Quantifying what the Tennessee Titans have lost this offseason

Jan 10, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA;Tennessee Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler (21) and the team celebrate his interception in the first quarter during the Tennessee Titans game against the Baltimore Ravens. Mandatory Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA;Tennessee Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler (21) and the team celebrate his interception in the first quarter during the Tennessee Titans game against the Baltimore Ravens. Mandatory Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
(Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

Putting a number on Titans’ losses

The Tennessee Titans are proof that it is really difficult to try to quantify what a player means to a team, but you can quantify how many snaps those players leave behind in their wake.

For example, Logan Ryan and Wesley Woodyard were tough players with great work ethic, but age caught up to them and they were limited in what they could actually do for the Titans. This is why it was frustrating to see Woodyard line up in man coverage against Austin Ekeler on the boundary or Logan Ryan on Tyreek Hill.

The snaps they were beaten on can be quantified and replaced in a money ball-esque way, but even though the Titans got faster at those positions, the defense suffered as a whole because they had a void in leadership that wasn’t filled.

This matters because I am about to go through a list of which position groups are losing the most snaps, and I think replacing snaps is a very important part of what free agency is for. However, this doesn’t mean that one snap from Adam Humphries is equal to one snap from Malcolm Butler.

The goal of this list is to outline positions where help is needed and I think it should be the starting point of the “biggest needs” conversation heading into the offseason.

(Note: This list assumes that every free agent is leaving because it isn’t fair to project certain people to stay.)