Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Free Agent House Cleaning - Titans In-House Free Agents, Who Should Stay/Go & Cap Projections

Episode Date: January 28, 2020

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Should they stay or should they go now? The Titans need to decide which free agents on their own team they are going to keep or they are going to let walk. So today we are going to focus on that in our first segment. We are going to take a look at all the free agents that the Titans have on the entire roster. And it's not just your typical unrestricted free agents. There are a few different types of free agents that the Titans have on the entire roster. And it's not just your typical unrestricted free agents. There are a few different types of free agents that the Titans have. So we're going to talk about all of those.
Starting point is 00:00:31 Make sure you guys know which players have which kind of free agency and what we should be looking at. In our first segment, we're just going to go over all of them. Every single free agent available on the team. And then in our second segment, we are going to talk about what to do with these different players and what options the Titans might have in trying to retain some of these guys. And then in our third segment, we are going to round out the show by talking about how much money the Titans will even have to do that. We'll take a look at the Titans cap situation currently heading into the all season and what options they have to maybe increase the budget a little bit so as your mom would tell you before we have company over and add in draft picks and
Starting point is 00:01:11 free agents we need to clean our own house so let's do that today Titans fans shout out to Kenneth on Twitter he was asking about when this show would take place let him know it was coming up very shortly so excited to do that today if you guys aren't already follow me on twitter at tic tac titans let me know who you want to keep in house who you're okay with letting walk out the door also subscribe to the show on apple podcast google play spotify whatever platform you're streaming on as i am going to be bringing you shows daily throughout the all season making sure we go over all the most critical information and news coming out of Nashville. After we have done all of this, all the maintenance is complete for the show, I am excited to get into everything with you guys, so let's get it.
Starting point is 00:02:09 Since General Manager John Robinson took over in 2016, you're going to have a hard time finding an offseason littered with so many free agents and not only just the volume and the number, but so many valuable pieces to this roster. So it's going to be a really critical offseason for the Titans if they want to build on the success and build on the momentum that they've created as an organization. They're going to have to get all of these decisions right and make the right calls for this roster going forward. So let's jump into who some of these free agents are and we're going to go position by position here.
Starting point is 00:02:40 At the quarterback position, Ryan Tannehill will be a free agent. Obviously, it's been speculated quite a bit about in the national media. It is quite the story because most would expect Tannehill to be back, but with free agency, unrestricted free agency at that, Tannehill has the right to look around. So that'll be a very curious situation to monitor. Marcus Mariota will have his opportunity to leave Tennessee and look for another opportunity to start. But would he be interested in a backup role in Tennessee? Most would say not likely, but a lot of questions that need to be answered.
Starting point is 00:03:16 At the running back position, the star of the team, the King, Derrick Henry, another huge critical decision to make considering the history of running back contracts and how those running backs performed afterwards. Looking at Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Le'Veon Bell. Definitely some treacherous waters there dealing with Derrick Henry's contract situation. David Flewellen, who dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the year, didn't really give the Titans much, will also be a free agent. Then at the wide receiver position, Tajay Sharp, Darius
Starting point is 00:03:45 Jennings, and Cameron Batson, who will be an exclusive rights free agent. Let's take a quick moment in our free agent breakdown to talk about what an exclusive rights free agent is. So basically that's a player who has less than three years of service time in the NFL. Basically what's going to happen here is the Titans have the option that if they give him a league minimum tender for one year, so just offer him a one year deal for the league minimum, then they have exclusive rights to Batson. He can't negotiate with anybody else and his only option basically is to accept the Titans deal. So that's what an exclusive rights free agent is. Basically, the Titans have exclusive rights to them as a free agent because they haven't accrued enough service time in the NFL to be eligible for unrestricted free agency. So kind of a strange rule there So the third string tight end, but second string passing tight end, definitely had a valuable role on this team. He is also an
