NFL Key Performance Indicators: AFC South

Every spring, every NFL team looks to get better: they draft rookies, they sign free agents, they let underperforming players go. But when teams aren't being put to the test against each other, how can we know if they're really improving? Throughout July, VICE Sports will be identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each squad: the things fans should be watching in August for hints about how their teams might perform come kickoff time.

Last year, Titans rookie quarterback-cum-savior Marcus Mariota persevered through terrible protection and the mid-season ouster of his head coach. Most teams would respond by spending resources on pass-blockers and pass-catchers to support a No. 2 overall pick, but the Titans this offseason have instead doubled down on drive-blockers and plodding power runners. New defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is taking over a unit that finished 27th in scoring defense last year, having endured a mind-melting mess of architects and systems installed over the past few years.

VICE Sports talked to former 13-year Titan veteran Brad Hopkins, now an NFL analyst for SiriusXM, to point out some KPIs for his old team.

• A Strong Step Up from Dorial Green-Beckham: "I want to see him at X [receiver]," Hopkins said. "I want to see him out there with that 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame creating mismatch problems for those corners." If DGB is consistently running with the ones at split end, powering past corners and making them chase him downfield, that poses a significant threat to defenses—something the Titans have lacked for a long time.

• Consistency on the Offensive Line: Hopkins was the Titans' starting left tackle from 1993 to 2005, and he wants to see that same consistency from third-year left tackle Taylor Lewan and first-round pick Jack Conklin. "If they're moving [Conklin] around, then there are some problems," Hopkins said. "Offensive line play is predicated on consistency and repetition, so these guys need to be solidified in their positions." A season-ending injury to veteran tackle Byron Bell during OTAs has all but etched Conklin's name in stone as the starting right tackle; if the Titans hedge their bets on Lewan by getting Conklin some camp reps on the left, they'll be undermining both players. Hopkins notes free-agent center Ben Jones could, and should, come in and help solidify the line with savvy line calls and protection changes.

• Kevin Dodd Getting Opportunities: Pass rush was a problem area last season, despite the big-money addition of Brian Orakpo. Asked if second-round pick Kevin Dodd getting reps ahead of Orakpo or pass-rush partner Derrick Morgan would be a troubling sign, Hopkins disagreed. "I think it's a good opportunity," Hopkins said, pointing out that modern pass-rushers rotate heavily, especially late in games. "I think they'll be more effective if they have three or four guys who can get after the passer."

One of the consensus winners of the spring, the Jaguars signed two proven veterans coming off career years in areas of perennial need: Chris Ivory, the ex-New York Jets tailback, and Malik Jackson, the Denver Broncos interior pass-rusher. They also added two rookies with superstar talent to their back seven, and are getting 2015 first-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. onto the field of competitive play for the very first time. Unsurprisingly, Jags KPIs largely concern this massive talent influx.

• The M.A.S.H. Unit: No. 5 overall pick Jalen Ramsey is supposed to step in and be a game-changing defensive back for the Jaguars; Safid Deen of the Tallahassee Democrat reports that Ramsey insisted just weeks after meniscus surgery that he's already "100 percent" and ready for training camp. Fowler was full go at OTAs, but the defensive end still has the small matter of not having played any professional football yet. Second-round pick Myles Jack, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last fall, admitted that he was winded and rusty at minicamp. How healthy, fast, and prepared these three players are when camp opens will be critical for head coach Gus Bradley and a defense that absolutely must take big strides in his fourth season.

• O-Line Physicality: The Jags offensive line struggled mightily at the point of attack last season; they finished 31st in Football Outsiders' Power Success metric last year. Left tackle Luke Joeckel, the 2013 No. 2 overall pick, will be battling Fowler in the trenches, and veteran signee Kelvin Beachum on the depth chart. If the Jags are going to run with success, or protect Blake Bortles, they'll need to at least get some push against their much-improved defensive front.

• Veteran Additions: The signings of Prince Amukamara and Tashaun Gipson were overshadowed by the selection of Ramsey, but how the two young veterans perform against the Jags' dangerous receiver corps will be crucial if Ramsey isn't an instant cure-all (and rookies are never instant cure-alls). Amukamara and Gipson struggled with health and consistency last season, so Jags fans should be rooting for solid camp performances from both.

• Bortles Getting Rid of It: Bortles throws a lovely deep ball, and he has seriously dangerous wheels. But he must take a step forward in simply executing the offense and hitting the short option when it's there—and he has to continue to be smarter about when to extend the play and when to throw it away in self-preservation. Jags fans should be scouring reporters' notes to see if he's making progress on this front.

