The Tennessee Titans aren't going to break the bank and sign four or five massive contracts in free agency. That just isn't how GM Mike Borgonzi wants the team to be built.
While they will still take a big swing (maybe two if Titans fans are lucky), the majority of the free agency process will be bringing in players that the coaching staff is comfortable with. That will guarantee that the new additions are a fit for the scheme, and it raises the floor of the 2026 roster with minimal risk to the future.
That is a smart strategy, and that has led people to speculate about certain players who have connections with the current staff. For instance, we explained why Jermaine Johnson was an ideal trade target for the Titans a month before the move happened. Now names like Wan'Dale Robinson and John Franklin-Myers come up every day, but they aren't the only free agents with connections to this staff.
These three players should be mentioned much more often when it comes to the team's shortlist of free agent targets.
Existing relationships could convince Titans to pursue 3 players in free agency
Kwity Paye, EDGE
Trading for Johnson took a lot of pressure off the Titans when it comes to the EDGE position. Now the team can look for great value in free agency, and if they don't find it, they can draft their favorite EDGE with the fourth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Paye is the perfect target for them because he will be the fourth- or fifth-highest paid EDGE in free agency, which means that he won't be the top target for most teams. The Titans can use that as an advantage and make a reunion between Paye and his former DC Gus Bradley, the focus of their EDGE search. Paye gets to feel wanted and joins the guy who helped him produce the best three years of his career so far.
Kalia Davis, DT
You might notice a theme here, but Davis is a defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers who now has a chance to play for his former DC again. Robert Saleh used Davis on 500+ snaps last year, and now that the Titans have traded T'Vondre Sweat, they will need real defensive tackle bodies on their roster, and Davis would be a cheap, easy addition that almost makes too much sense.
Nick Cross, S
Finally, safety is a position that the Titans could address in free agency for a few reasons. There are moving parts here, but we don't know what the new coaching staff thinks about Marcus Harris and Kevin Winston Jr.
Harris was the team's nickelback toward the end of the year, but it wasn't a particularly long stretch, and it was a different scheme than what Saleh will use. Could Saleh want to put Harris on the boundary and see if he could alleviate the team's need on the outside? Similarly, Winston was a safety last season, but his traits and tape scream that he could be a great nickelback for the Titans if they want someone similar to Nick Emmanwori.
The good news is that Cross can do a little bit of everything, and all of it would help the defense. He can play traditional safety, moonlight as a slot corner, or play in the box if the team wants a third safety on the field. Bradley will be fully aware of this as the DC during the best stretch of his career, and it was actually Bradley who was the DC when the Colts decided to draft Cross so you would imagine that Bradley would be very interested in bringing him in if the price is right (his current market seems to be under $7 million AAV which would be a steal).