What can you do when you have underperforming guys in your lineup, Tennessee Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt was asked after Sunday's 41-17 loss in Indianapolis.

“I think you really have to look at where they are and what you can do,” he replied. “Some of them you can continue to work with and know they can get better and others you are going to have to consider making some changes. It depends on which category they fall into and that’s one thing we’re going to have to look at.”

Few starters for the Titans have reserves bearing down on them. This is not an especially deep team.

Here are five changes I think the Titans have to seriously consider making:

1) Play Bishop Sankey more, sooner.

The rookie running back has 27 touches in four games. He’s getting 5.1 yards a carry and has 10.7 yards per catch on his three catches. I’m not knocking Shonn Greene here, he’s been underutilized, too, in my eyes. But changing the pecking order at running back is an easy change to make and it could have a bearing.

“We’ll look at what we’re doing and with who we’re doing it,” Whisenhunt said. “It’s hard to judge it because of where it was in the game, too, and the way they were playing, so we’ll continue to look at those things.”

Sankey got six of his eight touches against the Colts on one third-quarter series. He got five of his 11 touches the week before in Cincinnati on one series on one third-quarter drive.

He deserves a chance at more, earlier.

2) Give Taylor Lewan a start.

If left tackle Michael Roos or right tackle Michael Oher were playing the way Andy Levitre’s been playing, they’d be replaced by Lewan, the 11th pick in the draft.

Lewan is a tackle, not a guard. But the Titans have said he’s the first alternative at either tackle or guard position. Levitre’s been candid about his struggles so far this season.

Perhaps inserting Lewan in his spot gives the line a boost and helps the group play like a unit with the pedigree this one has.

3) Sit cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

The second-year man and first-year starter needs some time to settle down.

Start Coty Sensabaugh and bring in Brandon Harris as part of the nickel package. Odds of it being worse than it's been are low. The Browns, Tennessee's opponent next Sunday, don't have super-threatening receivers, and the Titans need to see what else they have at corner.

Wreh-Wilson would likely resurface, but not until he has some time off. He may have suffered a concussion at the end of the Colts game. Maybe he needs a week to get healthy anyway.

4) Go with Avery Williamson.

The rookie inside linebacker is a better fit, and already a better player, than Zaviar Gooden is. I've written about the Titans being too light with Wesley Woodyard and Gooden as their starting middle linebackers.

Gooden has 21 tackles in four games. Williamson has 13 in two and much less time. I understand mixing it up. I can understand using safety George Wilson some on the inside against a smaller team as they did against the Colts.

Go young, go Williamson.

5) Try Akeem Ayers on defense.

I understand he’s done very little to gain the faith of his coaches. Ayers has been active for only the Dallas game and did not play on defense.

But it’s not as if Derrick Morgan, or especially Kamerion Wimbley, have done a great deal as the team’s outside linebackers through a quarter of the season.

Put Ayers ahead of Wimbley and see if he can do anything.