AFC South power rankings: Who’s defense is tops?

Tennessee might have made waves last year after their offensive fireworks show featured Derrick Henry running overgrown men 20 times a game and Ryan Tannehill chucking downfield bombs regularly, but Mike Vrabel built this team as a hard-nosed unit that beats the crap out of opponents on defense.

The Titans have quality players on all three levels of the defense. Youngsters Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry started to emerge as future stars after productive seasons, while linebacker Rashaan Evans made the leap from good to great last season.

Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro remain arguably the best safety tandem in the entire league, while second-round rookie Kristian Fulton looks to be the next important contributor on a young, stacked defense.

The Titans’ defense is far from perfect, however. Malcolm Butler, who is just stealing money, might once again start at cornerback after the Titans let breakout corner Logan Ryan hit the free-agent market.

Trading their best individual player in defensive tackle Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos for almost nothing is another big red mark against the Titans this offseason. Even with those faults, the always interesting defensive mind of Vrabel and the unit’s success against elite quarterbacks in the playoffs are what gives the Titans the edge over the Colts.

Not only does Tennessee have the best defense in the division currently, but they could start to put some distance between them and the Colts if they manage to sign Jadeveon Clowney in free agency. Doing so would help replace Casey’s ability to get to the quarterback while giving the Titans a fearsome pass rush combo between him and Landry.