1st wave: The big guns
The 1st wave of free agency is when you get your signings that either set a new standard for the league or get somewhere close.
While these are the most risky, they also are your best chance of actually making a clear improvement on your team.
Over the last two years, the Tennessee Titans have signed players like Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler to deals during this period. I think this year they try to sign two big name players.
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Kenny Vaccaro is the first player I will talk about because I think that is a deal that gets done right before free agency. He is a perfect fit in this defense and this gives the Titans five legitimately talented defensive backs with Pro Bowl or All Pro potential.
Jon Robinson said he was a priority at the Combine and while some people may want to see the Titans shoot for the moon and sign someone like Landon Collins, it just doesn’t make sense to stick your neck out there in free agency for a player that will have 10+ teams bidding on him when you can get the same production out of someone you have in house.
Familiarity with the scheme, coaches and teammates will be crucial here and I think that makes this a no-brainer.
Justin Houston is likely going to be released by the Kansas City Chiefs and I think the Titans would be crazy not to pursue him. While people are focused on age and want to sign one of the younger EDGEs to a long contract it is easy to forget that a lot of the guys that are going to get paid at that position are at best question marks and at worse they are just not very good.
Betting on talent and flashes on film is fine, but it shouldn’t break the bank and you shouldn’t make a huge commitment to a player that has only shown he can do what you want sometimes.
That isn’t what you get with Houston. Instead you get a reliable star who has dominated for large stretches evidenced by my tweet when news came out that he was a potential cut candidate:
Justin Houston averaged 0.88 sacks per game over the last 5 years & had 0.75 sacks per game last year. Maybe more importantly, in just 34 snaps against the Colts in a postseason game, he ended up with more sacks (2) than the entire #Titans defense in two regular season games (1)
— Ran GMC(arthon) (@jlomas72) March 4, 2019
He is a veteran who could fit this culture, and in a group of EDGEs that is going to lack a veteran this year he makes too much sense.