Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Grading Titans Offseason Moves: Woods Trade, Hooper Signing, Landry Returning & More!

Episode Date: March 22, 2022

The Tennessee Titans have made quite a few moves thus far in free agency! How do each of these moves grade out? Tyler is ready to go through everything we have seen so far and provide his letter grade! First, look at the biggest moves so far! Harold Landry returning, Robert Woods trade and Austin Hooper signing! Next, assess some of the Titans who will be returning from 2021! Finally, take a look at some of the lesser impactful signings and some of the new guys joining the team!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitansSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, it is a Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. On today's show, class is in session. Pass your paper to a classmate because we are giving out grades. We're going to look at every single re-signing, every signing, and every trade the Titans have made so far this all season, and decide what the grade is going to be for each move. So very excited to dive into player grades on a Wednesday edition of the Locked On Titans

podcast. Let's get it! You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Titans fans, it is a Wednesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. That's right. Today, we are passing out grades for every move the Titans have made so far throughout

the offseason. Well, every acquisition the Titans have made throughout the offseason. Very excited to dive into that. Before we do, I got to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen to the Locked on Titans podcast, make sure you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. I am going to be putting out daily,

Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content, not only during the season, but all year long. So again, make sure you subscribe on whatever platform. It's free and available everywhere. And that includes on YouTube,

where you can subscribe to the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. Smash that notification bell so you know when all of my content goes live. Hit that thumbs up button. If you're watching on YouTube right now, check me out on social media at Tic Tac Titans on Twitter where I focus on the X's and O's and the show Facebook page at Locked on Titans Pod.

You guys might check out the balloons in the background. As a lot of you guys know, I do record the night before. So I'm recording on Tuesday evening for the Wednesday show and Tuesday was my birthday. So, uh, the girlfriend decided to put up some balloons and surprise me all of that. Surely hope it's not distracting for you guys, but, uh, definitely do appreciate her and all the love that she gives to me. And I appreciate you guys as well. So show some support, throw a review on Apple iTunes if you're listening. Five stars is appreciated. Subscribe again if you're watching

on YouTube right now and you're not subscribed. All of that would be the best birthday present that I could ask for. But it's not about me, guys. It is about the Tennessee Titans and they have been making a ton of moves this offseason. We're going to go through every single one on today's show and pass out grades. And we are going to start with the biggest moves of the offseason so far. And that'll lead us to the trade for Robert Woods, Bobby Trees. My grade on the Bobby Trees trade is a B+. I can't go to an A right now because the realities here are

while Robert Woods is a good player and he really fits what the Titans want to be not only as a football team but as an organization, he is going to be 30 years old. He is coming off a torn ACL last November. He does cost $10 million, so it's not incredibly cheap either. So all of that together, I'm going to give it a B+.

At the end of the day, I don't think that Robert Woods is a long-term answer next to A.J. Brown. He is a short-term fix. The Titans still haven't found the long-term partner to go with A.J. So with that in mind, I still like the signing. I think it'll be a big help for the Titans in 2022, probably in 2023 as well. But this isn't a home run out of the park. I know it would have cost more money

and it would have cost a lot more draft capital, but just in a vacuum, talking about players, if the Titans were to have gotten a guy like DK Metcalf or something, that is an A. That's an absolute A. So Robert Woods, very good signing. Some risk involved though, and not a lot of long-term completion in terms of roster. So I'm going to give that a B plus, just slightly below an A. The next big transaction we're going to talk about is

the signing of tight end Austin Hooper. I'm going to give that a B, just a flat B. I can't give it an A. I can't give it a B+. I teetered on B-. Now, I got to tell you guys, this doesn't mean that I'm down on the moves. I like these moves, but I want to make an A grade pretty hard to obtain here. It's got to be a really, really good move all the way around. And the reality is, while Austin Hooper is a big upgrade over Jeff Swaim, Hooper has declined over the last few years. I don't see him as a top flight, top 10 tight end by any means. He's just a very solid role player. And on a one-year, $6 million deal, again, this doesn't seem like a long-term solution for the Titans.

Although Hooper is only 27, I don't see him as one of those top-tier guys like Waller, like Andrews, like Kittle, like Kelsey. He's obviously not on that level. He's a low second-tier, maybe high third-tier tight end. Again, a big upgrade over Jeff Swaim. But Hooper doesn't blow you away with any one facet of his game. He's just a very solid guy. He's just a better version of Jeff Swain.

So I like the signing. It was the right move. I like Hooper with the Titans, but not a long-term solution, not a game-breaking playmaker either. He's just a very solid player, and that's why I will give him a very solid grade with a B. Now, we're going to talk about two guys who were brought back to the Titans that were major deals.

