Big week for the Tennessee Titans
There are only two teams that get a jump start on free agency and those are the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers, the two teams coaching the Pro Bowl.
While the Tennessee Titans only have two players in the event (because it is based on popularity and not talent) the entire coaching staff will be there. Even though being in the Pro Bowl doesn’t mean you are the best at your position, it does mean that you are definitely above average and that you have a pretty good highlight reel.
As exciting as that is, there is another event going on this week that will draw the eyes of all 32 front offices. That is the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL where some of the best draft prospects in the country will gather.
New changes to the interview rules mean that instead of being first-come-first-serve, teams will be able to interview every prospect for up to four hours over the course of the week. It is going to be hard not to overreact to seeing “Tennessee Titans GM talked to [insert prospect here] at the Senior Bowl” but it is more about which players they interview at the Senior Bowl and then who they bring in for official visits this year.
The Titans are uniquely positioned to have eyes at both events, and there are going to be some notes taken by this franchise.
Let’s take a look at what the Titans’ coaches might be looking at during the Pro Bowl and then focus on some prospects that might catch the eyes of scouts this week at the Senior Bowl.
Who will the Tennessee Titans talk to at the Pro Bowl
While the Tennessee Titans will only be coaching the AFC players, it isn’t hard to imagine a scenario where the coaches end up talking to some NFC players since they will basically be sharing a living space for the next week.
So, just for the sake of being thorough, this is a complete list of every player at the event who will be a free agent in 2022:
(Note: Asterisks indicate that a player may not participate due to injury or opting out)
-Davante Adams, WR
-Orlando Brown*, OT
-Brandon Scherff, G
-Ryan Jensen, C
-James Conner, RB
-Chandler Jones, EDGE
-Harold Landry, EDGE
-Stephon Gilmore, CB
-J.C. Jackson, CB
-Quandre Diggs, S
-Tyrann Mathieu*, S
-Matthew Slater, ST
-Bryan Anger, P
-Matt Gay*, K
-Jakeem Grant, WR/KR
-Josh Harris, LS
The biggest points of emphasis this offseason are going to be on the offensive side of the ball. That means that the five highlighted players have the best chance of being one of the Titans’ “big swings” if they try to take one this year.
Depending on what you think is going to happen with the Tennessee Titans offensive line this offseason, you could make the argument that any of those offensive linemen would fit considering that the Titans could have up to four new starters on the OL next year.
Adams is obviously a long shot, but the Packers really don’t have a lot of money this year and the odds are that he won’t be in Green Bay in 2022.
Grant is intriguing because the Tennessee Titans missed the speed that they had in Kalif Raymond, and as long as they are stuck with Todd Downing, they are going to need someone who can make something out of nothing thanks to bad play calls.
There are still changes to come to the Pro Bowl roster, but right now that is a quick look at the connections that might be made.
Senior Bowl prospects that could intrigue the Tennessee Titans
This isn’t going to be a breakdown of every prospect in the Senior Bowl, but something Titans fans need to know is that the Senior Bowl is an important event for Jon Robinson and the scouting staff.
More than half of the Tennessee Titans 2021 rookie class and more than one-third of all of Robinson’s draft picks have attended the Senior Bowl (great visual here). 6 of those picks were Day 2 prospects and 10 were Day 3 prospects, so keep that in mind when you are looking at the Senior Bowl roster as well.
Again, the offense is going to get a lot of attention this offseason so that is where the majority of the picks and money will be focused on.
With that in mind, this is a short list of some players that make sense for the Titans on Day 2 or Day 3:
-Khalil Shakir WR, Boise State (1,800+ receiving yards, 97 yards per game over the last two years)
-Calvin Austin WR, Memphis (Passes the Matias Wodner rule)
-Alec Pierce WR, Cincinnati (6’3 receiver coached by Mike Vrabel’s best friend)
-Jalen Tolbert WR, South Alabama (6’3 receiver who passes the Matias Wodner rule)
-Charlie Kolar TE, Iowa State (Consistently one of the most productive tight ends in the country)
-Zion Johnson iOL, Boston College (plays offensive line with Mike Vrabel’s son)
-Cole Strange iOL, Chattanooga (Titans lead the NFL in players from Chattanooga)
-Darian Kinnard iOL, Kentucky (Massive guard who plays in the SEC)
Those are the Day 2/3 players that I think will be intriguing to the Titans based on the quick note I have written to the side, but we won’t know until there are follow-up visits at the facility or more rumors of interest.
Keep an eye on everyone on the offensive side of the ball and remember that consistency, work ethic, coachability, and experience are all buzz words for this front office at this event.