Five Free Agents that could help the Tennessee Titans
By Shawn Eagle
While free agency in the NFL is a little more than two weeks old and most of the big names have been signed there are still plenty of players left that can help the Tennessee Titans.
With the Titans filling their most glaring need at defensive end with the signing of Kamerion Wimbley, and shoring up one OG position with the signing of Steve Hutchinson they can now shift their focus to other positions of need, mainly back up DE, DT, and DB. For now I want to focus on five guys that I think could really help the Titans out next year.
Antonio Garay, DT out of San Diego is 32 years old and may be getting up there in age but, at 6’4 320 lbs he could really help to solidify the interior of the D-line for the Titans. I look at him as an older version of Shaun Smith. He’s not real flashy but he is hard to move in the run game and paired with Jerrell Casey he would form a 700 lb. man wall.
Amobi Okoye, DT out of Chicago was once a 1st round draft pick by the Texans. Out of college it seemed like Okoye would team with Mario Williams to make a dynamic duo for years to come. That didn’t happen and now both are gone from the Texans. Okoye played for the Bears last year and while he may not be the terror he was in college, he is still only 25 years old and has shown that he can rush the passer from his DT position. He is not a classic run stuffing DT but he could be a relatively inexpensive pick up for the Titans.
Aubrayo Franklin, an above average DT who weighs in at 6’1 317 lbs. Franklin is not much of a pass rusher but he is a very good run stopper who could work early downs to clog up the middle in the run game. Although Franklin is getting older he would be a nice veteran addition to the team.
Kelvin Hayden, CB for the Atlanta Falcons. It wasn’t too long ago that Mr. Hayden was returning a Rex Grossman interception for a TD in the Super Bowl for the Colts. Then he signs with the Falcons as one of the most sought after free agents in the NFL. Last year he suffered a turf toe injury that cut his season short.
Dave Tollefson, DE for the Giants. Tollefson would come in as a serviceable back up much like Dave Ball was for the Titans. He notched 5 sacks last year for the Giants as part of a great defensive line.
These guys could help solidify some depth issues that the Titans have and also bring some veteran leadership that is needed as well. We all know that the season is long and injuries are going to happen so for a team that barely missed the playoffs last year it may be better to have a good amount of vets on your two deep roster.
Shawn Eagle