Offseason Plan for the Tennessee Titans
At the halfway point of the season, the Tennessee Titans are sitting at 4-4 and right in the thick of the race for the AFC South title. The Titans have taken a huge step forward from last year and more exciting games are up ahead. And we’re in for another exciting offseason as well with plenty of cap space and two first round picks. After about three hours of number crunching and research, let me share with you what this offseason could look like.
Titans Projected cap space 185mil.
Players to let walk.
(G) Chance Warmack, (TE) Anthony Fasano, (ILB) Sean Spence, (CB) Valentino Blake, (WR) Marc Mariani, (G/C) Brian Schwenke.
The reasoning is different for each guy, but it all boils down to age, salary, and replaceability. There’s just better options out there.
Players to resign.
(SS) Daimion Stafford to a 4yr 20mil deal.
(WR) Kendall Wright to a 3yr 18mil deal.
(OL) Byron Bell to a 4yr 7mil deal.
(FS) Rashad Johnson to a 1yr 2mil deal.
(OLB) David Bass to a 2yr 1.8mil deal.
(ILB) Nate Palmer to a 2yr 2.5mil deal.
I took into consideration market value, age, and how they fit on this team. I also considered who else might be available.
Free agents to sign.
(OLB) Dont’a Hightower or Jamie Collins. The Patriots have 17 pending free agents, I expect the team to keep one of these guys and let the other walk. A fair deal would be a 5yr 55mil contract for either guy. (Update: Jamie Collins traded to Browns, neither player likely to hit open market.)
(WR) Alshon Jeffery to a 4yr 48mil dollar deal. The top guys in the league make around the 15mil a year mark, I’d say 12mil is fair for Jeffery.
(CB) Logan Ryan to a 5yr 40mil deal. This is another fair market deal.
(ILB) Zach Brown to a 4yr 20mil deal. He’s a former Titan who currently leads the league in tackles and his speed would go well with Avery Williamson’s bruising style.
(G) Larry Warford to a 5yr 18mil deal. He brings depth and could challenge for a starting job.
(QB) Blaine Gabbert to a 2yr 4.5mil deal. He’d make a nice back up for Marcus Mariota with Matt Cassel likely to retire. He’s athletic and strong armed, but has some accuracy issues.
Left over salary cap space 129mil.
Draft.
Round 1. (Pick 8). Jonathan Allen, DE, AL.
He’s big, he’s athletic, and he turns the Titans scary pass rush into a nightmare for offenses. I could see a package with Allen on one side, Casey on the other, and Austin Johnson in the middle on clear passing downs.
Round 1. (Pick 9). Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State.
Lattimore could have been a top 15 pick in last years draft, but elected to stay in college. He hasn’t great size and speed, and he’s been good in coverage. He has the skill set to be a shut down corner.
Round 3. (Pick 74) Cameron Sutton, CB, TN.
Sutton also has the skill set to be a number one corner. He play so physical and is good at locating the ball, with Lattimore being NO.1, McCourty NO.2, Sutton could challenge Ryan and Cox for the slot position while he adjusts to the NFL and knocks the rust off. He also contributes on special teams.
Round 3. (Pick 75). Alex Anzalone, ILB/OLB, FL.
Anzalone is athletic enough to play inside or out. He missed the 2015 season due to injury, but coaches and players say he was still a team leader during that time.
Round 4. (PIck 104). Bucky Hodges, TE, VT.
Delanie Walker is getting older and it maybe time to start developing a young replacement. Hodges is 6’7, 245lbs he’s fast and always a receiving threat.
Round 5. (Pick 138). Josh Harvey-Clemson, S, Louisville.
He has a physical skill set but needs some coaching, he flashes from to time.
Round 6. Eddy Pineiro, K, FL.
Pineiro became an internet sensation after a video emerged of him making a 77 yard field goal. He needs a little work on accuracy, but he’s made 50plus yards in games this season.
Round 7. Josh Malone, WR, TN.
He’s 6’3, not very athletic but he can make catches in the clutch.
The Titans are competing this year. On paper, these moves would put them in a position to dominate for years to come, but the same could be said about the Jacksonville Jaguars. I hope you enjoyed the read as much as I did the writing. Comment and let me know what you think.