Starting point is 00:04:50 exclusive rights free agent for the Titans. Mecole Pruitt at the tight end position, another free agent for this team. So that's a big chunk of the skill position players on offense. Then on the offensive line, valuable swing tackle, Kelly, who, you know, his future has a couple of different routes with this team. So curious to see what happens with him. Dennis Kelly there, Kevin Pamphil, who was hurt for most of the year, but was slated to be a starting guard on this team early in the season. And then of course, Jack Conklin, who we've talked about throughout the season, his free agency situation will be one of the most critical for the team. On the defensive side of the ball, nose tackle and second round pick from John Robinson's first draft, Austin Johnson, been relatively underwhelming and hasn't
Starting point is 00:05:36 lived up to the second round draft slot where he was selected, but later in his career with the Titans in this season played a valuable role in the run defense. So his contract situation will be something to monitor. Linebackers Darren Bates, who has made an incredible impact on the special teams unit and is considered a vocal leader for this roster in this locker room. And then the veteran Wesley Woodyard, who is a big, big role player in turning this franchise around and turning around the culture here. So what he will do, it doesn't look like he plans on retiring. It looks like he plans to keep playing. So that's something to watch as well. Outside linebacker Reggie Gilbert, who the Titans gave up a seventh round draft pick
Starting point is 00:06:15 for earlier this year. He's also an exclusive rights free agent. Kamalei Correa, who had a very good end of the season. And then cornerbacks LaShawn Sims, Chris Milton, who played a lot on special teams before getting injured, Logan Ryan, of course, Tremaine Brock, who was signed on waivers and was valuable at the end of the year before getting roasted in the Chiefs game, and Ty Smith is a restricted free agent,
Starting point is 00:06:37 which just means that the Titans get to match whatever offer comes along. But now that we know who is going to be a free agent for the Tennessee Titans, we need to talk about what the team should do with each of these players. Who should they resign? Who should they let walk? And what options do they have to do so? We will talk about all of that in our next segment. Also, make sure that you are following me on Twitter at TicTacTitans.
Starting point is 00:06:59 And like I asked, let me know who you think the Titans should bring back, who you think they should let walk, and how they should utilize all the different tools that they have at their fingertips. So we are going to cover all of that next. And remember, we will cap off the show by talking about how much cap room the Titans have, how they can create some more, and what they can do to give themselves more options to take care of the free agents that we're discussing. So a full breakdown of the Titans in-house free agency plans today on the Locked On Titans
Starting point is 00:07:27 podcast. Make sure you're subscribed to the show. We just went over the list of free agents. So now what we need to do is talk about what the Titans should do with all of these free agents. And when you hear the list, like we went over in the first segment, when I first sat down and took a look at the list myself, boy, a lot of really, really tough calls. But the first thing that I want to let you guys know is about those options I was saying that the Titans have. Because of an anomaly with the collective bargaining agreement
Starting point is 00:08:05 and how the salary cap is working this year. The Titans actually have the franchise tag and the transition tag available to them to use on some of these free agents. So first things first, if you guys don't know, the franchise tag is an option where a team can play. Recently, we saw this happen with Kirk Cousins in Washington. We saw it happen with Le'Veon Bell in Pittsburgh. So the team can slap a franchise tag on a free agent. Basically, it gives them a one-year deal. You take the top five salaries from that position. You create an average of the top five salaries,
Starting point is 00:08:41 and that's what the player gets paid on a one-year deal. And it just gives the team control of the player for one more year without having to give them a full-time or multi-year extension so it gives the team control of the player it really benefits the NFL team and you know some would argue that it's you know too damaging to the player. Not quite certain how the NFL Players Union allowed such a rule to get into existence. It's definitely team-friendly and doesn't really benefit the player at all. And we've seen some pretty nasty standoffs in regards to the franchise tag. Jadavion Clowney was threatened with the tag and was able to get traded to the Seahawks. And now he's a free agent.
