A look ahead to some big questions down the stretch for the Tennessee Titans.
The Tennessee Titans won a huge game on Sunday vs the New York Jets, but the playoffs are still a dream right now.
Sure, several things could happen and if the Titans keep winning they will be in it until Week 17, but there are bigger things to keep an eye on. Namely, what happens next for the Titans and what will the team look like going forward.
Early in the preseason the Tennessee Titans resigned their biggest pending free agent in Taylor Lewan. But that isn’t the only piece of the puzzle. There are 13 players on the Titans roster scheduled to be free agents at the end of this year.
Here are how I break down those players as it stands right now.
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Must re-sign (1): Kenny Vaccaro
This one of the easiest decisions of the offseason in my opinion. Kenny Vaccaro has been great in run support and he looks like a natural fit in this defense the only question is how much is it going to cost?
Johnthan Cyprien carries a big contract and if he doesn’t want to have a reduced role in this defense I would get it (even though I think he could be great on special teams and as a sort of linebacker/safety hybrid) but it would probably lead to the Titans moving on.
Guys that make sense (5): Bennie Logan, Tye Smith, Brynden Trawick, Luke Stocker, Will Compton
The defensive line as a whole has been disappointing, but the one player other than Jurrell Casey that has flashed is Logan. With Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown looking like the future at linebacker, it is a great idea to have a big nose tackle that can keep them clean.
Tye Smith is a guy who I love as a special teams player and a really interesting depth CB. He is more twitchy than LeShaun Sims and would give the Titans more versatility if something ever did happen to one of the top three CBs.
Trawick makes a lot of sense to me because it is hard to find talented special teams players and for the most part this unit has been solid (except for the Jets game) and he is deserving of a spot.
Stocker is a tough one to figure out, but I think the Titans like his versatility. Anthony Firkser and Jonnu Smith should fight for the TE2/3 spots next year and people should view Stocker as a FB/ST guy.
Will Compton is a nice special teams player who brings energy and attitude to the practice field, I am fine with him signing something like a 3 year deal.
Players that need a huge last month (2): David Fluellen, Brian Orakpo
Fluellen needs to come back and show something on the field if he is going to be on this team next year. I have never been a big Flu season guy but if he can show the ability to fit well in this ZBS scheme then I would reconsider signing him.
Orakpo is such a difficult decision. His sacks aren’t there but he is a solid run defender and he draws a lot of holding calls. While he doesn’t have the same burst off of the edge, are there really that many teams who have a 3rd or 4th EDGE who is better than Orakpo? The big question again is what will the contract have to look like to bring him back.
Guys I don’t see making sense (5): Derrick Morgan, Quinton Spain, Kevin Pamphile, Nate Palmer, Kendrick Lewis
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It breaks my heart, but I just don’t know if Morgan will be with the Titans next year. Emotionally I want to say bring him back and give him one more shot, but my eyes tell me that it is time to move on.
Spain was benched this past week and if that stays the same then he should try to find a starting job somewhere else. Spain is a starting caliber guard, but the zone scheme doesn’t do him any favors.
Pamphile is a guy I could see them bringing back, but if the Titans bring in one or two IOLs to compete for jobs this offseason where does this leave Pamphile? The numbers are the bigger issue than the actual player here.
Nate Palmer and Kendrick Lewis are guys that are good depth players, but the Titans again just have numbers at those positions already so it is hard to see a path back.