Quarterback Andrew Luck's record-breaking contract extension is rightfully getting plenty of attention now, but it doesn't mean anything for the on-field product in 2016. And since no two pundits can agree on what went wrong for him in 2015, trying to read training-camp tea leaves to see if everything is fixed is a fool's errand. Instead, focus on these KPIs:

• Settle for Building an Ill-Tempered Sea Bass: When Chuck Pagano took over the Colts in 2012, he inherited the NFL's 28th-ranked scoring defense. After four seasons of "Building the Monster," Pagano's defense climbed all the way up to 25th. Free-agent cornerback Patrick Robinson and second-round pick T.J. Green might or might not start right away; neither is likely to be a night-and-day improvement over what the Colts had in 2015. Instead, the Colts will have to ask more from the players they've got—like last year's free-agent prize, defensive end Art Jones, whose 2015 season ended with an ankle injury before it started. Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star reports that Jones is expected back by training camp; whether he's 100 percent and effective in camp will go a long way toward showing he can help get the Colts defense to the good-enough level it often hit during the Manning years.

• Protect the Investment: During Luck's struggles last year, Pagano raised a few eyebrows when he insisted crappy protection shouldn't be the issue because Luck has always had crappy protection. Chastened general manager Ryan Grigson spent a first-round pick on hard-nosed center prospect Ryan Kelly; whether Kelly and budding third-year guard Jack Mewhort can keep Luck clean early and often will be critical for the Colts' chances this year.

• The Young Turks: "Speed kills," a Colts source texted Holder after they drafted Phillip Dorsett in the first round last season. Dorsett became just one more log in a jam of tall, raw, speedy receivers, finishing sixth on the squad with just 225 receiving yards—behind even ageless power tailback Frank Gore. Dorsett has to demonstrate he's learned how to use his tools to get open against a talented NFL secondary. Donte Moncrief, who missed OTAs while recovering from toe surgery, has to get healthy and keep improving his game over the whole route tree if he's going to be a sufficient foil for star wideout T.Y. Hilton.

Last year's AFC South champions will have a hard time repeating, given how much young talent has flooded the division. If the Texans have truly found their answer at quarterback, though, the sky's the limit for their explosive offense. The KPIs for the Texans:

• Passing Rhythm: Ignore the forthcoming Vines of free-agent quarterback Brock Osweiler hitting DeAndre Hopkins deep. Hopkins makes those plays no matter who's throwing the ball, and we know Osweiler has an arm. Instead, focus on reports of Osweiler's processing speed—and how well Houston's young, tall, fast, and raw corps of receivers (sounds like the Colts) can execute head coach Bill O'Brien's tricky option routes. For once, training camp "stats" like interceptions and completion rate might actually be worth paying attention to.

• Tight End: In a league where everyone's stockpiling pass-catching tight ends, the Texans don't have any: their top two, C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin, have missed much of the offseason with injury. Texans fans should be watching camp reports closely for any sign of a tight end making themselves useful in O'Brien's scheme.

• Covington's Reps: Nose tackle Vince Wilfork's body is making waves right now, but Texans fans should be more interested on the body to his immediate right (or left, depending on where J.J. Watt feels like lining up). Christian Covington, a 2015 sixth-rounder, is the son of the CFL's all-time sack leader—and blessed with the natural size and ability to be a serious force. Blotted out by Wilfork as a backup nose tackle last year, Texans fans want to see this young man step into the spotlight and make them forget about free-agent departee Jared Crick. Pay attentoin: Is he splitting first-team reps with Devon Still, or running with the ones outright?

• Clowney: The Texans finished eighth in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA on the year in 2015, but fourth in weighted DVOA—they got significantly better as the season went on. A big part of that was the impact play of their 2014 No. 1 overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney, who was healthy (and excellent) from Week 11 on. But flu limited him in minicamp, and we still haven't seen a healthy, full-speed season from a player with generational talent. It's a different defense with him on the field; he'll need to get through August completely ready to step into a full-time role in September.

• Inside Linebacker: Brian Cushing hasn't played like the dominant force he was in 2009, when he was the Defensive Rookie of the Year, for some time. Still only 29, he looked far older in 2015, especially in coverage. If free-agent insurance policy Akeem Dent starts chipping away at Cushing's reps, that's not a great sign for the Texans defense being as good this year as it was in 2015.

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