Starting point is 00:09:20 Le'Veon Bell just sat out the entire year, even as recently as Melvin Gordon tried to sit out most of the year, but his circumstances were a little different based on the amount of years he had in the NFL. So that's what the franchise tag is. One year deal, average of the top five salaries at that position. A transition tag, that is the average of the top 10 salaries at the position where you put on a player here's the kicker to that a team has the ability to offer that player a contract and the player can sign the offer sheet but if that's the case then the team that is signing the player away from the titans will have to give the titans two first round draft picks so that almost is never used i can't recall any time in my lifetime where that was actually utilized it just gives the team more control over the player and makes it even more punitive
Starting point is 00:10:11 for another team to come through and try to match that offer or get that player away from them so it gives another team a chance to get the player where the franchise tag doesn't but it comes at an incredible cost there's not many players in the NFL that teams would give up two first round picks and pay a long-term contract for. So not really something that you're going to see matched if someone is transition tagged and there's nobody really on the Titans who would be worthy of giving up two first round picks
Starting point is 00:10:37 and a long-term contract. So we're not really going to see that taken away. So the Titans have the franchise tag and the transition tag to use on signing some of these free agents. And like I said, because of an anomaly in the CBA right now, and the fact that it's getting ready to be renegotiated, they actually have the ability to use both, which is not something that normally happens in an NFL offseason. So we'll dive into the players now and we'll go position by position like we did in the first segment just to kind of keep things even and aligned.
Starting point is 00:11:06 Quarterback, Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota. Mariota's gone, folks. He's not coming back. He isn't going to be a backup. Even if he gets the opportunity to be a backup somewhere else, and that's what he's told, like what happened to Tannehill this year, he's not going to do that in Tennessee. He just needs a change.
Starting point is 00:11:23 And if you're a big Marcus fan and you care about him succeeding in the NFL, you should want him to leave as well. He needs a change of scenery. He needs to go change the system he's in, change the team that he's on. I thought both the organization and Marcus did everything they could this year to make things work, and it just didn't. So for his benefit and the team's benefit, he needs to just go ahead and find a new team
Starting point is 00:11:46 and he certainly will. To Ryan Tannehill, quickly, throughout the season, I bounced back and forth between franchise tag and between long-term extension. The reality is he needs to be the quarterback on this team next year. Now, I right now am leaning in towards a franchise tag. I don't know if we should be giving Ryan Tannehill
Starting point is 00:12:04 three years guaranteed worth of money. I don't know if we should be giving Ryan Tannehill three years guaranteed worth of money. I don't think that that's necessarily the right move. We should make him kind of prove it once again. So the franchise tag is the right route to go. The only problem with that is, like I mentioned in all those examples of the franchise tag when I was explaining what it was, a lot of bad blood is created when you franchise tag a player. So ideally, the Titans would be able to give Tannehill a three to four year contract with only two years guaranteed money so only two more seasons would the Titans really need to keep him on the books and have you know any kind of
Starting point is 00:12:35 punishment if they were to let him go I would be okay with that you know the franchise tag we're going to be talking about 28 million 27 million somewhere there So if we give Tannehill a two-year deal, $54, $56 million, I would really love to be around $50 million with only those first two years guaranteed. You know, you can have another third year of that salary, but it will be, you know, non-guaranteed. That's what I would prefer to do. I would only be willing to give Tannehill two years worth of guaranteed money, and if there's no bad blood that would be created, I would prefer to franchise tag him. But what I prefer and what Tannehill's agent prefers
Starting point is 00:13:11 are probably different things. So moving to the running backs, Derrick Henry, it is treacherous water, like I mentioned, to give running backs big contract extensions, especially after the type of workload that Derrick Henry just carried, close to 400 carries now one thing that we have to consider is Derrick Henry didn't get a normal workload his first two seasons because of DeMarco Murray he was part of a stable at Alabama where he had a lot
Starting point is 00:13:36 of carries but not all of them he still got rotated in and out so he probably still has more tread on the tires than some of the running backs I mentioned earlier like Zeke and Gur Gurley, who just got run into the ground from their rookie season forward. So he might have a few more, but the odds are and the reality is that running backs usually fall off after seasons like this, and maybe not the very next season, but a few seasons after. Derrick Henry being as well-conditioned and as rare of an athlete as he is, is another reason, I guess, another piece of evidence of why giving him a multi-year deal is feasible at this point regardless of the history of running backs the
Starting point is 00:14:13 carries the workload any of that you gotta bring Derrick Henry back on this team there's just no way that the Titans can move forward in the next season without Derrick Henry in the backfield it's it's just an impossibility. Derrick Henry has to be on this team. He's the heart and soul of this team. He stepped up and became one of the team leaders, as we saw, throughout the season. So he's got to be back on this team, and they're going to give him a long,
Starting point is 00:14:38 you know, probably three- to four-year deal, about $12 million to $15 million, somewhere in between there. I wouldn't be willing to give him top dollar like Zeke or Gurley because they add so much more in the passing game and the numbers show that but somewhere between 12 and 13 12 and 14 is where I would probably say things are going to come down either way that the Titans and John Robinson have to bring back Derrick Henry that's that's cut and dry another cut and dry player for me, David Flewellen. See ya, roster pirate.
