Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Is Jordy Nelson an option? Taking your calls

Episode Date: March 21, 2019

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris. Joining us is Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you today? Oh, man, doing good. Got the NCAA tournament on TV. It's a really good day. Yeah, it's definitely one of the best sporting days of the year.

So we are going to talk a little Titans while we watch these games. Before we do that, I remind you we write for musicmiracles.com. We cover the Titans for SB Nation, so you can check us out there. You can subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the new Himalaya podcast app, any of those places you get in your podcast. Just search out Lockdown Titans. You'll find us. If you have a smart speaker in your house or in your car, you can just say play podcast Lockdown Titans, and you will hear us there. You can follow us

on twitter i'm at jay morris mcm terry's at t limbert tn we're gonna hit some voicemails today if you want to be a part of a future voicemail show 615-787-8762 the number you call in leave us about a minute long message and we will get to you on the show so like i said we're doing voicemails before we do that talk a little bit about Jordy Nelson and just kind of reset the free agency market a little bit after what I guess now kind of the first two waves of free agency have passed. As it was reported later, or I guess a little bit earlier this week, that the Titans had some interest in Jordy Nelson

after the Raiders had cut him a couple weeks ago. I don't think anybody's going to get really excited about Jordy Nelson at this point, but if he's a guy that you bring in as an option as an outside receiver, currently your outside receiver options behind Corey Davis are most likely Taewon Taylor and Tajay Sharp. Davis are most likely Taewon Taylor and Tajay Sharp. So I think it's probably foolish for us to, you know, poo-poo any of these names like a Crabtree or Jermaine Kershaw, you know, whoever it may be.

I guess Kershaw's more of a slot guy. But, you know, any of those guys that they can play outside that you could bring in to compete, it's probably not a bad idea for the Titans to at least kick the tires there. Yeah, Titans still have a need. You know, we said it when they signed Adam Humphreys. Still have a need on the outside because right now you're looking at Taewon Taylor and Tajay Sharp, whoever ends up getting those reps.

I just think the Titans can do a lot better there. We've talked about it being an all-in year for Marcus Mariota. Why not go get him a vet? Get him a veteran that he can count on, that he can trust. A guy like Jordy Nelson, 34 years old, what's left in the tank? Look, he's not the same guy that he was in Green Bay, clearly. But he was productive for Oakland last year in a bad offense, playing with, quite frankly, a bad quarterback.

You know playing with a quite frankly a bad quarterback Derek Carr is is you know has taken a bunch of steps steps back in recent years Still caught 63 passes for 739 yards last year three scores I know a lot of that came in one game. I remember him wrecking a DFS slate on us last year. Anyways, I think he would be a huge upgrade over what the Titans already have. I think the team really needs to entertain the idea of signing one of these veterans. I think we've been pretty vocal about not wanting a rookie coming in and having to depend on a rookie to figure it out. We want a vet. This is a guy that you can get for cheap. So, you know, maybe I'm too excited about it,

but I'm definitely for kicking the tires on Jordy Nelson. Yeah, because like I said, I mean, there are options that you have out there, Pierre, Garcon, other than the other guys that I mentioned earlier. I'm with you. They need to bring somebody else in, in my opinion. And, I mean, I'm not going to be surprised if they draft a receiver. I will kind of be surprised if they draft a receiver in the first round.

Again, just with the youth in that room, it would make sense to bring in a guy that's done it in addition to Adam Humphrey. So it makes sense from that standpoint. So we'll kind of keep an eye on that. As we get into this next period of of free agency these deals they don't necessarily come together as quickly as the ones you know where you hear guys visiting with a team and then you know 30 minutes later there's you know an agreement in place the guys at this phase are they're taking a few visits uh you know kind of going around gauging their options and then you

know just kind of i guess figuring out where the best fit is for them. And that's where they'll end up. And like I said, to kind of reset just the free agency market overall, looking at the top guys available on the NFL trade rumors site, you've got like the top five here, Justin Houston, Dominick Nsou, Ezekiel Ansa, Darkez Denard. So, you know, I mean, you've still got some names out there, you know, some mean, you've still got some names out there, you know, some pass-rushing type options. Justin Houston, a guy that, I mean, we've heard the Titans are not interested in. I think Paul Karski reported that.

