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Will the Tennessee Titans finally add a tight end?

By Will Lomas

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 09: Tight end Lee Smith #86 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum on December 9, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Raiders defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 09: Tight end Lee Smith #86 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum on December 9, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Raiders defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /
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Is this the mythical tight end the Tennessee Titans have needed for three years??

After what seems like half a decade of analysts complaining about Delanie Walker‘s age, will the Tennessee Titans finally add the next great thing at tight end?

Short answer: no.

I am going to talk about Lee Smith in this article, but first I just want to address the perception of the tight end position in Tennessee.

The idea that the Tennessee Titans are in bad shape at tight end is laughable. Let’s go ahead and concede that Delanie Walker is older and coming off of an injury, but tight end is the rare position that really doesn’t age poorly.

More than anything it seems like experienced tight ends who can block and understand the nuances of route running can stick around for a long time. Right now Walker seems like an asset instead of a liability, and we should view him that way until we see something different.

But what is behind him? You can start with Jonnu Smith who had a Malcolm Butler type season last year. What I mean by that is that he really struggled early and people let that color their opinion of him for the rest of the year, even when he had some really good games down the stretch.

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It seems like his ceiling is a TE2 that can beat slow linebackers and safeties while also contributing in the run game. For now, that is fine and all the Titans need for him.

Behind him there is Anthony Firkser who is basically Jack Doyle 2.0. He just seems to catch everything thrown his way and he makes the most of his limited snaps. Going into a season with just he and Smith isn’t ideal but it also would probably be one of the better TE combinations in the NFL considering the lack of talent across the league.

The other wildcard is Mycole Pruitt who also looked worthy of a roster spot in his time with Tennessee last year. So, the Titans are set at tight end right? Well, kinda.

I don’t think that you need one in 2019, but they are missing a real blocking TE/FB to be a lead blocker and someone who dominates smaller EDGEs at the point of attack.

Enter Lee Smith who was recently cut by the Oakland Raiders.

While that may seem like the most generic name in the NFL, Smith is one of the free agents on the market that is most connected to the Tennessee Titans.

Does he give the Titans something different? Yes, he is absolutely dominant as a blocker. Just check him folding Darron Lee in half like a steel chair. He can line up on the ball or in the backfield and he has the functional athleticism to be the closest thing to Craig Stevens and Anthony Fasano the Titans have seen in a while.

I don’t mean to make him sound like a pure blocker, he actually had three touchdown catches this year. He was a redzone threat that won with deception and route running, something that the Titans could really use more of this year.

Is he connected to the Titans coaching staff? Yes, his former OC Todd Downing is now the Titans new TEs coach. It was a big point of emphasis this offseason to add free agents that coaches were familiar with instead of taking chances on guys they didn’t have inside information on.

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Adam Humphries was a Jon Robinson guy from their time in Tampa Bay, Cam Wake played under current Titans DL coach for three years in Miami, and Rodger Saffold was going to be a free agent target when Matt LaFleur was in Tennessee thanks to their time together in Los Angeles.

Does he have the intangibles? It is hard to watch a player and say that they have the intangibles you want, but everything from the fan sentiment about the Raiders cutting him to the clips out there of him defending Derek Carr make it seem like he is a good locker room guy.

For the Titans, this would be a low risk, moderate reward and it gives them a replacement/upgrade from Luke Stocker. He is a local guy that has coaching connections to this team and can come in and serve a clear role.

Tight end was never a position of need for the Titans, but the Jon Robinson/Mike Vrabel way is to churn the bottom of the roster and find ways to make your team better whenever you can. Having Smith come in and compete with the other TEs on the roster for one of the last roster spots makes too much sense.

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