And number one, we got to start with Harold Landry, the five-year $87.5 million deal that is actually just a three-year $52 million deal. But I'm going with an A here. Versatile, productive, durable, and still young. This is a home run bring back by John Robinson, keeping Harold Landry in the fold. I think he's incredibly important to what the Titans do schematically as I've outlined throughout the all season

and since the resigning of Harold Landry to not allow Harold Landry to get to market, to get to the free agency market. That was huge. To get him on a $5 million cap hit for 2022 to keep your options open and your flexibility open and not put him on the franchise tag, that is huge as well. So an A for the Harold Landry re-signing. And then the re-signing of center Ben Jones.

And for me, this is the only one that you're going to hear. Well, I lied to you. This is one of two that you're going to hear throughout this episode. But an A-plus for John Robinson bringing back center Ben Jones. The continuity on the offensive line. The Titans were going to be in a tough spot if they had to replace left guard, right tackle, and center as well. Ben Jones is so important, not only for the production of the offensive line, he's calling things out, he's audible and at the line of scrimmage, he's moving

protection around, he's doing all those things, but in the locker room as well, Ben Jones is a pillar of what the Titans want to be as an organization. He was one of the best signings in team history, and having him back on the deal that the Titans got to be as an organization. He was one of the best signings in team history and having him back on the deal that the Titans got him for. I mean, it was $7 million for two years, essentially. Cap it super low, around $3 million. I mean, just perfect, especially when you look at Lankan Tomlinson and Alex Kappa and what Ryan Jensen,

what some of the interior offensive linemen were getting in the free agent market to have Ben Jones not get to the market and come back for that kind of friendly deal. I mean, just an absolutely great signing and great move by John Robinson. But that's the biggest moves of the offseason so far. Now we're going to get into some of those secondary moves, some of the role players that were brought back

onto the Tennessee Titans. And all the guys we're going to get into some of those secondary moves, some of the role players that were brought back on to the Tennessee Titans. And all the guys we're going to talk about are guys who were on the team in 2021 and are coming back in 2022. The range goes from a C all the way to A+. Excited to get into those grades with you guys. Before we do, do want to tell you about an A-plus protein bar from our friends over at Built.com. The Built Bars are the best protein bars that I've ever had. You get the best of both worlds with Built Bars. They're delicious, great flavors, salted caramel, peanut butter brownie, white chocolate cheesecake are my three favorites, great textures. The puff bars, which are marshmallowy. The crunch bars, which are crunchy.

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and talk about some of these secondary signings that the Titans made, all guys that are coming back to the team from 2021. Before we get into it, though, do got to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. You're getting your Titans news here with me. Now get your national NFL news with the Locked on NFL podcast, Monday through Friday, under 30 minutes, all the biggest stories in the National Football League.

I actually host the Thursday show of the Locked on NFL podcast. So if you would go subscribe to that on YouTube or whatever platform you listen to podcasts, I would appreciate it as well. So the Locked on NFL podcast, Monday through Friday, under 30 minutes, all your national news. A great follow-up to the Locked On Titans podcast. But moving forward, let's get into the secondary grades.

And again, these are all guys who were on the team in 2021 that were brought back by John Robinson for 2022. And number one, we are going to start with Jeff Swaim, the tight end. And although I have defended the signing, as things play out here, it gets harder too. Because you bring in a guy like Austin Hooper, I think it would have been better off bringing in a guy,

bringing back Anthony Ferkser, and then drafting an in-line tight end in the draft, and that be your three tight ends. Given Jeff Swaim, the money that he got, everybody's talking about $3.5 million. It's really a $2.7 million deal. But when you compare that to a guy like O.J. Howard, I would have rather taken a risk on O.J. Howard.

I mean, I get that Austin Hooper wasn't even released by the time that Jeff Swaim was signed back so they just wanted to secure somebody at the position right away. I get that, but Swaim really struggled last year as a blocker now in a new role, in a proper role as a backup tight end. Maybe he'll be better

but I don't see being tight end one, being tight end three, being tight end two how that impacts how well you block. I mean, you either beat your guy or you don't see being tight end one, being tight end three, being tight end two, how that impacts how well you block. I mean, you either beat your guy or you don't. So the signing for Swain was just okay. And that's why I have to give it a C. Just a C. That's all I can do.

I can't go any lower because he's going to serve his purpose as a role player. But I can't go any higher because of the money and the other options that would have been available if the Titans had stayed patient. And I don't think that, and I could be wrong about this, but I don't think that the market for Jeff Swaim was ridiculous in a way that he wouldn't have been there after he assigned Austin Hooper. Moving forward, though, Buster Screen, the cornerback. I had to give this one a B-.

I think it's a very, very solid signing. I think bringing Buster Screen back the cornerback. I had to give this one a B-. I think it's a very, very solid signing. I think bringing Buster Screen back was the right move. You needed a vet in the cornerback room, and he was a very solid role player for you last year, playing that passing down slot cornerback. My thing is, the reason that I'm giving it a B- is I thought the Titans needed more help outside cornerback, not slot cornerback.