Starting point is 00:15:07 That guy, I don't understand how he can be on this team. I don't understand how he was on this team throughout the season. Kari Blossom game came in and completely took over the fullback duties. So I would rather have Blossom game as a third string running back if needed. The Titans are going to have to address the running back position in a major way this offseason anyway. So get rid of Flewellen. He's had enough time on this roster.
Starting point is 00:15:30 Like I said, and like I've called him throughout the season, he's a roster pirate. Somehow he's just holding the team hostage and being on the roster. So I'll be happy when they let him move on. Hopefully he finds another role in the NFL, but just not in Tennessee. Moving to the wide receivers, Tajay Sharp, who has been up and down since he was drafted as a fifth-round pick, but if he's willing to come back on a cost-controlled deal
Starting point is 00:15:53 as a fourth wide receiver, as a red zone role player, I would like to have Tajay Sharp back. I think him and Tannehill had a good connection, especially in the red zone. Darius Jennings, he was replaced by Kalief Raymond I think if the next guy we talk about comes back there's just no need to have Jennings out there he doesn't add much as a wide receiver so finding a guy who can kick return be a fifth wide receiver can punt return who's more talented than Jennings should be an easy feat for John Robinson the next guy though is Cameron Batson and the team really had a lot of hope for him. It felt like he was going to be in that Khalif Raymond role this year until he was injured in the preseason.
Starting point is 00:16:30 As I said, he's an exclusive rights free agent, so really the Titans are the only team that has rights to him if they want to offer him a one-year minimum deal, and I think that they probably will. Earlier, I had mentioned that I didn't think they would bring him back, but taking a look at the contract situation, it only makes sense. moving to the tight end position same thing Anthony Ferkser exclusive rights free agent they got to bring Ferk back I hope his role just stays the same third string tight end pass catching tight end red zone tight end role player on this team you got to have guys like that to succeed he doesn't add a lot in special teams he's not a very good blocker, but his role is
Starting point is 00:17:05 really important to this team. And while I think the Titans could improve in the tight end position over the all season, I think Ferkser is an easy person to bring back with his contract situation being so easy to take on and such a low number and low risk for the Titans. Mecole Pruitt, this is somebody, like I was mentioning, the tight end position could be improved. I think they need to let him walk. The Titans can find a more talented Mecole Pruitt, this is somebody, like I was mentioning, the tight end position could be improved. I think they need to let him walk. The Titans can find a more talented version of Pruitt to help this roster out more in different ways.
