The staff at Last Word On Sports are releasing division-by-division breakdowns throughout the month. The AFC South is chock full of young talent just waiting to break out and a healthy mix of underrated veterans. Which team has the best of the best in a competitive division?
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AFC South Offense Positional Breakdown
Quarterback
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Place: Tennessee Titans
Show: Indianapolis Colts
It was a close call but Trevor Lawrence‘s ascendant sophomore campaign in 2022 vaults the Jaguars over the Titans. Ryan Tannehill has been productive for Tennessee but has failed to finish the past two seasons healthy. He’s still a talent in potentially a contract season with two heirs looming in the distance. Can he bounce back with a new OC calling the shots, presumably better than Todd Downing ever did? The AFC South will be determined largely by quarterback play and these two will duke it out until the end.
The division introduces two rookie signal callers to the league, CJ Stroud of the Texans and Anthony Richardson of the Colts. While the Colts are the better of the two teams in terms of talent comparison, the Texans are coming on. Stroud is the better passer of the two young guns at this point in their careers. Richardson is the more enigmatic due to his immense physical talents. There’s virtually little separation between the two franchises but the deciding factor was overall depth at the position. The Colts won out by a slim margin with Gardner Minshew being more productive than Davis Mills.
Running Back
Winner: Tennessee Titans
Place: Indianapolis Colts
Show: Houston Texans
The King still reigns supreme in a division full of talented ballcarriers. Indianapolis is in a weird spot with Jonathan Taylor right now but his youthful talent is enough to carry the day in second place. He’s currently listed on the PUP list and remains to be seen if he can/will play in the regular season. If he can stay healthy and get paid to remain in the Hoosier State, he has the chops to dethrone Derrick Henry eventually. Henry’s stature is the singular reason why the Titans’ backfield is tops in the division for now.
Interestingly, both the Colts and Texans have former Bills (Devin Singletary and Zack Moss if healthy) as their primary backups. I do like the depth of the Colts’ backfield a tad bit better than what Houston has. Houston’s Dameon Pierce was a force to be reckoned with for an awful Texans team before getting hurt. While Travis Etienne had a rookie season to forget, he did bounce back in 2022 for Jacksonville. Jaguars rookie Tank Bigsby could be an intriguing fantasy handcuff option for people who look for it. Clearly, the talk at this position remains squarely at Lucas Oil Stadium as the Taylor process runs its course. Both Henry and Taylor are currently projected to be free agents after 2023, so this position could be radically different in 2024.
Wide Receiver
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Place: Indianapolis Colts
Show: Tennessee Titans
The Jaguars’ top three Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones, and Christian Kirk far surpass anything the rest of the teams can muster in terms of overall talent and production. Don’t forget Jamal Agnew’s contributions in the return game as well. Parker Washington could be a sneaky dynasty league stash for a couple of years down the road. The Colts have a potentially solid top-five cadre of WR2 and WR3 on the roster. If everything goes right with their QB room, receivers like Michael Pittman, Jr., and Alec Pierce could break out. Isaiah McKenzie is in line for a bigger role after coming from Buffalo. Breshad Perriman and Josh Downs are intriguing back-end options as well. The Tennessee receiver room had the potential to be an utter shambolic disgrace if DeAndre Hopkins didn’t sign there. Treylon Burks’ recent injury showed how precarious their situation is at the moment. They will heavily rely on Hopkins and Burks to carry the load as the others are largely unproven or inconsistent.
It can be argued that Houston’s group can beat out Tennessee in terms of overall talent with youngsters like Nico Collins and John Metchie III leading the way. Tank Dell could be a super sleeper option in the later rounds if his connection with Stroud carries over to the regular season. Former Iowa State product Xavier Henderson could be someone to monitor as well.
Tight End
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
Place: Jacksonville Jaguars
Show: Tennessee Titans
The tight end battle was a close wrought contest with the Colts’ depth winning over the Jaguars. Indianapolis can throw sheer numbers of athletic freaks, including Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory, and Kylen Granson. Jelani Woods is the starter there in Indianapolis and he showed promise as a rookie. Jacksonville has the division’s most productive tight end in Evan Engram but not much depth behind him. Engram’s productivity simply beat out Tennessee’s group. The Titans core led by Chig Okonkwo is up and coming though after his rookie campaign.
Offensive Line
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Place: Indianapolis Colts
Show: Tennessee Titans
Considering the lines in totality, the Jaguars’ depth won out over the Colts’ lack of productivity. Indianapolis has let its immense talent advantage go to waste over the years with annual failure to protect its chief assets. While the Colts have more talent, the Jaguars are improving. Indianapolis has the edge at tackle while the Jags have a slight advantage at guard. Tennessee’s line is a hodge podge of unproven and inconsistent talent but they have the overall talent edge over Houston. The Texans do have the best tackle in the division with Laremy Tunsil.
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