Titans 2024 NFL Schedule Released for Will Levis' 1st Year with Brian Callahan as HC

The Tennessee Titans will look a lot different to start the new season than they did to end the last one.

Mike Vrabel was fired as head coach with Brian Callahan coming in as his replacement. Callahan's arrival meant the installation of new coordinators for the offense (Nick Holz) and defense (Dennard Wilson).

On the field, the two figures most synonymous with the Titans' success under Vrabel are gone. Ryan Tannehill had already ceded the starting quarterback job to Will Levis, so his departure didn't feel as significant. It will be much more odd to see veteran running back Derrick Henry suit up for a team that isn't the Titans.

Lest anybody think Tennessee is rebuilding, general manager Ran Carthon handed out the second-most money in free agency ($307.1 million). Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, running back Tony Pollard and wide receiver Calvin Ridley were the most notable additions.

Calling the Titans a contender would be a stretch, but this is clearly an organization that sees the 2024 season as a springboard to bigger and better things down the road with Levis.

2024 Tennessee Titans Schedule

Full schedule information available on the team's official website

Analysis

Tennessee's schedule might be one reason for the front office's aggressive approach in the offseason. This is a pretty manageable slate all things considered.

The New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders are all rebuilding and could be leaning on rookie quarterbacks from Week 1 on.

The New York Jets are still pinning their hopes squarely on Aaron Rodgers, who's 40 years old and coming off a major Achilles injury. For as much as New York did to improve the roster around the future Hall of Famer, it's easy to envision the train careening off the rails again.

The Minnesota Vikings are stuck in a transitional phase after Kirk Cousins left to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. They might be headed for a second straight losing record given the state of their QB situation.

The Los Angeles Chargers are in a similar position as head coach Jim Harbaugh enters his first year on the job. Even if Harbaugh can elevate quarterback Justin Herbert to a different level, it may not be enough to compensate for the combined cost of parting ways with running back Austin Ekeler and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

The Titans will face some tough tests.

Road trips to the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions could all end in defeat because the three teams are among the 10 best in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals will have Joe Burrow back healthy. Jordan Love might be even better in 2024 now that he has a full season as a starter under his belt with the Green Bay Packers.

If you want to strike an optimistic tone, you can find enough victories in there to put Tennessee in the AFC wild-card race.

Pivotal Matchups

In general, it's not as though people are viewing the Titans with a playoff-or-bust mindset, but a GM doesn't spend as much as Carthon did with an eye toward losing in the short term. Tennessee isn't tanking with an eye on draft position in 2025.

The importance of the the divisional games largely goes without saying, but winning the AFC South could basically be out or reach if the Houston Texans take another step forward after overachieving in 2023.

Getting nine or 10 wins and challenging for the wild card is a much more attainable goal. With that in mind, it's those easier matchups mentioned earlier that will be critically important for Tennessee.

Losing to the Patriots, Commanders or Bears would further shrink what's already a small margin for error, and the Chargers and Vikings could probably be included in that group if they struggle as much as most expect.