That's not something they're interested in doing. And Dominick Nsou, we'll get to him. I've got a voicemail question on him in a little bit, so we'll talk about that then. Ann says a guy that's typically a 4-3 guy. So don't know if there'll be a lot of interest there in our decor then you're looking at eric berry zach brown um you know a nick perry trey boss those types of deals so um you know i i think we'll see another guy or two signed um probably

an offensive lineman maybe but i mean you're talking about TJ Lang, Quentin Spain being the top guys available there. So I don't think they're necessarily done yet bringing guys in, but at this point there's nobody, there's no, like, real, you know, game-changer type guys still available. Yeah, and I think they're done on the pass rush front, at least in free agency. You know, we've talked about the edge guys, the edge options in the draft. I could definitely see them going edge at 19 if the right guy falls there.

But again, just looking at receivers, going back to receivers, the veteran guys left. Michael Crabtree, look, I know he's old, he's slow. The bar is, is he better than Taewon Taylor? And I have to say yes right now. So you look at Demarius Thomas, that's a little more itchy with the Achilles injury, going to be 31 years old.

That's always scary. You know, Jimmy mentioned Jermaine Curse, Pierre Garcon. You know, they're all in that mix with Jordy Nelson there. Chris Hogan is another guy, you know, with Patriots Connection that's been linked to the Titans. So I'm for it. You know, I think this team needs veterans. They don't need rookies You know, it just seems to take receivers two three years to really figure it out We don't have two three years to figure it out anymore

We need to see what Marcus Mariota is right now I'd kind of be surprised honestly to see John Robinson not bring in one of these veteran receivers. I don't think they're going to be very expensive at all. I think you're going to get some bargain bin type deals, some one- to two-year deals. This kind of reminds me of the Eric Decker deal where Decker kind of left a bad taste in our mouths with all of his drops late.

But just a guy that can come in, put a Band-Aid on this room, just kind of stabilize this thing until the Titans can find a younger, better option down the road. Yeah, and a guy that could be interested in helping out the younger guys. You know, apparently Eric Decker was not interested in doing that. That was kind of the reports that came out after he left. But, you know, a guy that could help on that front because you do have some young talent there,

especially in Corey Davis, that you're excited about, but he would definitely benefit from working with an older guy. So, anyway, that's kind of what we think that they'll be looking at here in the next few weeks leading up to the draft. All right, coming up, we will get into our voicemail for this week. Hi, this is Keith. I'm from Memphis, but I now live in Connecticut. And I wanted to get your guys' opinion now that we have some little bit more free agency done

and needs addressed. Will we be able to stay at 19, maybe get Bradbury, the center from North Carolina State, locked down that position for the next seven to ten years, hopefully, and not worry about it anymore. I know everybody's screaming for another pass receiver in round one. I say take the center, be done with it, and let's move on to something else. I wanted to get your guys' thoughts. Thank you for your time.

Yeah, Cade, I'm all in on taking Garrett Bradbury at 19. I think you maximized this offensive line. I think you really set up Marcus Mariota to succeed. You talk about maximizing the run game. I think you're really helping Marcus Mariota, getting him consistent protection there, getting him a consistent run game to build that play-action game off of. I just think it has more of an effect than taking a receiver.

So we've been pretty vocal about not wanting a rookie receiver again. We talked about that. We touched on that in the last segment. We just think it's going to take time for these rookie receivers. We've seen it time and time again with all these receivers that have come through Nashville. I think with the offensive line, it's a little easier projection there. They'd have to shuffle some pieces there. But, man, I am absolutely all in on building this run game around Derrick Henry,

setting up this offensive line for the future. You know, you've got to be careful with what we're saying. We don't have to worry about it for the next seven to ten years. You know, we talked about Chance Wormack yesterday being the biggest bust in Titans history, according to us. So I want to be careful there. But Bradbury is certainly an athletic piece that can really get to the second level, a perfect piece for the zone-blocking team.