Starting point is 00:17:32 With Blossom Game coming on as the fullback, it kind of removed Pruitt from having fullback duties. He got slotted into special teams, a second tight end, the blocking tight end, and I just think that's somewhere where the Titans can upgrade in this offseason, so they should let him walk. Now, moving into into the offensive line things get a little dicey here Jack Conklin is the obvious top tier free agent I think that the Titans could use that transition tag on him if they use the free agent or the franchise tag on Ryan Tannehill I think the transition tag would be good for Jack Conklin considering the average of the top 10 offensive tackles in the league. I think he's somebody that the Titans need to bring
Starting point is 00:18:08 back. Now those options I was talking about, the Titans could let Conklin walk and then if they do, they need to re-sign Dennis Kelly. I would like to have both of those tackles back, but you have to have one or the other no matter what. No matter the Titans do one of those tackles has to be back whether that's drafting a tackle or going for competition at tackle and free agency but also re-signing Kelly and letting him have a shot at the starting right tackle spot or that's bringing back Jack Conklin and then you know late in the draft drafting a rookie right tackle or a rookie tackle to try to create some depth there from losing Dennis Kelly. One of those tackles has to be back. Kevin Pamphil, see ya. He's had enough. He's about to David Flewellen level. Supposed to be a starter at the beginning of the year, but I just don't see any need to have him. I would rather the Titans look for a different veteran in free agency
Starting point is 00:18:59 or draft an interior offensive lineman to try to improve the depth that on the defensive side of the ball defensive tackle Austin Johnson one of the biggest misses in John Robinson's draft history Johnson isn't a complete bust isn't a complete whiff but as one of the top picks in the second round he had to have done more than just being a run game run stuffing role player for this team so let him go the Titans can find a better replacement and can try to improve the roster in that spot on the linebacker position Darren Bates has been a core special teamer and a leader in the locker room I'm hoping that those two sides can work out a cost efficient deal and a team friendly deal for Bates to return just for his presence on special teams and in the locker room like I mentioned veteran Wesley Woodyard it looks like he's probably going to be moving on but want to give him credit for changing around this locker
Starting point is 00:19:49 room like I mentioned in the first segment he had a big impact on changing the culture in Nashville so shout out to Wesley Woodyard though I don't think that the Titans will be bringing him back considering David Long, Jayon Brown, Rashawn Evans if if they bring back Darren Bates, I just don't see a place for him on this roster going forward. Reggie Gilbert, he's an exclusive rights free agent, so I would expect the Titans to bring him back for the same reasons I mentioned before, but they also gave up a seventh round pick for Gilbert during this season, so you can't let him walk out the door after sacrificing a pick for him. Then Kamalei Correa, I think he's a strong candidate to leave. He had a good end to the season, so he'll probably get paid more than I think he's honestly
Starting point is 00:20:31 worth, and I think he'll get paid more than the Titans are willing to pay him. So while I'd like to have him back as a valuable role player, the Titans really need to upgrade the edge position, and bringing back Gilbert makes more sense than bringing back Correa. Finally, the cornerbacks on this team, LaShawn Sims and Chris Milton were both very good on special teams. If the Titans can bring back one of those guys, I think it would be a smart move. Logan Ryan is the biggest free agent in the defensive backfield.
Starting point is 00:20:56 The Titans have to bring back Logan Ryan. He is everything that Nashville stands for. He's not going to be too expensive because of his lack of athleticism at the corner position. He's more of a physical run defender and more of a valuable guy in terms of his IQ out on the field. We've talked about him quite a bit throughout the season and what he adds to the defense. They got to bring back Logan Ryan. They just have to. I refuse to think that he could go anywhere else. Tremaine Brock, who was good for the team, picked up off waivers, but after seeing him get roasted by the Chiefs, it's obvious the Titans need to improve at cornerback, and they
