The Tennesse Titans weren't pleased with the work general manager Jon Robinson was doing and they cut ties with him in the middle of the 2022 season. Earlier this year, Ran Carthon was hired to take his place and restock a roster that lacked depth and playmakers at key positions.
So far, Carthon's stint as the Titans' general manager is off to a good start. Besides moving on from players whose contracts weren't on par with their production, he managed to bolster several position groups in free agency in the draft. With that in mind, here are three offseason moves Tennessee made that should pay off in 2023.
No. 3 Titans contract decision that will pay off: Release Taylor Lewan and others
Left tackle Taylor Lewan had been a staple of the Titans' offensive line since he was drafted 11th overall in 2014. However, injuries limited to only 30 games over the last three years, so Tennessee decided it was time to move on. After all, availability is the best ability on the football field and if you can't suit up Sunday, teams will simply go with lesser talent that can actually contribute. That's the harsh reality of the NFL.
Releasing Lewan freed up ample space but he wasn't the only veteran that was let go in the offseason. The Titans also cut ties with center Ben Jones, kicker Randy Bullock, wide receiver Robert Woods, and linebacker Zach Cunning back. In the end, the Titans freed up more than $40 million in cap space, which they used to address a few roster needs in the offseason.
Even though Engram Lewan and Jones will be missed, the Titans already have their respective replacements in Andre Dillard and Andrew Brewer. There's a chance there could be a dropoff in production but general manager Ran Carthon was right for moving on from Lewan and Jones one year too early instead of one too late.
No. 2 Titans contract decision that will pay off: Andre Dillard's 3-year, 30M deal
It's fair to say that Andre Dillard underachieved during his four-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. A first-round pick in 2019, Dillard was expected to be Philly's left tackle of the future but wasn't up to the task. He struggled as a rookie and missed the 2020 season with an arm injury. By Year 3, he was phased out in favor of Jordan Mailata. Not surprisingly, the Eagles opted not to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie deal and let him walk when his contract expired.
The Titans swooped in and gave the former Washington State Cougar a three-year deal worth $30 million in free agency. At first sight, it may seem like the top brass overpaid for Dillard but the truth is that the signing has the potential to pay big dividends. In Tennessee, Dillard gets a fresh start. For whatever reason, he wasn't able to put it all together in the City of Brotherly Love but he could most definitely benefit from a fresh start.
If Dillard does hit his stride, his signing will be praised. Another thing he's got going in his favor is that he can play multiple positions across the offensive line. While he's expected to line up at left tackle, he could move to the right side while Nicholas Petit-Frere serves a suspension for betting on football games.
That flexibility gives the Titans' coaching staff options up front and given the fact that their offensive line is undergoing a transition, it could certainly come in handy as the season progresses.
No. 1 Titans contract decision that will pay off: Locking up Jeffery Simmons
Asking safety Kevin Byard to take a pay cut was probably a bad move. It's true that Ran Carthon inherited the two-time Pro Bowl nod but why would you rub one of your veteran leaders the wrong way not long after taking over?
Looking back, that might have been Carthon's biggest blunder of his short stint leading the Titans' front office. Other than that, he's done a commendable job, especially when you take into account that he had someone of a limited spending budget. In fact, he didn't let the dearth of cap space give defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons a new contract.
A first-round pick in 2019, Simmons has become a fixture of the Titans' defensive line, having registered 16 sacks, one forced fumble, and 21 tackles for a loss over the last two years. The former Mississippi State Bulldog can be even better due to the return of edge defender Harold Landry III after missing the 2022 season with a torn ACL.
While paying Simmons an average salary of $23.5 million per year might seem a tad too much, general manager Ran Carthon knew giving him a top-market contract would send a positive message across the locker room: Come through for us and you'll be taken care of, even if you were brought in by the previous regime.
Maybe that's why the Titans have been hesitant to move on from Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. They know they might not be the same players they were four years ago but they still have an important role.
Again, Carthon dropped the ball when he asked Byard to take a pay cut but he (kind of) made up for it by rewarding one of the Titans' top defensive players and keeping Tannehill and Henry (for the moment).