Now that the draft is over, and free agency has simmered, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 season, and take a look at how each team looks.
It’s anyone’s guess on who will win this division. The Colts now have Philip Rivers as their quarterback, and with a great offensive line and solid running game, can he prove that he has enough left in the tank? Despite spending two first round picks on defense, will the Jaguars have enough on that side of the ball to compete? Was Ryan Tannehill more of a Cinderella story in Tennessee last year? Or will they be the favorites for the division? Will the questionable offseason moves by Bill O’Brien cost the Texans the playoffs? Or worse, his job? Let’s look at the AFC South.
Rookies will be noted with *, and players from the 2019 Pro Bowl will be in bold.
Houston Texans
Offense
QB: Deshaun Watson
RB1: David Johnson
RB2: Duke Johnson
FB: Cullen Gillaspia
WR1: Brandin Cooks
WR2: Will Fuller
WR3: Kenny Stills
TE1: Darren Fells
TE2: Jordan Thomas
LT: Laremy Tunsil
LG: Max Scharping
C: Nick Martin
RG: Zach Fulton
RT: Tytus Howard
Defense
DE: Angelo Blackson
NT: Ross Blacklock *
DE: JJ Watt
OLB: Whitney Mercilus
ILB: Zach Cunningham
ILB: Benardrick McKinney
OLB: Brennan Scarlett
CB: Gareon Conley
FS: Justin Reid
SS: Eric Murray
CB: Bradley Roby
Special Teams
K: Ka’imi Fairbairn
P: Bryan Anger
No trade in the last half decade turned more heads and popped more eyes than Bill O’Brien shipping Deandre Hopkins to the Cardinals in exchange for a second-round pick and the oft-battered David Johnson. It’s been many moons since Johnson was the fantasy football monster that he was, and now arguably the best receiver in football is out the door. To “compensate,” O’Brien executes another trade by sending their other second-round pick to the Rams for Brandin Cooks. On paper, the Texans’ receiving core is the fastest in the NFL, but Cooks and Will Fuller have been injured so often that it’s hard to rely on them. If they go down for a long period, Deshaun Watson may be playing with one hand tied behind his back.
Indianapolis Colts
Offense
QB: Philip Rivers
RB1: Marlon Mack
RB2: Jonathan Taylor *
FB: Roosevelt Nix
WR1: TY Hilton
WR2: Michael Pittman Jr. *
WR3: Parris Campbell
TE1: Jack Doyle
TE2: Trey Burton
LT: Anthony Castanzo
LG: Quenton Nelson
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Mark Glowinski
RT: Braden Smith
Defense
DE: Kemoko Turay
DT: Deforest Buckner
DT: Grover Stewart
DE: Justin Houston
OLB: Bobby Okereke
MLB: Anthony Walker
OLB: Darius Leonard
CB: TJ Carrie
FS: Malik Hooker
SS: Khari Willis
CB: Xavier Rhodes
NB: Rock Ya-Sin
Special Teams
K: Adam Vinatieri
P: Rigoberto Sanchez
The Colts are the biggest mystery in the NFL. Will the addition of veteran gunslinger Philip Rivers be enough to ascend them to the AFC South title? It’s certainly possible. His regression in arm strength is worrisome, but for the first time in forever, Rivers will actually have home field advantage, along with a fantastic offensive line and running game. Marlon Mack will be teaming with Wisconsin workhorse Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, and Michael Pittman Jr will provide a big bodied target for Rivers’ jump balls. Indy could be a fun team this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Offense
QB: Gardner Minshew
RB1: Leonard Fournette
RB2: Ryquell Armstead
FB: Connor Slomka
WR1: DJ Chark
WR2: DeDe Westbrook
WR3: Laviska Shenault Jr. *
TE1: Tyler Eifert
TE2: Josh Oliver
LT: Cam Robinson
LG: Andrew Norwell
C: Brandon Linder
RG: AJ Cann
RT: Jawaan Taylor
Defense
DE: Josh Allen
DT: Abry Jones
DT: Taven Bryan
DE: Yannick Ngakoue
OLB: Myles Jack
MLB: Joe Schobert
OLB: K’Lavon Chaisson *
CB: Rashaan Melvin
FS: Jarrod Wilson
SS: Ronnie Harrison
CB: CJ Henderson *
Special Teams
K: Josh Lambo
P: Logan Cooke
The Jaguars went from nearly beating the Patriots to go to the Super Bowl to all of a sudden entering a massive rebuild. Gardner Minshew showed some intriguing traits last year, but it’s fair to wonder if he’s the answer in Jacksonville, or if he could be a placeholder for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. That would mean that they would need to go 2-14 or 3-13, and if their defense is as bad as they were a year ago, that might happen. Even rookies like CJ Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson might not be enough.
Tennessee Titans
Offense
QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB1: Derrick Henry
RB2: David Fluellen
WR1: AJ Brown
WR2: Corey Davis
WR3: Adam Humphries
TE1: Jonnu Smith
TE2: Anthony Firkser
LT: Taylor Lewan
LG: Rodger Saffold
C: Ben Jones
RG: Nate Davis
RT: Isaiah Wilson *
Defense
DE: Jeffrey Simmons
NT: DaQuan Jones
DE: Jack Crawford
OLB: Harold Landry
ILB: Rashaan Evans
ILB: Jayon Brown
OLB: Vic Beasley
CB: Adoree’ Jackson
FS: Kevin Byard
SS: Kenny Vaccaro
CB: Malcolm Butler
Special Teams
K: Greg Joseph
P: Brett Kern
Who would’ve thought that benching the former #2 overall pick would help propel the team deep into the playoffs? Ryan Tannehill took over as starting quarterback for Marcus Mariota, and his aggressive passing paralleled with Derrick Henry leading the NFL in rushing made the Titans offense dangerous. As for the defense, there wasn’t a ton of turnover, but Vic Beasley needed a fresh start after a disappointing career so far in Atlanta. If he can provide a pass rush, the Titans’ defense can be frisky.
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