Starting point is 00:21:29 can let him walk. He may even retire. He's been in the league for 10 years now, so curious to see what his future holds, but I don't think it'll be in Tennessee. Ty Smith is a restricted free agent. That just means that the Titans don't have to make him an offer. They can wait for someone else to make him an offer, and then they can choose whether to match. I don't really see any team going out of their way to sign Ty Smith. I would expect him to be back on the roster, at least the practice squad in some way. If he wants more, then he wants the opportunity to be on a roster full-time,
Starting point is 00:22:01 then the Titans will just have to let him walk. Once again, the cornerback position needs to be upgraded for this team, so wouldn't be surprised to see him leave as well. But that covers all of the free agents. Obviously, Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Anthony Fergser, Tajay Sharp, Jack Conklin, Dennis Kelly, Kamalei Correa, Logan Ryan, and Chris Milton are my tops. I spend a lot of time talking about those guys, and those are the guys that I think
Starting point is 00:22:25 will make the biggest impact. Most of those guys are the guys that I think will be the toughest decisions for the Titans going forward. So to make those decisions, though, it all depends on what kind of cap room the Titans have and what kind of options they have to create more cap room to bring back some of those guys. So we're going to talk about that in our next segment, talk about how much cap room the Titans have based on some of the best tracking sites that we have out there available to us
Starting point is 00:22:51 and what options they have to create more salary cap and what they can move around to do so. So we will talk about that in our final segment. If you've been a listener of this podcast, I'm sure you've heard all the great advertisers working with Locked On to reach sports fans. But you may not know that Locked On Titans is a great way for your local business to reach passionate Titans fans just like you. Unlike any other podcast, Locked On gives your local company the unique ability to reach local podcast listeners,
Starting point is 00:23:21 and not just any podcast listener, a Locked On podcast listener. If your company wants a way to connect with Titans fans and a predominantly male audience that is well-educated with disposable income, then let's put your company right here on this Locked On podcast. Local fans love to support local businesses. Text the word advertising to 33777 or visit lockedonpodcast.com slash advertising and let us know who you are. We'll get a team to help your team achieve Locked On advertising success. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit lockedonpodcast.com slash advertising. We look forward to hearing from you. Let's talk cap space.
Starting point is 00:24:18 Where are the Tennessee Titans at with all these free agents in their building going into the offseason in terms of how much money and their budget and what they have to play with. And we're not just going to go over that. We're going to talk about the options that they have to create more and to manipulate the cap as well. Let's dive right in here. I love using over the cap.com.
Starting point is 00:24:38 SpotTrack.com is a very good resource as well to help keep us updated on where the Titans are at with all of these different financials. And it looking like which you know it could change a little bit based on what the NFL officially announces as the hard salary cap for the league but right now it's looking like the Titans are going to be in between 52 to 55 million dollars of cap space just off the rip now how can they create some more unfortunately Unfortunately, we see this every single season. Teams cut some veterans, some guys who aren't guaranteed any more money, but are maybe a little overpaid for the production that they're going to give the team. And the Titans are no different. And in this circumstance, there are four easy candidates that the Titans probably need to consider cutting and most likely will. So we'll dive into those. and most likely will. So we'll dive into those. First things first, Deion Lewis. The Titans have not gotten the production out of Deion Lewis for whatever reason that they needed when they signed him just two years ago. They are going to need to look for a new body in the backfield to help give them a little bit more. And right now, Deion Lewis is making $5 million next season. The Titans can
Starting point is 00:25:42 cut him and save about $ million dollars on the cap I would fully expect them to do that also Ryan Suckup you can't wait around for a kicker like the Titans tried to do for Ryan Suckup and it and it hurt the team in a major way and they had one of the worst kicking seasons in recent memory in the NFL well the Titans are looking to pay Ryan Suckup four million dollars this year That absolutely cannot happen. By cutting him, it only leaves $2 million of dead cap on the cap. So they would be saving $2 million there. Combine that with Deion Lewis.