I'm high on Elijah Molden, and in theory, the Titans would want Elijah Molden to take another step in year two to where he can play consistently on third downs and passing situations. What I'm worried about at cornerback is Caleb Farley. Will he be healthy enough? Will he be productive enough? Will he be ready to go? Just simple as that.

So I think if the Titans added a veteran cornerback into their group, which I still think they need to do, they needed someone who was a little more adept at playing outside cornerback, not so much in the slot. You got Chris Jackson, who not great, but played his best moments in the slot. I already mentioned Elijah Molden. So if the Titans were going to add a veteran to the cornerback room, which I wanted, I would expect them to go after somebody who was a little more depth, like I said, to playing outside, to playing boundary corner.

Screen can do a little bit of that, but he's much better in the slot. So I do like the signing, but it's not perfect, so I'm going with a B-. Next, running back Don Trell Hilliard. I am giving this one a B+. I think this is a nice move. Hilliard I am giving this one a B plus I think this is a nice move

Hilliard is a compliment to Derrick Henry not a replication of Derrick Henry like Deonta Foreman was he's a guy who can give you versatility he'll play as a third down running back he can be a returner as well and I think he should be the returner for the Titans

in 2022 as things stand right now. He's got speed. He's got burst. He's got agility. He was pretty good in pass protection at the end of the year, so I like him as a complement to Derrick Henry. I like bringing back Hilliard over Foreman because Foreman is a double down. You're not going to pay Foreman $2 million to get five to eight carries a game. You're just not going to do that. If you're going to spend some money, which Hilliard was just barely over

a million dollars anyway, so cheaper than Foreman, you're going to spend some money there. I like the compliment back. Now, why it's a B plus and not an A though, I would have liked to see the Titans draft a complimentary running back to Derek Henry. They have to at some point

get a young running back who not only can compliment Henry, but can spell Derrick Henry. Basically, they still need a Darrington Evans. What the theory of what Darrington Evans could be. And I don't think that while Hilliard checks off a couple of boxes, the upside there is pretty low. We know that Hilliard will never be a starting running back in the league.

So that just brings it from an A down to a B+. The next grade I have for you is an A+. And it is the re-signing of Nick Westbrook-Akina. Nick Westbrook-Akina is good on special teams. He was

the second leading receiver for the Titans last year. And the Titans got him back for under a million dollars because he was an exclusive rights free agent. I mean, that's the price, the player, the production, the versatility. It's an A+. It's a low-scale A+, but it's still an A+, all the same. Next, this is for you, Mickey Ryan.

T. Air Tart, that name boxes my ears off. T. Air Tart, for me, is a solid B. He's young, he's a good nose tackle, rotational nose tackle, was productive as an undrafted free agent from 2020. He's done just about everything that you could have asked of him to do. Him and Naquan Jones in a rotation

up front. You add in maybe Deshaun Hand takes a step forward. That would be great, but I like the re-signing of T.A.R.E. Tartt. Again, under a million dollars. Just like Nick Westbrook-Akina. Can't beat that value right there for a

productive rotational player. Love that signing. That's a B for me. I can't go an A because Tartt is still a one down player. Not a guy who's going to make a huge impact, but very important that the Titans solidify that position so they don't have any worries at nose tackle going forward into the draft throughout the rest of free agency. And then finally, Bulletproof, Randy Bullock. And I'm going to give that signing a C+. So he's basically making $2 million this year, which is about 19th highest cap

hit for a kicker in the NFL. That sounds about right, but you're paying $2 million to Bullock. You're paying $2.75 to Kern after the restructure. I mean, that's $5 million in people who kick the football. He's okay. Randy Bullock's okay, but, man, I'm just not so solid on Randy Bullock that I think that's a home run there. So I'm going with a C-plus on that signing. I think that's fair for Randy Bullock, a C-plus. It's a big investment, and I'm sure the Titans are just overreacting to the trash of a kicker situation

that they've had for the last few years, but not terrible, but not great either. So I'm just going to go with a flat C for Randy Bullock. But that's all the guys, well not all of them, but all those guys were guys who played for the Titans in 2021, who are being re-signed and brought back in 2022.

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that I have for you from the offseason so far. Before we get into them, I do want to thank you guys one more time for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Make sure you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. As for your second listen, check out the Locked on NFL Draft podcast hosted by Ryan Tracy and former NFL cornerback Eric Crocker.

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But the last few grades here. Number one, we have to start with a new Tennessee Titan. We're going to start with all three new Tennessee Titans. Number one, offensive tackle or offensive lineman in general, Jamarco Jones. And I'm going to give that signing a B minus. I like the depth. Jones has played left tackle, left guard, right tackle, right guard.

