The Titans have already done some work overhauling their secondary, but if the latest report is correct, the biggest move is yet to come.
According to The Athletic's Senior NFL Insider Dianna Russini, the Titans are working on landing former All-Pro Broncos safety Justin Simmons:
The Tennessee Titans are targeting All-Pro safety Justin Simmons. Tennessee was hoping to get a shot at C.J. Gardner-Johnson but Philly scooped him up.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 12, 2024
The bad news first: losing out on CJ Gardner-Johnson is a tough loss for the Titans. After last season's subpar secondary performance, lining Garnder-Johnson up across from newly-signed corner Chidobe Awuzie would have been a great start to the Brian Callahan era. But the good news is that Simmons may be better than them both. In 15 games last season, Simmons played at an All-Pro level, quite literally: after the year, he was named to the 2nd Team All-Pro squad for the 3rd consecutive season, and the 4th year in five. He was an integral part of a Broncos defense that had one of the best turnover rates in the league, and kept Denver alive during the whole Russell Wilson-Sean Payton fiasco.
If the Titans manage to pull it off, pairing Simmons with Amani Hooker would create one of the better safety duos in the game. Hooker has yet to replicate his stellar 2021 season, but was still productive last year, finishing the year as Pro Football Focus' 45th best safety. Overall, Simmons finished 42nd, but the former Bronco had one of his best seasons coverage-wise: his 63% reception rate was the 3rd best of his career, and his 5 pass break ups were 2nd-best.
And while the Titans' path to relevancy seems like it may take longer than Simmons, 30, wants to wait, Tennessee certainly has the money to convince him otherwise. According to Over The Cap, no team in football has more cap space to work with than the Titans, who still have around $70 million to spend going forward.