According to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean OLB Derrick Morgan has reached an agreement with the Tennessee Titans worth $30 million over 4-years to stay in the Music City.
The former 2010 first-round pick received a lot of interest from NFL teams this off-season. He had already visited with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Dallas Cowboys also expressed their interest in the pass rushing linebacker.
Derrick Morgan has been a very productive pass rusher during his time in Tennessee. He has registered at least six sacks and a forced fumble every season dating back to 2012.
The Titans who also signed former Washington Redskins OLB Brian Orakpo on Friday, have now filled a huge whole on defense by getting two good pass rushers.
Pairing up the two also eliminates the thought of the Tennessee Titans drafting an edge rusher in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Titans can now purely focus their attentions to either USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams or Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, about who they should select their number two pick in April.
The thought of adding Leonard Williams to this defense should excite Tennessee fans. The Titans coaching staff is trying to build a physical defense that can get after the quarterback. Most of their off-season deals have been centered around the defensive side of the ball, and that’s a great thing.
The Titans have struggled defensively the past couple season’s, and that has played a huge role in the Titans struggles. Looking forward, the Titans are set on changing that and this is a great start.
Derrick Morgan is a truly underrated player, and the Titans may have realized that by the way Morgan garnered so much interest in free agency. After leaving Tampa Bay on Thursday without signing a contract the Titans had to step up in their negotiations to prevent him from taking his talents elsewhere, and they did just that.
After a relatively slow start to free agency for the Titans, the signing of both Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo has shown that they are working.
The Titans are clearly setting their focus on bringing in multiple pieces that can help fill the all the needs of the team, as opposed to one or two big name players that will command a lot of money.
Today is a great day for Titans fans, and should offer a lot of excitement for the future possibilities of this football team.