The Tennessee Titans are going to be relatively quiet in free agency under the leadership of new general manager Mike Borgonzi, so when the team spends money, they need to make it count.
According to ESPN's Seth Walder, that is exactly what the Titans did. Walder recently handed out grades for his favorite moves of the offseason. Just five of them were considered "A" signings on his grading calse. Two of those five moves were made by the Titans.
"Draft and develop" is the Titans' new mantra and they are putting it to the test. In total, the Titans have signed two handfuls of free agents, and only three of those players got multi-year deals. The goal is clearly to use free agency as a band-aid for positions the team couldn't fill in the draft, and it is going to be rare to see the team make long-term commitments to outside players.
The one player that bucked that trend this year was left tackle Dan Moore, who signed a four-year contract worth $82 million. Despite receiving mixed reviews by the consensus, that is a move Walder supports because of how he fits into the Titans' future plans:
"We don't know who will play quarterback for the Titans in 2025, but that person will have better pass protection with Moore now on the team. Moore is coming off a nice season in which he put up career highs in both pass block win rate (93%, 11th best out of 66 qualifiers) and run block win rate (76%, 23rd best). Offensive line can be a place where players take longer to develop, so I'm inclined to invest in Moore's improvement."
A lot hinges on that move, but there are reasons to be optimistic. That move locks in their left tackle, left guard, center, and right tackle for the next several seasons, and the goal is to draft and develop a right guard to step in and take over that role in the future.
In the meantime, the Titans will rely on Kevin Zeitler to hold down the right guard spot, which is the other "A" move the franchise made this offseason, Walder says.
"I understand that teams want to find solutions for years to come early in free agency, which is why younger players such as Aaron Banks and Will Fries got big money. But if I had to bet on whether one of Banks, Fries or Zeitler will be an above-average pass protector in 2025, I'm choosing Zeitler without hesitation! To get him signed for less than half the annual value of Banks (and without any guaranteed cost beyond this year) is so much better of a deal. I like what Tennessee is doing for its offensive line, especially if it drafts Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick in April. The Titans are prioritizing getting his protection right and doing a very good job of it."
This could be a bumpy transition for the Titans because they have too many holes to fill in one draft, but they decided against getting overly aggressive in free agency after failing so miserably last offseason.
Assuming they draft Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1 overall, the Titans have taken a passive approach to building the roster around Ward, especially at wide receiver. Even if they draft multiple wide receivers, it won't be enough to mitigate the lack of established talent at the position outside of Calvin Ridley.
However, nailing two moves on the offensive line ensures they haven't completely put Ward behind the eight ball, should they draft him. Maybe that will be enough for Ward to survive and develop as a rookie.