On Sunday, a mega trade was agreed to with the Falcons trading superstar wide receiver Julio Jones to the Titans in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-rounder. The Titans also received a 2023 sixth-round pick from Atlanta in the trade.
With the addition of Jones, the Titans are now loaded on offense with elite players across the board. Jones will be paired with A.J. Brown, who has recorded 122 receptions for 2,216 yards (17.4 average) and 19 touchdowns in his first two years in the league. They also have the league’s leading rusher from the last two years in Derrick Henry in the backfield, coupled with an efficient quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.
The offensive line is led by Taylor Lewan and they’re a solid group, as well. So, this Titans’ offense is going to be a handful for defenses to stop in 2021. Henry and Brown alone were tough for defenses to game plan for and now you add a seven-time Pro Bowler in the mix in Jones. Defensive coordinators are going to have trouble sleeping at night when preparing for this Titans’ offense.
The Steelers play the Titans on Dec. 19 at Heinz Field this year and the secondary surely will be tested by the duo of Jones and Brown. The Steelers’ cornerback position is one of the biggest question marks heading into the 2021 season with Mike Hilton signing with the Bengals in free agency and Steven Nelson being released as a cap casualty.
The Steelers re-signed Cam Sutton in March and he‘ll replace Nelson at the starting outside cornerback spot opposite of Joe Haden. They’re also counting on young unproven players in James Pierre and Justin Layne to step up when they go to their sub-packages.
The Steelers will also see Bud Dupree in their Week 15 matchup against the Titans. Dupree signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with Tennessee in March after playing his first six seasons in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers-Titans late-season game was already compelling with the Dupree factor, but it got even more interesting with the Titans acquiring Jones on Sunday. On paper, it‘s one of the Steelers' toughest games in 2021. Stopping the trio of Henry, Jones and Brown will be no easy task.