5 things Titans should do before training camp

Marcus Mariota and the Titans report for the start of voluntary offseason workouts Monday, which begins a nine-week program to prepare for the start of training camp.

Plenty will happen between now and then.

Here’s a checklist of five things the Titans should do, beginning with the most critical component to their success:

Ensure Mariota’s health

The franchise quarterback is walking around after surgery to repair his broken right leg in late December, but isn’t expected to return to the field until training camp in June. Coach Mike Mularkey has said the Titans will be overly cautious with Mariota, who is entering his third pro season since being drafted with the second overall pick in 2015. He has yet to make it through a full 16-game schedule.

Trade the fifth overall pick

Just like last season, when the Titans dealt the No. 1 overall pick to the Rams for a truckload of selections, Titans general manager Jon Robinson would like nothing more than to swap the fifth pick for additional draft capital. He has said the Titans are “open for business.” Tennessee owns two first-round selections, the fifth (from the Rams) and 18th overall, none in the second round, and two picks in the third. Any deal would likely occur during the draft, which runs from April 27-29, with the Titans on the clock.

Draft a wide receiver

The Titans have been taking a close look at the three players considered the top wide receivers in the draft – Clemson’s Mike Williams, Washington’s John Ross III and Western Michigan’s Corey Davis. All are considered first-round talents, and all are likely to significantly bolster a passing attack that rated among the worst in the league last season. But if the Titans pass on taking a receiver with the fifth pick, will one of these guys still be on the board at 18?

Draft a cornerback

The Titans signed former Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan and former Jaguars safety Johnathan Cyprien in free agency, addressing a secondary that struggled last season. They also last week released veteran cornerback Jason McCourty, the longest-tenured player on the team, after he declined to take a paycut from his $7 million base salary. There’s more work to be done. Several analysts think the Titans will select Ohio State corner Marshon Lattimore with the fifth pick. But cornerback is considered an extremely deep position in this year’s draft, with potential difference-makers available as late as the third round.

Extend Taylor Lewan’s contract

The left tackle is coming off his first of what could be many Pro Bowls, and entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. The Titans will undoubtedly pick up his fifth-year option before the deadline in early May, and then use that as leverage to sign him to a multi-year deal, according to longtime former NFL agent and salary cap expert Joel Corry. Lewan’s fifth-year option is a bargain because he was drafted 11th overall in 2014. Those taken in the top 10 receive the transition tag number, while other first rounders get the average of the third- through 25th-highest contract of players at their position.

Reach Jason Wolf atjwolf@tennessean.comand follow him on Twitter at@JasonWolfand on Instagram and Snapchat atTitansBeat.