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.)
Defense
I have to start with defense because it is going to be a bloodbath on this side of the ball because if the Titans don’t re-sign some of these players then there are going to be new starters at every level of the defense.
Now…you could argue that is a good thing because the defense was an absolute train wreck last season, but for a team that preaches continuity and how much easier things are the more time you spend in a system, this is a lot of turnover.
1. Cornerback: 1,810 snaps lost (Malcolm Butler, Desmond King, Tye Smith)
-Despite needing to replace so many snaps, this is a great example of why this list is important to know but it isn’t gospel. Kristian Fulton will likely step in as the teams starting boundary cornerback opposite Adoree Jackson while Chris Jackson and Breon Borders offer depth. Would still like to see them add a slot cornerback.
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2. Defensive line: 1,484 snaps lost (Daquan Jones, Jack Crawford, Matt Dickerson)
-Losing two starters here hurts and that is what Jones and Crawford are. This is a position where one player (Teair Tart) might step up, but I have no idea who is going to fill the void left behind by Jack Crawford.
3. Safety: 936 snaps lost (Kenny Vaccaro)
-Losing Vaccaro is tough, but I think that we may see the Titans try to use Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker more interchangeably instead of having a safety who is clearly more of a strong safety than the other.
4. Linebacker: 779 snaps lost (Jayon Brown, Will Compton)
-Jayon Brown and Adoree Jackson are very similar and that is bad news for his odds to re-sign with the Titans. David Long should step in here to replace Brown well enough, but bringing back Will Compton would be a smart idea. Not only is Compton a great “glue” guy, but he also looked like the only linebacker who knew what they were doing on most plays.
5. EDGE: 540 snaps lost (Jadeveon Clowney, Vic Beasley)
-It is a little bit surprising that the Titans are only losing 540 snaps at EDGE because it feels like the position is bare aside from Harold Landry. However, Derick Roberson spent more time at EDGE than many people remember and Clowney/Beasley did very little.
Offense
The offense is much less of a concern for the Tennessee Titans and there will be much less turnover across the board. Still, two positions are going to need to add bodies desperately including a starter in each group.
1. Tight End: 1,440 snaps lost (Jonnu Smith, Geoff Swaim, MyCole Pruitt)
-Jonnu Smith wasn’t incredibly productive for the Titans, but man he was on the field all the time. Part of this is because that is what the scheme demands, but part of it is because he was a complete player who was shaped into the perfect fit for this offense during his career under his position coach turned OC, Arthur Smith.
Still, Smith is going to make a lot of money on the open market and I think the Titans have shown that their offense works without him or with him at less than 100%. Journeymen like Swaim and Pruitt can be found pretty easily and if they want to bring that group back it would work too.
2. Wide Receiver: 1,230 snaps lost (Corey Davis, Kalif Raymond, Adam Humphries)
-This is actually the group losing the 4th most snaps of any position, but they are losing two “starters” and one of them is the perfect fit for this offense in Corey Davis. Given what is on the roster now and what the free agent market/draft class looks like, I don’t see how the Titans are going to come out of this situation better than 2020.
Complete list of needs
Combining both lists, here are the positions losing the most snaps (minimum 500 snaps lost):
1. Cornerback (1,810 snaps lost)
2. Defensive line (1,484)
3. Tight end (1,440)
4. Wide receiver (1,230)
5. Safety (936)
6. Linebacker (779)
7. EDGE (540)
Now, taking that list and adding in the context that I mentioned in the previous slides, here is how I would rank those seven positions assuming everyone leaves in free agency.
1. Wide receiver (2 starters, 1 backup needed)
2. EDGE (1 starter, 1 backup needed)
3. Defensive line (1 starter, 1 backup needed)
4. Tight end (1 starter needed, 1 backup needed)
5. Cornerback (1 starter needed)
6. Linebacker (2 backups needed)
7. Safety (1 backup needed)
The situation at wide receiver is dire enough where I think they need to push as hard as they can to re-sign Corey Davis and even then they should consider someone in the top-100 picks of the NFL Draft.
Given how frequently EDGEs not named Harold Landry are rotated out, the Titans might be better off finding two guys with clear roles and adding them. A heavy-handed run stuffer and a flexible pass rusher to add into the rotation with Derick Roberson.
The defensive line and tight end needs are similar to me because I think both spots are losing a do-it-all starter who will be overvalued on the open market, but I think that they have proven in the past that they can find guys who fill their needs out of nowhere (Crawford, Swaim, Firkser, Isaiah Mack, etc.).
After that, it is just about strengthening depth and finding role players at cornerback, linebacker, and safety.