I’m completely responsible for the things that are in my body whether the supplement I’m taking has it on the label or not.
“I want everyone to know that I’ve never taken supplement knowingly and I’ve never cheated the game and I never will. I have notes, those things don’t really matter [puts down phone]. What really is important to me is that people know I’m not a cheater. I went and did a polygraph test about Ostarine and knowingly taking it and I passed that test. I’ve never taken anything that would cheat the game. I’m so sorry to the Tennessee Titans … [gets emotional] … This is hard.
“I’m sorry to the Titans and the fans that I won’t be there for four games. I’ve never cheated myself and I never wanted you guys to feel cheated. And I’m sorry, but I’m gonna be better for this. I’m gonna come back. I got my supplements tested by a third party. I’m going to release that polygraph. There’s also been letters on the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), Clemson and other NFL players that have failed for Ostarine as well that I’ll make public. I’ll do whatever I can to prove that I’ve never done anything wrong in regards to supplements or taking anything knowingly. Thank you so much for watching this video and thank you to everyone who supports me.”
With Lewan out, the team will likely have to turn to Dennis Kelly to fill in for the first four games of the season.
Video: Tennessee Tenacity: The Story of the 2019 Titans
The 2018 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise’s 48th season in the National Football League and their 59th overall. It also marks the franchise’s 22nd season in the state of Tennessee, their first under head coach Mike Vrabel.
Check Out the Madden 20 Rankings for All the Titans Players
Monday was a day that many gaming fans wait for each year, the day that the most popular sports series of all-time puts out their player rankings.
That game of course is Madden football, and this year Madden 20 is once again going to be a game played by millions who are into the NFL and video games.
One aspect of the game is player rankings, and the top Titans player on the list was tight end Delanie Walker who has a ranking of 92.
Free Safety Kevan Byard has a ranking of 89, and right end Jurrell Casey comes in at a ranking of 86.
Check out all the Titans Rankings by clicking HERE.
Three Questions About the Titans as Training Camp Gets Closer
Following a season in which the Titans went 9-7 and missed the postseason by just a game, the team is set to get back to the NFL’s second season and there’s plenty of excitement as 2019 approaches.
Now that the calendar has turned to July, the start of training camp is closing in and things are ramping up for the franchise to get ready for 2019.
Today we take a quick look at three questions about this team as they get set to embark on what they hope will be a better season that could end with a playoff birth.
1. Get More Out of the Offense
Last season the Titans were 27th in the league in scoring points at 19.4 per game, which if this team is going to make the playoffs, they’ve got to be better in that area.
For a large part of the season the club just didn’t that have second gear to the offense, and that starts in camp with new OC Arthur Smith making sure that the players on the team know the game plan.
That also goes along with QB Marcus Mariota knowing his role with the offense, and knowing what is expected of him and how he fits in the puzzle of this team making more big plays.
2. Can the Defense Stay the Course?
The Titans defense didn’t get the credit they deserved for how well they played, as they were 3rd in the league in points allowed, and 8th in yards allowed.
While the offense likely still has to find itself with new OC Arthur Smith, the defense will have to carry the load early in camp and possibly early in the season to make sure they stay competitive.
The defensive line is the strength of this club, led by Jurrell Casey who led the team with seven sacks a season ago. There’s a couple players that the team needs to step up to make this defense even better in 2019.
3. Dominate the Division
The AFC South was the Titans for the taking in the final game of 2018, but a final game 33-17 loss to the Colts ended any chances of the postseason.
They went 3-3 in the AFC South, and while that may be .500, that’s not good enough if they are going to make a big impact overall in the league.
The Texans, Jags and Colts are all looking to be even better just like the Titans, but early in the year Tennessee has to come out and throw the first punch in the division, winning in weeks two and three against the Colts and Jags to set the tone for the season.
Video – Football Gameplan’s 2019 NFL Team Preview: Tennessee Titans
00:48 – 4-Minute Offense
2:31 – Positional Breakdown
8:23 – Hunt’s Playbook
12:01 – Fantasy Focus
13:36 – Best Bets
14:17 – Training Camp Quick Takes
17:09 – Road to the Super Bowl
Titans One-Time Second-Round Pick DE Austin Johnson May Not Make the Roster
Former second-round pick Austin Johnson isn’t in great standing with the Titans, Andrew Ortenberg of Profootball Rumors reports. The 43rd overall pick of the 2016 draft has struggled to make an impact and might not be long for the team.
The defensive lineman is going to be fighting for a roster spot in training camp, according to Jim Wyatt of the team’s official site.
Wyatt does note that defensive coordinator Dean Pees had some praise for him earlier this offseason, but he won’t be guaranteed a spot because of his draft pedigree.
Last season, Johnson played around 38 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in a rotational role.
In 16 games and nine starts, he finished with 22 tackles, one sack, and two passes defended. It was by far the most playing time he’s received in his young career.
Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Johnson is scheduled to make $1.8MM in 2019. Wyatt does note that his salary won’t be held against him, and Tennessee will only cut him if he gets beat out by someone better.
