Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Talking Saffold, Wake; Other FA news

Episode Date: March 13, 2019

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you today? Doing pretty well. What's going on, man? Oh, not too much. We've got a few more signings since we recorded yesterday. It's crazy how fast things have been moving around the league. Free Agency doesn't officially open for another couple of hours. We recorded this about 1 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. But it seems like at least the first wave, and we're halfway into the second wave before free agency officially opens. We'll talk about the guys the Titans have signed, as we talked

yesterday. Before we do that, I remind you, we write for museummiracles.com. We're covering the Titans for SB Nation. You can follow us on Twitter. I'm MattJMorrisMCM. Terry's at TLambertTN. It's a podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts, just search out Locked on Titans. You can also call and leave us a voicemail, 615-787-8762.

Leave us about a minute-long message, your reaction to free agency, questions, anything like that. And we'll try to get one of those shows in later on this week. And then you can also play us on your smart speaker in your house, your car, wherever it is that you have have a smart speaker, just say play podcast Locked on Titans, and you will get us there. All right, so not long after we got done recording yesterday, it was announced that the Titans had signed Roger Saffold, the guard from the Rams. We knew the Titans needed to upgrade their interior offensive line. There hadn't been a whole lot of movement on that front about this time yesterday, but then later on it came out that they were bringing in Saffold.

And look, I mean, it's good. You assume this means that Quentin Spain will not be back here. No real huge surprise there. Saffold is an upgrade over Quentin Spain. So, I mean, I think they have upgraded the line, the interior line, but I think there's still more that needs to be done because in my opinion they need to replace Josh Klein

as well but right now it doesn't look like they're necessarily looking to do that no they love Josh Klein and that's something that we've said for months now it's just really apparent that he's going to be on this roster

and in this starting lineup. So I think you can – I know you said Titans need to replace him, but I think you can probably take it to the bank that he's probably going to be on this roster and in this starting lineup. So I think where it gets interesting is Ben Jones, the center, you know, you could afford to upgrade there. You know, we've talked about some options afford to upgrade there. We've talked about some options in the draft there.

Garrett Bradbury is a popular name among Titans fans. If you want to really max out the offensive line, I wouldn't scoff at that. But on to Saffold, I think it's a big upgrade there. I know we like Quentin Spain as a young kind of cheap player, but Saffold is a guy that really excels in the run game. It seems like that's what the Titans are going to do here with Derrick Henry.

Move some bodies for Todd Gurley out in LA. Was Pro Football Focus's fourth rated run blocker as a guard out of 88 total qualifiers there. So no question about it. The guy can get after it in the run game. That's what the Titans are going to utilize him.

I expect to see a ton of runs for Derrick Henry towards that left side. LaJuan and Saffold, that's a pretty dangerous duo there. So, once again, you know, the league's kind of going with speed and passing. Titans seem to be loading up for the run game. So, on the one hand, that's really exciting. On the other, you wish they'd put a little more into this passing game. But I think this running game is going to be pretty awesome this year. Yeah, I mean, clearly they are counting on Derrick Henry game but uh i think this running game is going to be pretty awesome this year yeah i mean clearly

they are counting on derrick henry to replicate the performance that he had at the end of the year last year um you know and i don't think you know i don't think it was a fluke i think he just kind of figured some things out so i mean i think you can count on him i don't think he's gonna run for 200 yards a game or anything like that but i think you can count on him. I don't think he's going to rush for 200 yards a game or anything like that. But I think you can count on him being a productive guy, whereas there were definitely points even, you know, in what late October, early November last year, where we were wondering if he would ever even be able to be a productive running back. So you've got that with him.

Like you said, they're obviously bulking up the offensive line to move guys in front of him. You know, the outside zone stuff, that was what the Rams did. So now you bring Saffold here. Assuming that they're going to keep the concept similar to what they were doing under Matt LaFleur. Saffold comes from Sean

McVay, so he should have an understanding of the offense and how all that works. So he should be able to get acclimated pretty quickly. But yeah, at this point, I really didn't think that both Ben Jones and Josh Klein would be on this team when the 2019 season started. I guess it's still possible that they wouldn't be. But, I mean, you've got a lot of money in those two guys.

Ben Jones has a $5.3 million cap number this year. Josh Klein's at $6.7 million. I mean, they save quite a bit of money if they cut Ben Jones. I'm not sure they necessarily need to do that. But you save like $4.5 million against the cap if you cut him, where you only save about $3.2 if you cut Josh Klein. We saw last year the one game where they shuffled the offensive line when everybody was healthy. They sat Spain down. And they moved Jones to guard, brought in Corey Levin to play center.

They, I guess, viewed Spain as the problem. Now, I'm no expert on offensive line play, but if you look at things like pro football focus, Spain was better than Klein. Spain wasn't necessarily great, but he was better than Klein. This team loves Klein.

They brought him back because he was supposed to be a better fit for the new offense gave a bunch of money last year when it didn't really seem that they absolutely had to do that um I don't know I mean I'd still be a little bit surprised if we go into if they draft a guy early and then you're off into a lot of early draft meaning like in the first three rounds there's no way they can carry both Jones and Klein with an early draft pick, right? Yeah, I think so. I think where it comes down to on Spain versus Klein, I think Klein can move better.

I think he's a better athlete. So while PFF grades may differ, Klein's the guy that can move, get to the second level, and seal some things off and make things happen in the run game. That's my best guess there. And that's also my best guess on why I think they'd be in on a guy like Garrett Bradbury. Even with this huge staff hole deal, even with Ben Jones still on the roster, you take that guy there, you maximize this offensive line, man, you're going to move some bodies.

I mean, this run game would really pop. you take that guy there, you maximize this offensive line, man, you're going to move some bodies. I mean, this run game would really pop. I think Derrick Henry would challenge for the NFL rushing crown. So I think that would be really exciting. And, you know, more so just maximizing this offensive line for Marcus Mariota. I mean, how many times did he take shots last year? And part of that's on him. You know, we talked about him holding onto the ball for too long.

Plenty of people talked about that. But maximizing this and building off of play action, that's exciting. Don't know, again, like you were saying, I don't know what the final combination is going to be, but Saffold in the mix is a huge upgrade. You know, we'll see if Ben Jones gets moved. I don't know. I guess Ben Jones and Josh Klein are going to be on the roster at this point. you know we'll see we'll see if if if ben jones gets moved i don't know i i i guess ben jones and

josh klein are going to be at the on the roster at this point i just think we would have already seen that don't you yeah i mean it would have made sense for them to be cut you know in this these weeks leading up to the beginning of free agency and they haven't been so yeah i mean i just it just seems and maybe they won't draft anybody high i mean that's certainly a possibility that there's there are the places they could go so you could have both of those guys. So I don't know. That'll be something interesting to watch. All right, coming up, we will get to the upgrade that the Titans made

in the edge rusher department. All right, so later last night it was reported that the Titans were signing Cameron Wake. Such an interesting dude. You know, he's 37 years old, which is, you know, obviously not young for a football player, an Ed Rusher, however you want to say it, but a guy that's still been productive. You know, when it came out, it was a three-year deal, but the structure was announced kind of right before we went on here today,

and it's basically a one-year deal. I mean, all the guaranteed monies in the first year, small cap hits, you know, if they cut in, basically option years after this first year. So, obviously, they needed to get depth there. They needed some experience there because you've got some guys, Harold Landry, Sharif Finch, Kamalei Correa, guys that, I mean, I think they like and, you know, showed flashes last year, but all really young guys. So you needed some experience in that room with Arakpo retiring,

Derek Morgan being a free agent. I think we can safely assume at this point that he won't be back here. So you get the experience there. That's good. A guy that's still been productive. So, I mean, I think all that is good. This helps them fit a need, but I don't think it precludes them from taking an edge rusher at 19 if they're the guy that they like because you're still looking down the road a little bit. If you don't take one this year, you're going to be right back needing one next year.

Cameron Wake, like I said, he's still improductive, but I don't think you count on him into his 38 39 year old years so I mean I think this means they don't have to reach for an edge rusher at 19 but I don't think it takes them out of the discussion for taking a guy if there's one there that they like absolutely you're not going to pass on your top rated edge rusher if he's there because you signed Cameron Wake yeah, I do think it builds in flexibility. Like you said, it doesn't lock them into anything, and we've seen John Robinson do this in the past, at least with most of his positions heading into the draft. So I like the deal.

You know, I hinted at it yesterday. We talked about it yesterday, and it happened. Good to go. Won for at least about 100, you know, so far. So that's good. But getting a veteran in the room, we need to talk about what this is going to do for Landry and Finch and Correa. I mean, Wake's going to share some secrets there and help these guys along and serve as a mentor here,

help them refine their game. I don't think he's going to be a full-time player, but he's going to be productive. 27 and a half sacks over the past three years. I know he's 37 years old, but the numbers still match up there. Only six sacks last season, but I think the Titans are going to ask him to do less and kind of rotate in. So I'm excited.

I think it's exactly what the Titans need. Glad they didn't pay in this first wave of these edge rushers. It was just crazy numbers. So they didn't get locked into anything. They can attack it in the draft if they want, but they certainly do not have to. Yeah, if you're just looking at production, I mean, this is a much better deal than, you know,

a couple of the other guys' guys, Zedarius Smith, you know. I mean, when you look at the numbers that Wake's put up, and like you said, he's going to be a special packages player. He's not going to be out there every down. But, like, experience, knowing how to get up a quarterback, all that type of stuff, that's obviously something that they need in that room. And, again, you've got a guy that can come in. He did just have six sacks last year, but he had 17 quarterback hits.

So, I mean, still a productive guy that can at least make a quarterback uncomfortable, which is obviously what they're trying to do. And, I mean, I think he's an upgrade over Derek Morgan and probably even Brian Arakpo. You just saw he didn't have it last year. It was time for him to move on. So another good deal here, the one that doesn't break the bank and at least gives them a Band-Aid for this year, and hopefully they bring in a guy, he can help tutor that guy,

and then that edge group can be really strong heading into this season and into 2020. The other move the Titans made later on last night, re-signed Kevin Panfield to a one-year deal. He's kind of a forgotten guy this year because he got hurt early on. But he came in, and last year when they signed him, he was supposed to be a guy that came in and competed with Quentin Spain for that guard spot, and that's what everybody kind of assumed it was going to be. Spain, Pam Field, and Suofilo, they came in and, you know,

fought for that spot. That was never the case. Spain was the guy there from the beginning. But Pam Field was forced to play tackle, you know, the week where everybody was hurt. Where, you know, you had Dennis Kelly out with the illness. You had Jack Conklin still recovering from the ACL injury, Taylor LeJuan had a concussion. So you had a lot of stuff going on early in the season.

Panfield filled in, played well, ended up getting hurt, I think, what, week three or four, and missing the rest of the season. But a guy that was good for them, a good rotational piece, a guy that can play guard or tackle in a pinch. So you can never have enough of those guys as your backup offensive lineman. for them, a good rotational piece, a guy that can play guard or tackle in a pinch. So you can never have enough of those guys as your backup offensive lineman. Yeah, we talked a lot about Dennis Kelly and his worth to this team. Penfield is probably the next guy in line, would probably take over for a guard if they were to go down.

So you can't have enough competitive depth. I think the Titans did a good job adding him back here. It was going to be an important piece last year, unfortunately, got hurt, like you said. So good to see him back. Again, we don't know if Titans are going to be done on the offensive line, but I think you can pretty much lock in Kelly and Pam Field as your sixth and seventh offensive linemen.

Yeah, and, you know, just versatility there. And you can maybe not have to carry as many guys there as you would if you didn't have guys that could play both spots. So, you know, good to have him back. Anytime you can have those types of guys, the guys that they're familiar with and all that stuff. All right, so that's pretty much what the Titans have done since yesterday. Again, recording this at, you know, this at 1.30 on Wednesday afternoon.

We'll see if anything happens when the new year opens around 3 o'clock central. All right, to finish up the show today, we'll talk about some moves that have been made around the league since we recorded yesterday. Obviously, the biggest thing that happened kind of overnight was Odell Beckham being traded to the Browns. You have to really like what the Browns have done. They gave up a first and a third, and I think Jabril Peppers,

to get Odell Beckham. It's really hard to understand what the Giants are trying to do. They gave Odell Beckham a new contract, and they traded him. They've got like $16 million in dead money against their cap for Beckham this year. So it doesn't make a whole lot of sense there. But, man, the Browns, don't look now, but on paper, they've got one of the most dynamic, scary offenses. When you look at Baker Mayfield, who had a really, really good first year,

you've got Nick Cho's running back, you've got Kareem Hunt. I mean, to some extent, I don't know what his suspension will look like, but they've signed him. You've got Jarvis Landry. You've got Odell Beckham now. You've got Davidareem Hunt. I mean, to some extent, I don't know what his suspension will look like, but they've signed him. You've got Jarvis Landry. You've got Odell Beckham now. You've got David Njoku. So, you know, they've done a lot. For a while there, they were kind of stockpiling draft picks.

They've done a good job of turning those into productive players. They're good on defense as well. So, you know, I really like that deal for them. First and third, it's kind of a lot to give up for a guy, but they're at the point now where, you know, there could be a player or two away from adding to their young core to, you know, being in that window to make a run with a young quarterback. And so I think this is a great deal for them.

So interesting there because Sashi Brown, you know, got all those picks and then he gets fired before he gets to use them. But, you know, John Dorsey has come in and made great move after great move building this roster into now. I mean, we could legitimately say that they could be a top five offense next year with the way Baker Mayfield plays. So, yeah, I mean, they're terrifying. They've gone from, you know, wild card team to potential favorite in the north

with all this Antonio Brown stuff with the Steelers and all that. I think you're going to hear a lot out of the Browns over the next five years because they're in that window now. We always talk about the window with the quarterback before you have to pay him. Baker's in his second year, and they're already maximizing this roster out around him. It's a strange time. Cleveland's suddenly becoming a destination for free agents

with that roster that they've got. Everyone's going to want to go play with Baker over these next four or five seasons. So weird time, but it's a great, great move for Cleveland. Again, no idea what the Giants are doing. They're hitching their wagon to 38-year-old Eli Manning. Poor Saquon's going to get 35 touches a game, and they're going to run him into the ground. So no idea what Gettleman's doing up there.

But from a Browns perspective, this is really awesome. Yeah, and then other big moves that have happened, just right before we started recording, Tyrell Williams is signed with the Raiders. I haven't seen the terms of that deal yet, but that's the guy that was, by most accounts, the best receiver in this free agency class. I don't know how much money he's going to get, but I'm sure it'll be pretty substantial. So you've got that. You've got Le'Veon Bell agreeing to terms with the Jets.

It became obvious as the day went on yesterday that it was pretty much the Jets are bust. I think he was trying to drum up some other interest, but it just wasn't happening. And it was kind of reported that the Jets had given him a deadline. So, you know, I mean, listen, Le'Veon Bell's a really good player. They gave him a bunch of money, but the Jets have cap room. You've got a young quarterback up there. Give him another weapon. That's kind of a good thing.

You know, with Tyrell to the Raiders, you just kind of wonder. Now you've got Antonio Brown. You've got Tyrell Williams. Derek Carr's the quarterback. I just don't know. We'll see. Maybe they're going to draft one. Who knows?

But, you know, the Raiders have obviously done a pretty good job of stockpiling weapons. But it'll be interesting to see if they've got enough in Derek Carr to be able to take advantage of that. I think the Le'Veon thing is really interesting because he gave up 14 and a half million to sit out last year. And now he signs on for what? 12 million a year. So I think he,

he figured out firsthand how the NFL is kind of devaluing the running backs these days. He probably lost out on $14 million, quite honestly, because you know Pittsburgh wanted to keep him around. They probably offered him a similar type deal at some point in time when they were tagging him each year. So I really think he botched this process and just handed back $14 million and didn't get to play a year of his prime.

But, you know, like you said, it's a good weapon for Sam Darnold up there. It's still – I don't know about it, though. It's still the Jets. I still haven't seen quite enough out of Darnold to say they're going to take the next step. But, yeah, Tyrell Williams, you know, that was your boy. I guess the Raiders are going to pay him a lot of money. You know, that was kind of the rumor that Tyrell was going to get paid. I'm not sure where they're coming up with all this money, you know,

with all these reports out there that they're cash-strapped. But that's going to be a fun offense if Derek Carr can figure it out, but that's still a huge question mark for me. Yeah, and the last thing that happened yesterday as well, Dee Ford getting traded to the 49ers. The most interesting part about this is that they gave up a 20-20 second-round pick to get him. I thought it was kind of weird.

You don't generally see players like that being traded for future years' picks. I don't know. I haven't seen anything if they're going to give him a contract. I'm assuming that would be part of the deal because, you know, the Chiefs had given him the franchise tag. But, I mean, you know, we talked about it obviously a little bit scary with just the one-year production. But depending on the money, I mean, giving up a future second-round pick,

I mean, you don't hate that deal for the 49ers. No, really interesting. It's a 20-20-20. Just kind of odd. You know, you don't see guys that are racking up 13 sacks a year get dealt, especially for the Chiefs who are going to lose Justin Houston and now Dee Ford. So that defense was already bad. Now you're just kind of adding to your problems there.

So I wonder what the Chiefs are doing there. Maybe they know something we don't. Yeah, it does make you think that because it's a guy that they've had, and like you said, they've already lost their other pass rusher. So it does kind of make you wonder there. But anyway, I think that's definitely an interesting move for the 49ers. All right, so I'll do it for today. Like I said, 1.30 on Wednesday.

Free agency officially opens in a few hours, so we'll see a lot of these deals become official as the day goes on today. I'd be interested to see what the titans do the one one more thing we need to mention tyrod taylor going to the chargers uh just real quick i mean that's a guy that we had both kind of pegged as a guy that would be a good guy a good player to come in here and back up mariotta kind of weird that he picked the chargers but he's off the market that that market is dwindling you're down to what fit Fitzpatrick. I've heard Sam Bradford talk, which, I mean, I guess is an upgrade

over Blaine Gabbert. But that market that was kind of – you had quite a few guys there. It's starting to really whittle down. At Ryan Tannehill, too. Ryan Tannehill, yeah. You're hearing he could be a backup for the Jets, which seems odd to me. I think he's a little better than a backup, maybe a low-end starter. But Titans are going to have to pay for one of those guys.

That's one market where you can't afford to wait because the boat will leave you. We kind of saw that happen last year. We were cool with Blaine Gabbert, but after what he showed last season, I don't want to go down that road again. Yeah, and you can count on at least one or two games. You're going to need that backup. So they need to get something done there. All right, that'll do it for today.

Like I said, we'll be monitoring everything, musicmiracles.com, if anything happens between now and then. You'll see a post there, so follow that. Follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry's at tlamberttn. So thanks for listening to this episode of Locked on Titans, and we'll talk to you again later.