The truth of what happened to the Tennessee Titans last offseason
By Will Lomas
Finding replacements
Some of those replacements were found in house thanks to good drafting in the past. Guys like Jonnu Smith, Nate Davis, Jeffery Simmons, and Rashaan Evans were all ready to step up into the spotlight.
That means that QB, RT, EDGE, CB, and K all had to be replaced either through the draft or free agency. No big deal, just four of the five most expensive positions on the roster.
The first move was to lock down Ryan Tannehill to a deal that was HEAVILY criticized at the time. Look no further than this USA Today article where Steven Ruiz compares Tannehill to Case Keenum and presents every other incorrect narrative that was popular at the time.
Next was to tag, then extend Derrick Henry, another move that feels obvious in retrospect, but wasn’t obvious at the time.
The “don’t pay RBs” community thought every running back would burst into flames as soon as they signed a new contract, and the community includes talking heads like Colin Cowherd who summed up the collective reaction that everyone had after Robinson signed Henry to his new deal.
If you didn’t watch that clip, Cowherd basically says, “It is nice that the Titans signed Henry because he is a good fit in Tennessee, but at his best, he isn’t a top-5 RB and you shouldn’t pay running backs.”
By the way, congratulations Derrick Henry on your 2,000-yard season and your place in history as one of the most dominant running backs to ever play the game.