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Tennessee Titans offseason prep: Free agent OL

By Will Lomas

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Ben Jones #60 of the Tennessee Titans at AT&T Stadium on November 05, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Ben Jones #60 of the Tennessee Titans at AT&T Stadium on November 05, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 20: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates in the end zone with teammate Mitch Morse #61 after scoring the games first touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arrowhead Stadium during the second quarter of the game on November 20, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 20: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates in the end zone with teammate Mitch Morse #61 after scoring the games first touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arrowhead Stadium during the second quarter of the game on November 20, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

The Tennessee Titans most important move of the offseason may have to do with free agent offensive linemen.

It isn’t flashy or easy to find highlights for, but for the first time in about a decade it feels like the whole Tennessee Titans fan base is on board with trying to make a big move in free agency on an offensive lineman.

This whole thing does scare me because everyone says, “Go out and get a big name free agent offensive lineman and then draft one high and you will instantly be a better team!” Alright, I hear you but do you remember that time Ruston Webster went out and signed Andy Levitre and spent a top-10 pick on Chance Warmack?

Both of those players were can’t miss, plug-and-play guards on a team that already had great offensive tackle play with Michael Roos and David Stewart.

That big free agent signing prevented the Titans from making better signings like Cliff Avril, Wes Welker or Aqib Talib. Maybe even worse than that, the double dip prevented the Tennessee Titans from “reaching” for future All Pros like  DeAndre Hopkins or Travis Fredrick.

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But, it isn’t just the Titans that screw moves like that up. The past five years the top free agent at IOL has been a very mixed bag.

-2014: Alex Mack (the only player who was a great fit and not too expensive)

-2015: Mike Iupati (constantly banged up and saw his play fall off after one year)

-2016: Kelechi Osemele (who is very good, but who is reportedly about to be cut by the Oakland Raiders because he is too expensive)

-2017: Kevin Zeitler (who to be fair is good, but went to the perfect situation in a team that HAD to spend money)

-2018: Andre Norwell (who had the worst year of his career last year and looks like a huge mistake so far)

So while making big moves for offensive linemen is considered such a safe bet, look no further than recent Tennessee Titans history or the last few years of free agency to see that you better be sure you are making the right choice if you go after a free agent OL.

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