[FREE] Looking At Titans Free Agents
Breaking down the pending Tennessee Titans free agents. What does and doesn't make sense for the team.
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If Titans fans had their way, they’d fast forward to March and begin the NFL’s annual transactional circus known as free agency.
However, life doesn’t sway the way we want most of the time, so instead we’ll have to graciously wait for arguably the most active off-season transactional period the league has to offer, biding our time, stacking different free agent rankings and scrolling through the daily rumor mill in hopes of our lives being blessed with something….meaningful.
But our lives don’t have to be *that* boring, we can just make some fun for ourselves in the meantime. So, while we wait for March to arrive, let’s talk some more free agency, but this time we’ll focus away from potential newcomers, and instead focus on potential Titans departures
Plus, whether some of these impending Titans free agents should stay, or if the Titans should give them a nice pat on the shoulder and a heartfelt “good luck”.
Let’s get started.
Free Agents the Titans Should Retain
Denico Autry
Autry is one of two defensive free agents the Titans should strongly consider bringing back to the team in 2024.
Yes, the new staff element always throws a wrench into the chances of a player being brought back that thrived under a previous staff, but Autry’s production and pleasant aging should be valued a great deal regardless
For years, ever since Autry came to Tennessee, he’s done nothing but produce while bringing a much needed form of reliability on the defensive line.
He’s been a big reason why the Titans have had a pass rushing pulse over the last few years and it’d be a shame if the Titans somehow let him walk.
Autry has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons, most of which have caused him to miss time, which is a bit of a warning sign for a player that’s aging and plays a position that involves intense physical effort.
But the risk is worth the reward, especially with a roster that has too many holes and is bound to go through significant change over the off-season.
I say bring him back, but try to solidify some depth behind him in case injuries become a problem for him once again
Azeez Al-Shaair
This could easily be in the *other* section, mostly due the fact that inside linebacker is a prettyyyy easy position to replace in the modern NFL.
But we’re not thinking that way right now.
We’re thinking about continuity and avoiding mass, unnecessary roster turnover on a unit that more than held its own last season.
At least in areas that aren’t the highest on the Titans’ list of current team needs.
We know of the season Al-Shaair had in 2023. 163 tackles and being one of the beating hearts of the defense is a good enough explanation.
His breakout year warrants a return to a team that should have a fresh look in 2024. But will the Titans agree?
Dennard Wilson and his staff could opt for a more familiar face at inside linebacker next season, maybe pending free agent Patrick Queen, who has put together a solid 4 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
Honestly this one is a coin flip, but if the Titans want to bring Al-Shaair back — of course, on a contract that’s worth his services — then I’d put up a big fat thumbs up.
Sean Murphy-Bunting
This situation leans on the plan the Titans have for the corner spot in 2024.
We know the Titans are without a bonafide CB1, matter fact they’re without depth at the spot after the previous regime’s — Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson — insistence on playing musical chairs at a position that’s extremely important in the modern NFL.
But that’s old news, let’s move onto the new.
Murphy-Bunting returning makes a good bit of sense, especially if the Titans want to allocate their resources elsewhere before going all out on finding the answer at corner.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer wasn’t exceptional, but he wasn’t bad either. He was squarely in the average to just above average range, which can sometimes be hard to find among incoming corners.
I’d say bring him back for cheap — if possible, more likely to be possible than not — and slide him back at one of the boundary corner spots, while putting another newcomer on the other side.
Bonus Round
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
It kind of pains me to say this, considering just how much I’ve criticized the guy over the last few years.
But the Titans should explore bringing back Westbrook-Ikhine. However, they should only explicitly do so if the team just can’t find a way to upgrade their backend receiver depth.
Westbrook-Ikhine has done some good things with the Titans over the years. But the team needs to evolve, bring in some more dynamism at a position that has lacked a lot of juice ever since AJ. Brown’s draft day trade.
And that process should involve letting Westbrook-Ikhine go.
Others that could be retained: Marlon Davidson, K’Von Wallace
Who Needs to Go?
Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Tannehill’s time as a Titan was good for the most part, but his legacy in Tennessee will forever be defined by the pathetic failures he had in the playoffs.
And it’s somewhat of a shame too, since Tannehill was well on his way to being in good graces with the majority of the fanbase after the Titans’ magical 2019 season. Tannehill is probably a good guy and is based on the interactions I’ve had with him.
But he’s old, is losing athleticism, and isn’t good enough to start for an NFL team that has ambitions for rings.
It might be harsh, but that’s the cold truth.
It should be a fairly easy farewell for the Titans and Tannehill, but not without both sides probably thinking about the missed opportunities along the way.
Derrick Henry
This one is tough, because Derrick Henry has not only dominated in an era that discriminates against running backs of his kind, has rushed his way well into initial Hall of Fame conversations, and has cemented himself as arguably the most dominant player at his position in his era, but he’s also stamped as a sports legend this city will come to remember and cherish until the end of time.
A player like that usually stays on one team for life, but this is a special case that can’t be ignored, regardless of status and accolades.
Henry is about to hit the dreaded age of 30, a number running backs don’t like hearing due to its association with decline and disrespect from organizations across the league.
And while his play might fool you into thinking the big scary number can’t affect even him, it was apparent throughout the 2023 season that even Henry can’t run away from a modern running back’s short shelf life.
If the Titans can bring him back for a cheaper deal — one that can work with Henry’s cap hit for 2024, made possible by the void years of his current deal — then maybe there’s a possibility of a return, granted with a role reduction.
But seeing that a pay cut of that size might not be possible, it’d be best for the Titans to move on from one of the more influential players in the team’s 23 year history.
It’ll hurt, especially as fans have created connections and made memories from the career of one lone player from Yuule, FL.
But the time has come, as agonizing as that may be.
Aaron Brewer
If you were along the ride for Stacking The Inbox during the spring/summer, I voiced my concerns about Aaron Brewer and the team’s unfiltered, yet misplaced trust in the undersized offensive lineman.
Nothing personal against the guy, he’s simply just a player that shouldn’t be starting at a position that requires a boatload of size, something Brewer doesn’t have whatsoever.
Maybe he can come back as a reserve lineman, but even that sounds kind of ehhh considering his size and the athleticism that’s tied strictly to that very lean and undersized frame of his.
The Titans should in no way, shape, or form consider bringing Brewer back, unless extreme circumstances forced their hand. And if that came to be, we might just have to start discussions on whether this franchise is truly cursed.
Kristian Fulton
Good lord what a disaster.
Every year, fans hoped for Kristian Fulton to do 2 things:
Stay healthy
Play well enough to not be a headache
And by the grace of God, Fulton managed to accomplish zero of those tasks. 2023 was no different, as he was once again plagued by muscle and soft tissue injuries, which caused him to miss 7 out of 17 possible games in 2023.
At some point, fans just lost hope in Fulton becoming a mainstay as a Titan, mostly due to the injuries and ineffective play when he was healthy. Which is a shame, considering just how impressive he looked just 2 short years ago, playing good football and providing some hope at corner.
Shame, shame, shame.
The Titans should be smart and avoid bringing Fulton back…unless they have no choice but to, But that scenario certainly won’t happen….right?
Others that need to go and/or are easily replaceable, or have unknown situations: Joe Jones, Ross Blacklock, Morgan Cox, Trevon Wesco, Terrell Edmunds, Corey Levin, Trevon Wesco, Trevis Gipson, Chris Hubbard
Overview
The Titans having a lot of free agents was a bit of concern during the 2023 off-season, mostly because they faced the unknown future regarding those players and if some of them would be retained.
Luckily for the team, those decisions seem pretty easy now.
There’s only a few free agents that the Titans should consider bringing back and all of those would be low cost options that would mostly serve as stopgap solutions for the near future.
Not bad, not bad at all.
We’ll see how the Titans act and if they’ll follow the same formula as detailed above — not likely at all.
Keep track of this list and come up with your own opinions. Who should stay, who should go, you make the decisions.
That’s the fun in having choices, right?
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