Tennessee Titans to sign RB Dion Lewis to 4-year, $20M deal

The Tennessee Titans made their second signing of the day by agreeing to a deal with elusive and shifty complementary RB Dion Lewis.

Just a few hours after making their first move of the offseason by signing CB Malcolm Butler, the Tennessee Titans dipped back into the New England Patriots well for their subsequent addition. The Titans are expected to sign RB Dion Lewis to a four-year deal that is worth just $20 million and can jump up to $23 million with incentives. Though that makes him the eighth-highest paid running back in the league, it’s a legitimate bargain for a guy like Lewis.

Lewis is coming off his first fully healthy season, but he has been one of the more electric players in the NFL with the ball in his hands when he’s on the field. In 2017, Lewis was eased in after coming off a knee injury he suffered in the Super Bowl. He finished the season with 1110 total yards on 212 touches, good for 5.24 yards per touch. He found the end zone six times on the ground and three times through the air. Pro Football Focus rated Lewis as the fifth-best running back in the NFL last season.

For over a year, fans have been demanding the front office to pursue a running back with a skill set like Lewis’: fast, elusive, shifty, good pass-catcher and pass-blocker. DeMarco Murray was a few of those things, but his decline in 2017 made getting a running back in that mold a priority. In steps Lewis, who can be the perfect Robin to Derrick Henry’s Batman.

With two players now supposedly in tow and Avery Williamson going to the New York Jets, the Titans’ free agency is in full swing. The Titans’ top two needs–arguably–have been filled before free agency even officially begins, and there is still plenty of cap room for GM Jon Robinson to work with. The Titans are looking like a serious playoff contender with the season still six months away.

Next: Titans to sign CB Malcolm Butler