Promising Draft Class

The Titans draft class wasn't a big one, but it produced some players who produced as rookies – linebacker Rashaan Evans, edge rusher Harold Landry and safety Dane Cruikshank.

"I think Rashaan, he battled through the injury in training camp and kind of got off to a slow start but started to find his way about the middle of the year," Robinson said of the team's first-round pick from Alabama. "He made some pretty impactful plays, and I think he has a bright future here."

Evans finished the year with 63 tackles and six quarterback pressures.

Landry, selected in the second round, recorded 4.5 sacks and 18 quarterback pressures while tallying 46 stops. Cruikshank was productive on special teams.

"I think Harold factored some, but I think there's some things all rookies have to work on," Robinson said. "There's things he has to work on and develop as an edge defender in this league, but I thought he made some good plays for us. He has a great motor and brought some speed off the edge.

"Dane made several key plays that were impactful in the kicking game, and we're looking forward to him taking a step defensively to try and help in that phase of the game."

Robinson also mentioned some of the team's undrafted rookies, from linebacker Sharif Finch to receiver Cameron Batson to defensive back Josh Kalu.

Offseason needs?

Robinson provided few clues on needs heading into the offseason.

He repeated his stance from previous offseasons when looking ahead at the Senior Bowl later this month, and the NFL Combine next month. The NFL Draft is scheduled for April.

"This is the fourth year I've said this now: You can never have enough good football players," Robinson said. "There's obviously some positions we have to focus on. Not to show all of our cards, but we are kind of going through that now, finishing up our team evaluations and turning the page to the potential free agents that are going to be available and balancing that with draft preparation.

"You really have to weigh the supply of players that are available in free agency, and what that's going to cost you, relative to the supply of players in the draft."

Robinson was asked specifically about three positions that figure to be areas of need – receiver, edge rusher and offensive line.

When discussing receivers, Robinson said Corey Davis showed improvement in his second NFL season, but said he needs to continue to work on his consistency.

"But we are certainly encouraged," Robinson said of Davis. "He played some good football for us. With that position group, it is a young position group and we'll see what's available out there. You can never have enough guys who can get open and catch the football. We'll see whether that falls in the free agency/draft player acquisition process."

Robinson thanked retiring linebacker Brian Orakpo for his contributions to the team, from his production to his leadership.

"He was a good example of what we want our Titans to be like," Robinson said of Orakpo. "I think that position group, like a lot of position groups, we'll look at the supply of players that are out there in free agency and the draft. … You can never have enough pass rush in this league."

On the offensive line, he said he saw improvement during the end of the season. He believes another offseason should help right tackle Jack Conklin return to form. Conklin ended the 2018 on Injured Reserve.

"I am sure with an offseason and getting healthy and ready to go will be good for him," Robinson said of Conklin.

Keeping Pees

The Titans are set on the defensive side of the ball after defensive coordinator Dean Pees informed the team he plans to return for the 2019 season.

The Titans ranked 3rd in the NFL in scoring defense in 2018, and eighth overall in total defense. The Titans recorded their first shutout since 2000 in a 17-0 win over the Giants in December.

"I thought Dean did a great job," Robinson said. "He's a football guy. He's a loyal guy. I thought he did a really good job of putting a system in place to play team defense.

"We may not have had a lot of superlatives as far as individual efforts. I would say we had some on a weekly basis. But I thought he did a good job of trying to put the players in the best position to make plays to help us win football games."

Titans QBs Mariota, Gabbert and a New OC

Four seasons into his NFL career, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has dealt with plenty of changes around him. (A complete version of this story can be found HERE).

Heading into 2019, Mariota will be faced with another challenge – adapting to yet another offensive coordinator. On Tuesday night, the Green Bay Packers officially hired former Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur as their new head coach.

LaFleur's departure means Mariota will have his fifth offensive coordinator since being drafted in 2015.

"It is always challenging when you are talking about terminology, and concepts. I kind of liken it to learning a foreign language, and he is on his fifth language now," Robinson said of Mariota, and the change a OC. "But we'll do our best to try and help the team and keep a lot of that the same. We'll talk to coach Vrabel and we're still just going through that process now about the direction that we're going to go.

"But it is always difficult with any player when there is change because you have to learn new things. One thing was called "this" with this coach, and this is called "that."

The Titans are confident Mariota will be able to adapt.

"Marcus is a smart guy," Robinson said. "We'll work at it. Whatever we ask of him from a studying and learning and terminology standpoint, I am confident that he'll definitely put the time in to try and be his best."

Mariota started 13 of the team's 16 games in 2018, and played in 14 of 16. He finished the year with 2,528 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He set the franchise record with a completion percentage of 68.9 %. Mariota missed the regular season finale vs. the Colts because of neck and foot injuries.

"When he was healthy and out there, he certainly gave us a really good chance to win the game, and made some big plays for us," Robinson said of Mariota. "Kind of at the end there, the health and safety of our players is at the top of the list, and we really don't want to put anybody out there that we don't feel like can protect themselves or they're at risk for an injury."

At season's end, Vrabel said the decision to keep Mariota sidelined vs the Colts was made by a group of people, and Mariota said himself that's true. Concerns about a nerve injury – and how it could impact his future – played a role, Mariota said.

Robinson said the decision to hold out Mariota was made with the future in mind.

"It was a collective decision," he said. "We talked about it, and talked about it with Marcus and got opinions. I keep coming back to player safety, and I think Marcus is a tough guy. He has played through a lot during his career. I don't question his toughness. He has shown that he loves his team and he wants to be out there with his teammates. But when you are risking something, you have to weigh the future relative to what's the cost of putting him out there.

"It will be important for him this offseason to take some time to get healthy and come back ready to go."

Mariota said the day after the regular season finale he's been told he won't need surgery, just time to heal and get healthy.

When Mariota couldn't play in 2018, the Titans leaned on veteran Blaine Gabbert, who started the season finale and ended up playing in eight games, including three starts.

Gabbert's final numbers: 61-of-101 for 626 yards, with four touchdowns, four interceptions and a 74.9 rating. Gabbert remains under contract through the 2019 season. Robinson didn't discuss the team's thoughts on adding another quarterback to the mix. The Titans drafted Luke Falk in the sixth round of last year's draft, but he was released.