The Tennessee Titans coaching staff spoke in front of the media on Wednesday morning, and Brian Callahan revealed a little bit of the Titans team-building philosophy.
Callahan pointed out that free agency was a tool that should be used for bringing in players at a position of need, while the draft is about getting foundational pieces to build the roster around.
So far in free agency, Ran Carthon has done a great job setting his team up to take the best player available when the 2024 NFL Draft finally gets here in two weeks.
Going back to the team's 10 biggest needs heading into the offseason, Carthon has knocked it out of the park by filling 7 of those needs by signing free agents (and making one trade).
Needs filled:
-C: Lloyd Cushenberry, 4 years/$50 million ($12.5 million AAV)
-LB: Kenneth Murray, 2 years/$18 million ($9 million AAV)
-CB1:L'Jarius Sneed, 4 years/$76 million ($19 million AAV)
-CB2: Chidobe Awuzie, 3 years/$36 million ($12 million AAV)
-WR2: Calvin Ridley, 4 years/$92 million ($23 million AAV)
-WR (vertical threat/playmaker): Calvin Ridley, (he fills both roles)
-DT (1-tech): Sebastian Joseph-Day
Needs remaining:
-LT
-RT
-S
As it stands right now, the obvious need for the Titans is an offensive tackle. The assumption has always been that the Titans would target a tackle in the first round, and ESPN's Matt Miller confirmed that was exactly what he was hearing in a recent article centered around pre-draft buzz for each team.
While the top tackle in this class is obvious (Joe Alt), there is a heavy debate on how to stack the tackles that fall in the next tier. With no clear OT2, some people have thrown out the idea of drafting one of the blue-chip receivers in this class. That seems like the best answer, but what happens if the Titans are set on tackle and they don't view any of the receivers available at 7 as blue-chip prospects?
Miller commented on that too and said that if that happens, watch for Ran Carthon to trade back in the draft and that Olu Fashanu and Taliese Fuaga should be names to watch.
A lot of that will depend on just how far the Titans are willing to trade down and how the tackle class falls in the early teens, but all indications continue to be that Tennessee fans should expect help in the trenches on Thursday night.