I like his fit in Nashville a lot. And, you know, I don't see anyone jumping him as being my favorite for the Titans to draft at 19. Yeah, you know, I think with what we've seen so far, they're going to take an interior offensive lineman in the first two days. I mean, I think that's a pretty safe assumption to make at this point. And so when you go through these mock draft deals, and again, we don't have any idea what's going to actually happen on draft day. But they've got that. The draft network has that tool where you can go in and you can pick and it simulates

you know based off of different things or whatever um if you've done any of those you know you get to a point where you get to 19 and there's not like some of the guys that you're really in love with they're not going to be there the the top tier pass rushing guys i mean obviously the you know the top two or three are obviously not going to be there but even some of the guys that earlier in these mocks were kind of falling down, they're not there anymore. People that are in love with the tight ends, most people think Hawkinson's going to be gone before

19. And I just can't see no offense. That doesn't make any sense at all to me. I don't think receiver makes sense either, like we're saying. So I think that Bradbury's going to be maybe one of the few blue chip type guys that is still going to be on the board and available there.

And so if he's a guy that they really, really like, if that's the position that they put a premium on, which we think it has to be at this point, then I think that pick makes a lot of sense. And I was kind of out on it in the beginning, but as we've moved closer and gone through these things, as free agency has kind of played out, I just think it of sense. And I was kind of out on it in the beginning, but as we've moved closer and gone through these things, as free agency has kind of played out, I just think it makes sense. Now, again, if there's a pass rusher there, whether it be an edge guy

or even if it's a deal with some linemen, if there's a guy they love there, I would prefer to go that way because I do think you can find somebody that can at least fit in your offensive line on the second day. But if those guys aren't there, if there's not a guy that you think can come in and give you double-digit sacks right away, then by all means, sure up the offensive line, get the run game consistent, protect Marcus Mariota. I mean, that just does so many things. I mean, obviously, the run game, you know, if that's good, it's good for everybody.

But it takes heat off of Mariota and opens things up. You know, pass rushes are not as active or as, you know, not relentless, but willing to sell out as much if they're afraid of the run game and all that kind of stuff, too. So, yeah, I mean, I think that pick makes a lot of sense for the Titans. And like I said, I've become more interested in that as we've gone through this and as I've looked at some mock drafts and stuff and just trying to do them. And it just kind of seems like he may be one of the few blue-chip guys that will still be there.

All right, coming up, we'll talk a little bit about Ndamukong Su. Hey, Jimmy. Hey, Terry. Hey, it's great. Just calling to check in on how you guys are doing, how the team's doing. I love what you guys do. This is a great podcast, and I appreciate everything you guys do and taking all the time to do what you do and opening up the fans to us. I just had a quick question. What do you guys think about the Dominican Sioux?

I know you guys are getting questions about him every day, probably. I know, I mean, Adam Strunk and the ownership, they have given big money to spend at John Robinson. It looks like it's off-season with the contracts. And they said that they're going to do whatever it takes to win. They want to get out of that 9-7 range. So I just wanted to give your guys thoughts on Dominick and Sue. I think you can take this deep into line to a whole other level.

I have some flexibility of what you can do in the draft as well. All right, guys. Have a good day. Thank you. Bye-bye. The user guys thought selling Dominic and sue I think you could take this deep into line to a whole nother level Flexibility what you can do it draft as well. All right guys. Have a good day. Thank you. Bye. Bye Yeah, I think there and I think we're done seeing big free agents, you know, but then again, you know I feel like his Titans have kind of proved us wrong They've kind of shedded that that image of not spending on free agents. And Dominick Su is a guy that probably wants to get paid still to this day. He's kind of been a master working to maximize his own career. He's an older guy now. He's not going to cash in on that big four-, five-, six-year deal anymore.

