We are going to be tracking all Titans free agency news here throughout the week so make sure to check back for all the latest information.
Titans reported signings
The Titans have added EDGE Bud Dupree, DL Denico Autry, and OT Kendall Lamm in free agency as well as re-signing TE Geoff Swaim.
Notable free agent signings at positions of interest for the Titans
Defensive lineman Shelby Harris is staying in Denver according to his agent.
Cameron Sutton is staying in Pittsburgh for a modest contract.
Kendrick Bourne is reportedly closing in on a deal with the Patriots.
Free agent edge rushers start to come off the board
Shaq Barrett is reportedly returning to Tampa as expected. He got $18-million per year average annual value which you would expect to essentially set the ceiling for edge rushers in this free agent class.
While Romeo Okwara is getting big money to stay in Detroit.
Markus Golden is also staying put in Arizona.
Nothing is done here yet, but the Patriots are reportedly making a big push to sign free agent edge rusher Matt Judon as well.
Judon to the Pats for $14-million per year.
Samson Ebukam is signing with the 49ers.
Yannick Ngakoue appears to be going to his fourth team in the last year as he is closing in on a deal with the Raiders per Ian Rapoport.
And we have confirmation that terms have been agreed to between Ngakoue and the Raiders from Vic Tafur.
Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith set to leave Tennessee
Dianna Russini kicked things off with a bang on Monday morning by reporting that the Titans would, in fact, be losing their top two free agents on offense in Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith.
Our own John Glennon says that he’s been told that it’s not a done deal just yet, but that they are likely to move on.
Buck Reising added that he expects that none of the Titans top line guys will be returning. I would take that to mean DaQuan Jones, Jayon Brown, Desmond King, and Jadeveon Clowney in addition to Davis and Smith.
Jonnu Smith is signing with the New England Patriots on a four-year, $50-million contract according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
To put that in perspective, that’s the Derrick Henry contract except with more guaranteed money. It’s quite the payday for the Titans 2017 third round pick and I can understand Jon Robinson being uncomfortable getting to that level of price tag.
That being said, Jonnu will be a tough one to replace for the Titans. The free agent market is pretty rough for tight ends. Hunter Henry is the top name left, but his injury issues and lack of blocking skill set make me wary of paying him top dollar. Gerald Everett is another guy who could be an interesting fit, but he’s certainly a downgrade as a blocker and as a red zone threat compared to Jonnu. The best option for the Titans may be to focus on replacements for Corey Davis and Adam Humphries at receiver and go with a committee approach at tight end for this season.
Smith’s new contract would put him on track to qualify as a fourth round value for the purposes of compensatory picks in the 2022 draft. Of course, that can be cancelled out depending on who the Titans sign from other teams, but there is a good chance that Tennessee will end up getting a comp pick or two (or three) back next year with the number of highly sought after players they have leaving.
MyCole Pruitt and Titans discussing return
Pruitt isn’t a big name free agent, but he’s been a regular part of the Titans offense over the last couple years providing high end blocking for Derrick Henry and the run game while occasionally sneaking out for a pass or two.
Sounds like he’s mulling his options, but there is mutual interest in a return.
Seems like we may be going all in to improve our D this time around and basically betting that the keys to our offensive success are more about the QB/RB/OL/WR1 than anything else. I do think that’s true to a point. Gonna have to hit very clean & big on WR talent in the draft or land bargain FA WR(s) before free agency ends.
I really think it’s just about where J-Rob wants to prioritize the money. NE never really prioritized money in WRs when he was there. So unless they wanna give a hometown discount, I think that’s a position he will let churn through the draft. Probably similar with TE. I’m glad he isn’t cutting any money from the OL this offseason. And that the DL/OLB units finally look respectable.
One thing I’m most excited about is that we took Autry from Indy. So we got better, and they added a hole. For now, at least. I’m sure they will address it. And probably improve in the long run. But not without spending some money.
I know he’s not the fan favorite anymore, but if we convinced Clowney to take a bargain contract ($9-10m) & play down inside … then we could field a front that looks like:
– Dupree on the short edge
– Autry in the 3
– Simmons shading nose
– Clowney in the 4i/5
– Landry on the wide edge
We could probably make some athletic rookie CB’s look better than they are.