In the past, teams that have spent the most money in free agency have struggled because they have misunderstood the proper function of free agency in a comprehensive rebuild.
The goal isn't to add as much talent as possible at any position you can get your hands on. Instead, smart teams use free agency to raise the floor of positions where they are weak and to identify rare opportunities to add high-end talent.
Teams that fail usually see players who boom in their contract year, and they pay those players based on performances that they can't recreate. If it isn't that, then it is because they are signing players who are past their prime, who are looking for one last payday before retirement.
The Tennessee Titans' biggest moves so far have been to bring in John Franklin-Myers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Cor'Dale Flott, and Alontae Taylor. While Franklin-Myers is 29 years old, Taylor is only 27, Robinson just turned 25, and Flott is 24, meaning that the core of this free agent class is young players.
Titans GM Mike Borgonzi is teaching a masterclass in NFL Free Agency approach
Instead of targeting over-the-hill players or flashes in the pan with one year of production, the Titans' free agency plan is based around adding these four players who should be in their prime for the duration of their contract. Also, they are players with multiple years of success, meaning that the Titans aren't taking fliers or guys who just had one "boom" season.
Adding another layer of security to this situation, all of those players have had experience with someone in the organization who can vouch for them. Franklin-Myers was notoriously with Robert Saleh, Aaron Whitecotton, and Tanzel Smart when they were all with the New York Jets (he was also with new Titans EDGE Jermaine Johnson during that time).
Robinson and Flott both played multiple seasons under new Titans OC Brian Daboll with the New York Giants. Finally, Taylor was drafted by a New Orleans front office that featured one of Mike Borgonzi's assistants, Dave Ziegler.
By choosing to seek out players with consistent resumes, who the team has first-hand information on, and who are still in their prime, the Titans have found a way to raise the floor of their roster at crucial positions while minimizing the risk of these moves not working out.
Some people won't like it, but the fact is the Titans can't rebuild if they don't spend money. Without free agency, the front office would be forced to tread water, with more holes to fill than they can address through the draft. That would lead to more bad, boring football in Nashville.
This is the way to rebuild this team, and it is good to see that Borgonzi knows that you can build a team around the idea of "draft-and-develop" without being completely blind to the advantages of a well-run free agency period.