Ranking all of the Tennessee Titans 2021 free agents through Week 8

Sep 20, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith (81) celebrates their win against the Jacknsonville Jaguars with defensive end DaQuan Jones (90) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith (81) celebrates their win against the Jacknsonville Jaguars with defensive end DaQuan Jones (90) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee Titans defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (90) and free safety Kevin Byard (31) stop Houston Texans running back David Johnson (31) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.Gw46140
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (90) and free safety Kevin Byard (31) stop Houston Texans running back David Johnson (31) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.Gw46140 /

3. DaQuan Jones, DL

Now we are getting into the names where you have to really balance how much they will cost with the exact role that they are going to fill for the Titans or another team.

Right now I would say that the team and Jones are pretty comfortable with #90 being a traditional run-stuffing defensive tackle who gets taken off of the field on glory downs a.k.a. pass-rushing situations.

That means that he is probably going to make less money on the open market unless he can find a team that thinks he can be an interior pass rusher. If everyone agrees that he is a run player, then his ceiling is somewhere around $9 million per season.

However, Jones is making $7 million per season now on a deal where he was expected to rush the passer more and be a compliment to Jurrell Casey as a 3-down player. If you want to cancel the inflation of contracts because of the cap being lowered this season, then you could argue that you might be able to steal him for $5 million per year or so.

Depending on the contract I would absolutely be on board with bringing him back because of what he gives the defense. Finding a run-stuffer isn’t hard in the draft or in free agency, but he has been a great worker and he and Jeffery Simmons work very well in tandem so I would like to see that duo stay together.