Did the Titans surpass the Buffalo Bills in the AFC with Julio Jones trade?

The big news in the NFL over the weekend was that the Tennessee Titans had acquired former All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones. As news broke, the topic of conversation pivoted to where the Titans may land in the AFC, and do they move ahead of teams like the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ main competition this season?

There is no question that the Titans offense got significantly better with Julio Jones now apart of this group. Even though he is 32 years old, any offense would be better with one of the best wide receivers in the league.

This offseason the Titans lost Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith on the offensive side of the ball and saw 157 targets from last year vacated. There is no reason to believe that Jones if he stays healthy, can account for most of those targets and likely be more productive than Davis and Smith with the workload.

The Titans’ offense is going to be very tough for opposing defenses because of the different ways they can beat teams. Defensive coordinators are going to essentially have to decide if they want to put eight players in the box to stop Derrick Henry (but that leaves single coverage on the outside on Jones and A.J. Brown) or stop the receivers. This would unfortunately leave them with only seven on the line to stop the Titans’ run game.

While the Titans potentially have more playmakers on offense than the Buffalo Bills, the Bills have two advantages that should keep them slightly ahead of Tennessee.

The first is offensive playcalling as the Buffalo Bills bring back Brian Daboll for his fourth year with the team, and more importantly his fourth year with quarterback Josh Allen. These two have an excellent working relationship and Daboll knows how to get the most out of his players.

For the Titans, they lost their offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, as he was named head coach for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. He was replaced by Todd Downing, who has had only one season as offensive coordinator. That season was with the Raiders in 2017 and they finished the year 18th in the NFL in total yards and 23rd in points scored.

While Downing certainly has more talent with the Titans, it also comes with an increased level of pressure as he needs to ensure all the pieces fit properly.

The other reason the Buffalo Bills should still be viewed slightly ahead of the Titans in the AFC is on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the secondary. The Titans did add free agent Janoris Jenkins and drafted Caleb Farley in the first round but still have a number of questions in this part of their defense.

As for the Buffalo Bills, they bring back their entire starting secondary with one of the better safety duos in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, along with Tre’Davious White on the outside. They also have Levi Wallace returning but he will face competition from Dane Jackson during training camp.

When considering the AFC has teams like the Chiefs and the Bills, having a strong pass defense is going to be important. If the Titans struggle to slow down opposing offenses, they will find themselves in shootouts and while they have the playmakers, this is not a strategy that is sustainable long-term.

The addition of Julio Jones was one of the biggest acquisitions of the offseason and makes this Titans’ offense very scary. However, the questions about playcalling and in their secondary need to be answered before they should be considered to be the Chiefs’ primary competition over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC.