Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Suh update, roster moves and a big draft trade

Episode Date: March 20, 2018

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you? Doing well. What's going on? Not too much. Tonight we're going to talk a little bit about some roster moves of Titans of May since the last time we recorded. And then we'll talk about the pursuit of Indomitian Sioux, which we started talking about last week, but we little bit a few more updates on that so we'll kind of break that down and then we'll talk about the trade that the colts made over the weekend um they got a bunch of picks coming up so we'll we'll dive into all that before that uh tell you as always that we write for music city miracles.com uh coming to titans for sb nation so you can you can check us out there uh that's where the most up-to-date information will go and then obviously we were you know hit the podcast at night.

You can follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry is at tlambertfb. Follow our podcast account at LockedOnTitans. Do another Q&A this week. So follow that. We'll send the tweet from there. You reply there.

That's how we'll get your questions on the air. You can subscribe to the podcast, all that stuff, iTunes, Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts. So a lot of places where you can find us all right so since we last recorded the titans released carl klug and sylvester williams uh we'll start with sylvester williams um that was one that you know dating back to when they signed him just never really made a lot of sense the guy that i mean i know you didn't like him coming out um he didn't he was he underachieved with the broncos at least relative to you know where he was drafted all that kind of stuff um you probably didn't think he underachieved because that's kind of what that was going to do but that gave him some money um

you know i guess to play nose but it never really it never really played out that way. So kind of a weird marriage, so to speak, that ended. Not necessarily surprised that it happened, but they had to take a $2.5 million dead money hit against the cap to get rid of him. Still saved money, so it makes sense if he didn't fit what she wanted him to do. But that one just kind of seemed like a mistake from the beginning. Absolutely. I didn't fit what she wanted him to do. But, you know, that one just kind of seemed like a mistake from the beginning. Absolutely. I didn't understand it. Still don't.

They clearly signed him to play nose tackle. He's kind of undersized 6'2 and 3'13 for that spot that's kind of light compared to what you see around the league. Just a guy that's going to kind of penetrate the gap. He's got some quickness off the ball. Not a guy that's going to kind of penetrate the gap. He's got some quickness off the ball. Not a guy that's going to anchor. So I didn't understand it from the beginning, and it turns out, unfortunately, I was right.

But credit to John Robinson for kind of owning up to the mistake and going ahead and releasing him. So, you know, we've talked about nose tackle a little bit. It seems like that's a spot where they want to upgrade. There's obviously the big name out there is Ndamukong Su, and I'm not sure he'd play nose tackle, but I think you've got a guy in Daquan Jones that can handle that responsibility if they wanted to go down that path.

But either way, I'm glad that they are addressing the spot and hopefully they can get an upgrade there yeah so we weren't real real sad to see that one uh carl klugeman was a little bit harder um because you know he's a guy that has has kind of been a fan favorite here um you know just a guy that comes in as an underdog um you know going all the way back to the short arms thing that uh you could see across the internet when he was coming out that was the knock on him and he you know fell in draft because of that uh titans picked him in the fifth round back in 2011 and i didn't realize he'd been with the team that long um until i was looking back and they made the announcement and a guy that again just just kept kind of defying the odds

and staying on the roster. Had a good rookie year, had seven sacks his rookie year. That was his best year, ends his career with 21 and a half sacks. But we kind of all wrote him off when they switched with 3-4 because it didn't seem like he would necessarily fit that defense. But he impressed the coaching staff, stayed around, has been here through multiple the coaching staffs stayed around i mean has been here through multiple different coaching staffs defensive defensive staff he was coordinators

all that kind of stuff has changed a bunch of times while clook was with the team and he kind of kept hanging on so i mean you made the point before we started i mean it seemed like a guy that would step up in big spots and make a big play um So it wasn't even necessarily the volume of plays that he made, but just kind of seemed like a guy that could be counted on to make the big stop when you needed it. So just kind of sad to see him go. A really good guy to have on your bench. A good rotational interior rusher.

I thought he gave the Titans so many years of solid reps in passing downs and passing situations. Not a guy that's going to hold up against the run very well, but a pretty clear and defined role. So getting older, you know, he's been in the league for, what, seven years now? Time flies. But, yeah, just seemed to make the big play when the Titans needed one. You know, you'll never forget uh mike keith yelling klug uh that was kind of his calling card so uh sad to see a

guy like that go uh was just one of the glue guys uh you got some glue guys so uh but again like sylvester williams it seems like the the Titans want to upgrade that defensive line. And it's interesting because the Titans were pretty good against the run. But like I've said for the past couple years, you know, they've been pretty good against the run. But I still think they can get better. So it's cool to see John Robinson kind of, well, we assume he's going to go attack this. But I think you can bump up defensive line on your needs list,

regardless of what happens with Ndamukong Su, as kind of a day two option now for the Titans. Yeah, and, you know, just real quick to the point about them being good against a run, we talked a lot as that's been the case, that part of the reason for that was they were so bad against the pass that teams just threw it against them and didn't have to run it. Now, you know, you upgrade your secondary with Malcolm Butler. So if you've got – if your run defense is actually not that good,

you're going to see it – you know, you're going to see teams try to attack you that way since, you know, presumably your pass defense is going to be better. So good to fill those holes, you know, to kind of see that coming and, you know, go ahead and make these moves so that you're not caught in a year where, you know, you thought you were good, and you were good statistically against the run, but it wasn't necessarily because, you know, you had the guys up front to stop it. It was because teams didn't do it.

So good to kind of see some forethought there and to see where this was going. And obviously, I mean, we all hope that they're clearing room for Indomitian Sioux. I know that this doesn't necessarily mean that that's what's going to happen here. Like you said, it's just kind of the natural roster turnover, seeing guys that don't necessarily fit what you want to do or places you think you can upgrade and moving on. So that's kind of – that's obviously what they're doing here. Now, obviously the elephant in the room, so to speak, is Ndamukong Su.

So coming up, we'll talk a little bit about him, where the pursuit of him stands, and kind of what we think the Titans' chances are. So Ndamukong Su took his first official visit i know that's a college term but um he the first visit that we know that he went on was to the new orleans saints at the end of last week and then he was in nashville to visit with the titans on saturday and then it was reported this morning that he is visiting the rams on tuesday we were talking a little bit bit about that before we jumped on and about how the Saints, they're really tight to get a salary cap.

They've only got like $2 or $3 million in cap room. So it would take some really big maneuvering for them to get a contract done with the Saints. Not that it's impossible, but it would be a bigger task for them. Then somebody like the Titans or then the Rams, when you hear about them jumping into the mix. So, I mean, we talked a little bit about this, but I think the report of the Rams being involved makes me a little bit more

nervous that it might not happen here than I was maybe, you know, this time yesterday. Yeah, I kind of went from 50-50 to about 25% confidence. You know, you just throw a team like the Rams in there who seem like they're just going for it. And they've got the cap space. You know, they're not paying a lot of their young players yet. They've just got to leave on that defense.

You've got Aaron Donald there. The thought of throwing Sue into that mix is horrifying. So they would become instant Super Bowl contenders. Not that they aren't already, but, you know, kind of put them over the top. So the report out there is Sue wants to go win. You know, he wants to go play for a contender. Money's not that big of a deal. I'm not sure I buy the money not being a big deal thing.

But I think he can get probably the best of both worlds with Tennessee or L.A. So he's going to have to determine what's the fit. You know, the Titans have his old defensive line coach here. Maybe that's a factor. But, you know, the thought of playing with Aaron Donald, if I'm in Dominican Sioux, that's probably going to win out, honestly. Yeah, and like you said, it's all well and good to hear that you know the visit with the saints the visit with the titans didn't even talk money he's trying to

gauge fit and all that stuff before he gets to that point and yeah i mean i'm sure that's true but at the same time like you said there's going to come a point where they're going to talk about money and he's not going to play for nothing so that is going to factor into this and again that's just why i think you lean like you said more towards titans or saints who have the cap room to get something like that done so then it just comes down to wherever he feels like it fits better whichever team he thinks is is closer to being able to to get him to a super bowl and you know obviously the the Rams last year, you know, they had a great season. And we saw how good that offense was in person when they came here. And, you know, Todd really ran all of the Titans on the ground and through the air.

So, you know, I think both are attractive organizations for him. And so then it'll just be about where he feels like he fits better. And like you said, hopefully the fact that the titans have his old defensive line coach i mean hopefully that factors in and maybe that's enough to push him over the edge because i would assume at the end of the day the titans and the rams are going to offer him very similar contracts i mean i think you're talking about a one or two year deal but i mean at least a two-year deal but it could be one of those things it's basically a one-year deal he's not i don't think he's going to get a long-term deal but i think you're looking at a short short-term deal um with a lot of money in the in the in the first year probably some

some stuff with incentives tied up in it and then you know again just just go from there but it's going to come down to whichever team he feels like he's is closer to winning the super bowl yeah 31 years old you're not gonna you're not to sign to a five- or six-year deal. It's going to be two or three years. Even if the contract doesn't necessarily say that, that's how it's going to be structured. So you're going to see Sue hit the market probably one more time. But it's worth going for, I think.

On the flip side, I think you saw a potential backup plan emerge onto the market in Jonathan Hankins. The Colts cut him, and that's one of the better interior defensive linemen in the league right now. He was so good with the Giants, and Indy signed him to a big three-year deal last year and just all of a sudden cut him and said he didn't fit their scheme. So Pro Football Focus had him in the top 20 of the interior linemen last year and just all of a sudden cut him and said he didn't fit their scheme so pro football focus had him in the top 20 of the interior lineman last year that's probably a guy that that's going to come in maybe a little bit cheaper that's a guy that that could be a backup plan here uh it might be a little better uh long term yeah and he played at Ohio State. I think he was there when Frabel was there.

He was. So, I mean, we talk about eyes and all that kind of stuff. I mean, they know each other. They may hate each other. I don't have any idea. But there's at least some familiarity there. And so that could be something. Like you said, you kind of go all in on Sue.

And if that doesn't work out, then you've got Hankins to fall back on. And, again, I'm just reminded of the Mario Williams that was a free agent at the same time that Peyton Manning was. Yes, it was. I can't remember. And then all these people were like, oh, the Titans didn't sign Mario Williams because they were only focused on Peyton Manning and blah, blah, blah. Well, teams can do two things at once.

Mario Williams, if you remember that, he went to Buffalo for his first visit and never left. He signed a contract there. And obviously the Titans tried to get Peyton Manning and didn't get him. But I would assume that if the Titans are interested in Hankins, they have had conversations with him or with his agent or whoever and just kind of touching base, here's where we are, and with the understanding of the suit they play now.

I think Hankins may not want to wait on that, but if he does, like Vrabel, if the Titans can offer him more money, whatever, than whoever else, then that would be a thing that they'll be keeping an eye on. And he would be absolutely an upgrade from Sylvester Williams, right? So if they could get something like that done, while we would still be upset about missing out on Sue, you would still say, look, John Robinson upgraded this defense from last season with that deal.

No, it's not the name of Duncan Sioux, but it would be a guy that would come in and make them better. It's exciting. I still think football is won in the trenches. I think a lot of the skill positions are just kind of window dressing. But, man, I think you make your money in the trenches, and I'm so excited to see at at least we think, John Robinson going for it and upgrading that defensive line,

which is something that I've been kind of clamoring for since Jarrell Casey hit his prime. Pairing someone, a dynamic force with Jarrell Casey, freeing him up, getting some double teams off of him, potentially could just do wonders for this defensive front seven. Yeah, so like I said, we'll keep an eye on all of that. And I would assume, I mean, I don't know if Sue's going to take any more of it. I think there was a thing about the Cowboys today that they had reached out

and were interested, but there again, they don't have the cap space either without doing some things to bring him in. And I just don't know if Colts and all that stuff. But hopefully the Rams are the last visit that he takes. And then sometime, maybe Wednesday, Thursday, we'll get an answer on where he's going to play. All right, last thing we're talking about tonight is the trade that Colts made

and kind of who we see as the winner of that deal and how that projects for Colts made and kind of who we see as the winner of that deal and how that projects the Colts going forward. So I think it was Saturday the Colts announced the trade on Twitter that they had traded picks with the

Jets and I'm trying to get this here. So the Colts gave the Jets the third overall pick. In return, the Colts got the sixth overall pick, second-round pick, 37th overall in 2018, second-round pick, 49th overall in 2018, and then a second-round pick in 2019. Now, you know, we know what this is about. This is about the Jets trying to get a quarterback. The Jets, you know, we know what this is about this is about the jets trying to get a

quarterback um the jets you know they they signed taylor ridgewater they signed josh mccown they're going to draft a quarterback overall um so they're going to have a plethora of options there but you know i mean i i think it's everybody's real quick to declare the colts the winner of the trade and you know why right i mean, they've got their quarterback. It's not unlike what the Titans did, you know, two years ago when they traded the first pick. When they had Mariota, they didn't need a quarterback. The Rams wanted Goff, so it makes sense for both sides. A little bit different here, though, for the Jets in that

when you only move to three, then you don't necessarily get your pick of guys. I mean, they're not going to get their pick of guys. There's going to be at least one quarterback going to the top two. If somebody else trades into number two, there could be two quarterbacks that go in the top two. Then you're sitting there looking at the third guy on the list. So, I mean, I don't know. To me, the Colts are the clear winners here. And if nothing else, if the Jets trade up, they get their guy,

then both teams can win this deal. I mean, you know, the Colts got a lot of picks, a lot of high picks that they need because their roster is just, I mean, their roster is really, really bad. And so this will allow them to, obviously, if they select the right guys, allow them to quickly rebuild their roster. So you never want to see a team in your division be able to make this deal. We assume Andrew Luck's coming back. Now they're going to have what, you know, I'm assuming they have their second-round pick as well.

I don't know if they have it, but then you're talking about four picks in the top 49 of this upcoming draft. You know, not really excited to see that because they're going to have a chance to get a lot better quickly. Really what happened was the Jets beat the Bills to the punch. So you've seen the Bills position themselves to go get a quarterback. You've seen them creep up. They got to 12 last week. Now they're sitting at 12 and 23 i believe and and you know

the big rumor is they're they're coming up to three and they're going to trade with the colts and the jets jump jump in and and ruin their plan so i still think the bills are in play to get to two but that price is just going to be astronomical. Considering what the Jets gave up to get from 6 to 3, imagine what it's going to take to get to 12 to 2. So that's going to be really fascinating to play out. It reminds me of when the Eagles came up and got to 2, when the Rams came up and got to 1. A really similar situation.

And honestly, it was the best thing the Colts could have done. Because that roster is absolutely awful. They need everything, literally everything. So you can go from three to six. You're still going to get your pick probably, maybe even a Barkley, possibly still get your pass rusher in Chubb. So it's a no-brainer from the Colts' stance. And then you get three second-round picks for moving back three spots.

So that's just a no-brainer to me. I think Ballard is the real deal up there. Kind of took a John Robinson approach and hasn't really signed too many people, at least in year one, like Robinson did. So I think the Colts are playing the long game here, and I think it's going to pay off for them in the end, assuming Andrew Luck comes back healthy. Yeah, assuming Andrew Luck comes back healthy

and they don't whiff on a couple of those picks. So, yeah, I mean, I'm just telling you, like, this division that was the laughingstock for, you know, a couple years here is about to be really good. Best in football. Yeah. I mean, if the Colts, like I said, if they hit on these picks, if Andrew Luck comes back, the Texans, if Deshaun Watson comes back healthy,

we know what the Jaguars have, the talent they have on defense especially. We assume the Titans, they were good last year. They're going to take another step forward this year. It's a tough division, and it's not going to be mentioned like it has the last few years. And so that's good. It'll make for more interesting games to watch week in and week out. It's not necessarily what you love because it's nice having a cupcake or two on your schedule every year. But, you know, those things, it doesn't ever stay like that for long in the NFL.

I guess besides the Browns. Everybody else goes up, goes down. And so we knew that it wasn't going to be forever, that the division was going to be bad. And granted, part of the reason the division was talked about as being so bad was because the Titans were so bad for a couple years there. So they're changing, and like I said, it's going to be a fun race to watch. You're going to have at least three really good quarterbacks with Mariota and Watson and Luck.

Again, assuming those guys are healthy. So I don't know. You have to wait and see how it all plays out. But like I said, I wasn't thrilled to see that the Colts were able to pull that off. But you kind of knew that somebody was going to do that because it's just like anything else. When you have so many quarterback-needy teams, a team sitting up there that doesn't need a quarterback,

they're in a really great spot. And, again, the Titans benefited from that two years ago. So anything else we need to talk about tonight? Real quick, Titans talked for a long time with John Kelly today at the Tennessee Pro Day. So still you've got Deion Lewis in the fold, you've got Derrick Henry. You're going to need one more. I don't think you're going to see the Titans roll with two running backs

like they did last year. So I still think they're going to be in play for one on day three, but spent a lot of time with John Kelly today in Knoxville. So Kelly's a day three guy, we're assuming? Yeah, top end of day three. Somewhere, anywhere from round four, round five. He's just a small guy, 5'9", high 4'5 speed. But he runs really hard.

So there's some concerns about his size and durability and whether or not he'll be able to hold up in the NFL. But, yeah, one of the better options on day three. Yeah, and I think that's where, like you said, you don't eliminate the need for the Titans to draft a running back because they signed Deion Lewis. You just move it down on the board some. And so, yeah, he seems to be the type of guy that could be a good fit here.

And we'll have more on it. There's pro days going on pretty much all the time this time of year, so we'll have more on that stuff as it becomes available. Good to see John Robinson out there holding a bag today. You know, Vrabel and Robinson like to get out there and mix it up, so that's always kind of fun to watch. Anyway, so we'll be back tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have something on Indomitian Sioux.

Who knows? We'll maybe get some insight on how the Rams visit goes and kind of how the teams are stacking up. So between now and then, check out me to see miracles dot com. We'll have any updated information there. Follow us on Twitter at Jay Morris MCM at T Lambert FB and the podcast account is at Lockdown Titans. So for Terry, this is me saying thanks for listening to Lockdown Titans and we will talk

to you tomorrow.