But I just feel like he's going to work the system, get the most out of a one- to two-year deal. But what the Titans have going for him, we know that they were in on him last year. So I think if the price is right, they could certainly become a player for him. And I think they could really use a shot of energy on that defensive line. Something opposite of Jarrell Casey.

It's something that they've neglected for really the better part of the last decade. I feel like Jarrell Casey's career, it hadn't been wasted, but he's been the guy facing all the double teams. He hadn't had much help. So I'd be for it. I think the Titans have shown an aggressive mentality in free agency. Again, I don't know if the price is going to be right here, but if it dips below what he got with the Rams last year,

maybe the Titans are interested. But I still think defensive line is going to be one of the top needs that John Robinson is looking at in the draft. And look, the draft is setting up to really fall into the Titans' lap if they want one of those defensive linemen. A ton of options are going to be on the board at 19. But, you know, if they kind of focus in on offensive line and Garrett Bradbury or Chris Lindstrom, someone like that,

then Dominick and Sue makes a lot of sense as a plug-and-play guy for one or two years. Yeah, I mean, I think you nailed it there. I think he's a guy that is still looking to maximize his earning potential. And at this point, it's one- to two-year deals. Like you said, it's all he's going to get. So I think that he's going to hold out there to see who's going to give him that money he said he wanted to he wants to stay on the west coast i

don't have any idea i mean he may feel that way but if somebody somewhere else i were doing much money i think he would leave now you know like you said they ran on him last year so they were obviously interested at that point i i doubt much has changed as far as him as a player. He's another year older. I think there was some effort concerns last year during the year if he really turned it on for the playoffs. He's still got it in him. I think they're done with the big money

additions at this point. They've got a little bit more than $25 million in cap room left. They've still got a little bit of room to do something if they wanted to do something like that. But you've got considerations down the road as far as salary cap goes with guys.

Are they going to pick up Jack Conklin's option? Do you think he's a guy that's going to return somewhat to form from before? Are you going to have to give him a long-term deal after this year? You've got the quarterback situation. If you think Mario, whatever you think there, they've got some stuff there. So if it was going to be – if they were going to get Sue,

I would assume it would be on a one-year deal, and I think it won't be until after the draft, kind of when you see how those things play out. There's still clearly a need there, but like you're saying, that's by all accounts interior offensive linemen, interior defensive linemen are two of the deepest, you know, strongest, deepest positions in this draft. It's a good year to need those types of guys.

Not a great year to need, you know, skilled positions or any of that stuff. So it sets up well for what the Titans need there. So then it's just a matter of how they feel about him. Do they still want to spend that money? What does he want i mean all those things factor in but um you haven't heard much on him at all which is a little bit strange uh i know it was something that went well into the summer last year so we could be looking at something similar on that this year and i don't think like you said i don't think they're like

completely out on him i think we know if the price got down to a certain point, they would be willing to do it. But I don't think they're willing to step out quite like they were last year, where by all accounts, it was down to them and the Rams and similar type packages. But he liked the Rams better, so he went there. So I doubt they're as interested as last year, but I still think they would be at least interested in having him in for the right price. All right, that'll do it for today's show. Next week, we'll start to look into what the other teams in the division have done in free agency,

kind of break all that down, talk about where they are versus what the Titans have done. So stay tuned for that. Again, if you want to leave us a voicemail to be a part of next week's show, we really appreciate everybody that does that because it really helps us out when things get a little bit slow news-wise. So 615-787-8762 is the number you call. Leave us a minute-long voicemail. And then we'll start to really dig into some of these prospects in the draft

over the next couple of weeks, have our draft guys on, all that kind of stuff to break that down. Again, if you have not subscribed to the podcast, whether it be Apple Podcasts, Google Play, the Himalaya app, whatever it is, please subscribe so that you get the new episodes as soon as they're available. Follow us on Twitter.

I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry's at tlamberttn. And as always, you can play it on your smart speaker. Just say, play podcast Locked on Titans. Thanks so much for listening, and we will talk to you again next week.