3 former Tennessee Titans players we’re glad are gone, 2 we wish stayed
3. Trevis Gipson, DE
They took a flier on Gipson, so it's not like Titans fans are going to lose sleep over this one.
After flashing some potential (10 sacks in two seasons) with the Bears, Gipson fell out of the rotation in Chicago and ended up in Tennessee on a one-year, prove-it type deal. He then proceeded to ... not really prove it. In eight games, with no starts, he had one sack and six tackles.
Even for a rotational pass-rusher that's maybe #52 on the 53-man roster, that's underwhelming. He's still 26, so maybe there's some improvement on the way, but the Titans were happy to let that be the Jaguars problem to figure out now.
2 former Tennesse Titans players we wish stayed
1. Derrick Henry, RB
I get that he probably had to go, but did he? It's tough to see (arguably) the best player in franchise history leave, and it'll be even tougher to see him thrive late in the playoffs with the Ravens.
The fact that he signed the same deal – more or less – with Baltimore that the Titans then turned around and gave to Tony Pollard stings even more, even if there are some logical football reasons behind the decision.
We'll always have the Josh Norman stiff-arm. And the Alexander Myres stiff-arm. And the Earl Thomas stiff-arm.
2. Azeez Al-Shaair, LB
Was it worth trying to out-bid the Texans for Al-Shaair, who eventually signed in Houston on a three-year, $34 million deal?
Probably not.
He was a solid linebacker who was great against the run but liable in coverage. But still – over the past couple years, it looked like Al-Shaair, who's still only 26, was turning a bit of a corner and becoming a reliable, starting-level linebacker. It's not unreasonable to think he could have been one of the staples of Callahan's first good defense in Tennessee.
It's not like the Titans' have a bunch of linebackers waiting in the wings, either.