I don't expect him to fully compete for a starting job. I think if Jamarco Jones won a starting job, it would be bad news for the Tennessee Titans. But as an improvement upon the Kendall Lamb rule, I think that's a nice signing there. A B minus. Not totally blown away, but I don't see enough risk in it for it to be a C. Not getting a lot of money.

Can be cut after one year. Versatility up and down the line. Outside of center. A guy that should be able to come in and patch in if there's an injury or something like that. Can't hate on that kind of deal whatsoever. Jamarco Jones with all the versatility, a B- for me. Next though is Trenton Cannon, and I'm going to give this one a C-. I mean, I almost went into the D range for Cannon. Like I

said, he is purely, singularly only a kick returner. That's all the guy can do is kick return. He's not a compliment back. He's barely going to make the roster. I know that the money's real low, so it's not a huge risk anyway, but just not really seeing a lot of potential for Cannon to end up on the roster. All he can do is kick return. So with that in mind, I just don't see a lot of value, don't see a lot of versatility, don't know if he's even going to make the 53-man roster, so that's a C- for me.

Next is A.J. Moore, the defensive back. He plays safety, but let's be real, he is a special teamer, and I'm going to give that a B because I think A.J. Moore is a guy who can play that Matthias Farley role, be that fourth safety who is mostly a special teams contributor. And A.J. Moore was a captain with the Houston Texans. He's great in the locker room. He's mature.

He knows his role. He's going to do it well. He can play gunner on special teams. He's going to be on kick coverage team on kickoff. He's going to be able to block on return teams. I mean, he just gives you everything you want from a special teams player at a very, very low price. That's a B signing for me because unlike Cannon, who is solely a special teams player,

Moore can be on a bunch of different special teams units. That versatility really bumps up the grade. Now, not a difference maker, just a special teams guy at the end of the day, so I can't go all the way up to A, but a B, just a solid B, I think, feels perfect for A.J. Moore. Now, the final three signings that we're going to talk about are guys who were brought back to the Titans from 2021 as well. Number one, the roster pirate himself, Logan Woodside. And I know that all you guys are waiting for the first F grade of the show,

but I got news for you. It's not coming here. They've beat me into submission, folks. Stockholm Syndrome. I've been held captive by Logan Woodside so long I'm starting to adopt feelings for him. That is a bit over aggressive. I don't have feelings

for him, but what I mean to say is I've accepted he's going to be the backup quarterback for the Titans in 2022. I wish that they would take it more seriously. A guy like Nick Mullins, you know, would make some sense. But at this point, I haven't seen enough from anybody else

to be up in arms about the Titans not getting a better backup quarterback. If Tannehill gets hurt, then we're just screwed. And it is what it is. It just is what it is at that point. So a C for Logan Woodside. Right down the middle, I'm indifferent. Just incredibly indifferent.

Next though, Morgan Cox. Long snapper, brought back, Tennessee native. That's an A for me. Did you hear Morgan Cox's name last year? One time. Once. No, you didn't. And that's a great sign for a long snapper.

It's like offensive line or like cornerback. The less you hear their name, the better. That means they're doing a good job. Love Morgan Cox. He's a great guy. Good in the locker room. Valuable veteran. Two years removed from an All-Pro selection.

That's an A signing. Not going to go A+. It's just a long snapper selection. That's an A signing. Not going to go A+. It's just a long snapper. But that's an A signing for John Robinson getting Cox back in the fold. And then finally, the lowest grade I'm going to give out all day is for Jordan Wilkins.

A D-. He's not going to make the roster. He played special teams for the Titans in a couple of games at the end of the season. Didn't do very well. Got a stupid penalty in a game. I just don't see it. He doesn't give you any value at running back.

Not a ton of value as a special teamer. Like Trenton Cannon, I just don't think he's even going to make the roster. At least Trenton Cannon is good at returning kicks. Wilkins just isn't giving me anything that we can't find somebody to do it better and give more versatility. So that's a D- for me. But that's all the moves that we've seen from the Titans so far.

Not grading cuts and all that because those were expected, but all the players that were either brought back to the Titans, added to the Titans, cover all those grades overall. Right now, if I had to give an overall grade for John Robinson all season, I'm going to go with a B, just a solid B. We got to see what happens in the draft though. That's obviously a big component.

I'll be ready to break that down whenever all of that takes place when the draft happens at the end of April. Boy, can't wait for that. Free agency kind of in the rear view mirror. I don't expect a ton of signings from the Titans going forward and definitely not any kind of big names or anything like that, but we will monitor what happens going forward.

The last two days of the week here on the Locked on Titans podcast, we are going to go through what the Titans slated lineups are right now, kind of determine where they need to attack in the draft position by position. So make sure you guys tune in for that. Subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. That's going to do it for me today, though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. tight.