Power rankings and record predictions

30. Tennessee Titans

Playing against a much tougher schedule, the Titans are going to be hard-pressed to see improvement in the win column. Tennessee, which earned the second-overall pick for the second straight year, could be on that path again after sitting out free agency.

General manager Jon Robinson is being cautious in his approach. Robinson could have gone out and tried to hire a splashy head coaching candidate, but instead decided to retain Mike Mularkey, who was tagged as the interim coach over the final nine games of 2015, going 2-7.

Mularkey needs to spark a franchise that, outside of second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, doesn’t have much to excite the fan base. The receivers could be decent with the trio of Andre  Johnson, Rishard Matthews and Kendall Wright, but the rest of the roster leaves plenty to be desired. However, one bright spot will be the running tandem of Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray behind a young and talented offensive line.

With the rest of the AFC South seeing improvement near across the board, the Titans could struggle to even match last season’s win total. Again, though, if Mularkey proves to be the right hire and Mariota can make progress, Tennessee has to feel good about the long-term future — for the first time in a long time.

Record prediction: 3-13

Next: No. 29 Atlanta Falcons