Starting point is 00:26:13 Now you're up to $6 million more. That could get you close to $60 million in cap. Also, Delaney Walker, I know that it hurts to say, and I know that it's not something that people want to see him go out the way that he did, but he's scheduled to make $8 million next year, say, and I know that it's not something that people want to see him go out the way that he did, but he's scheduled to make $8 million next year, and the Titans can cut him and save about $7 million, six and a half to be more precise. I'm sorry, but with the Jonu Smith emergence, with Anthony Ferkser playing a good role, with the Titans having the ability to upgrade the tight end position in the offseason, there's just no way you can pay somebody like Delaney Walker $8 million coming off the season that he had at his
Starting point is 00:26:48 age. So the Titans will most likely cut Delaney Walker and save about $6.5 million right there, and it would be completely worth it. The last player is Cameron Wake, and he's scheduled to get about the same as Delaney, about $8 million. The Titans can cut him and get about $6 million in savings, about $ five and a half to be more precise of course but we're looking at right there with those four players you know the titans are looking at an additional 19 to 20 million dollars in cap space and they have to be able to carve that out with those four players who just aren't giving the team what they're being paid to give now somebody like cameron wake i think could be a little bit different in this situation. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Titans maybe release him but look to
Starting point is 00:27:29 bring him back at a more team-friendly rate. You know more in the lines of three million, four million dollars somewhere in there. He was pretty productive in his limited snaps throughout the year. He was very efficient in his pass rushing opportunities and took advantage of those. I mean we cannot forget when he was fully healthy and he had two and a half sacks and a safety against the Browns in week one. I mean, just a fantastic job there. And when he was given the opportunity to rush and was healthy enough to play, he did a decent job getting pressure on the quarterback.
Starting point is 00:27:58 So I would consider Cam Wake as a veteran that we could possibly bring back, but going to have to cut him up front to help save that money. The Titans need that $5.5 million and can use it more effectively elsewhere. Moving forward to some other options that the Titans may have. You take a look at the top of the team and the top cap hits on the team. Jarrell Casey, $13 million. Malcolm Butler, Casey, $13 million. Malcolm Butler, $13 million. I mean, even Daquan Jones at $8.5 million.
Starting point is 00:28:33 I mean, unfortunately, Casey's getting a little bit older. He has to be used more in a role than being out there consistently disrupting things. Malcolm Butler is coming off a major injury and has had different levels of production while he's been with the titans and is getting a little older you look at daquan who is just a nose tackle now and although he does fill a very significant role for the titans he's not an every down player so to pay him eight million dollars i mean just seems a little out of bounds there so if the titans can find a way to maybe restructure drell Casey, Malcolm Butler, and Daquan Jones to carve out even more money, that would be really fantastic.
Starting point is 00:29:11 So make sure that you're watching out for that. That's something that I'm going to keep reporting on. But those are seven different players that the Titans have some options with. And there could even be some cuts that the Titans are not expecting. Some trades. You never know what kind of moves
Starting point is 00:29:24 John Robinson is willing to make. But based on what I see here and the way I see the cap shaking out those are just my preliminary guesses or predictions of where I think that the Titans might look to you know maybe carve out a little bit more room than they're needing because if you look at spot track.com they have some pretty good market values here they're saying Ryan Tannehill may be around 30 million that's higher than I would like to pay him but Jack Conklin at 15 million tackles get paid in the NFL ladies and gentlemen Derek Henry at about 14 million so I mean right there you're talking about 59 million dollars that's more than the Titans have to start we haven't even talked about Logan Ryan yet so so they're going to have to carve out more room to bring everybody back, especially if they're going to do it on decent extensions, not just tags like we talked about at the beginning. So very curious to see what happens.
Starting point is 00:30:14 In this episode, we went over all of the free agents. Then we went over what I think the Titans should do with those free agents. As I mentioned, hit me up on Twitter at TicTacTitans and let me know what you think the Titans should do with all of these free agents. And then we talked about what they possibly can do to create more cap space and where they sit right now. So kind of an all-encompassing in-house free agent episode of the Locked On Titans podcast. Like I said at the beginning, you got to clean your house before you can have company over. So I felt like we did that today.
Starting point is 00:30:47 Another shout out to Kenneth. Hopefully you enjoyed this episode. Hopefully all you guys enjoyed this episode and you keep coming back to the Locked On Titans podcast throughout the all season. Like I said, I'm going to keep bringing you content daily, Monday through Friday throughout the all season. Next week after the Super Bowl, we have an Ultimate Division crossover where we're going to talk with all of the other hosts from the Locked On shows in the division.
Starting point is 00:31:10 Make sure that we give you guys all the information available and break down every step of the process. So I will be here with you guys to do that. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

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