Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Calvin Ridley Contract GETS BETTER, Will Levis Commanding Offense & Will Sweat Return?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Calvin Ridley's contract with the Tennessee Titans was an absolute steal and it keeps getting better every day. I'll explain on today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Starting point is 00:00:38 Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 with any winning $5 bet. Visit fanduel.com slash locked on to get started. We have a lot to discuss as the Tennessee Titans kick off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Number one, Calvin Ridley's deal keeps getting better and better, and he is matching the expectations on the field. Also, we'll look at JC Latham and Will Levis,

Starting point is 00:01:12 who should be dominating during minicamp. And we'll talk about defense, where the Titans need to get a couple of these guys back on the field. Before we dive into all of that, I do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round,

Starting point is 00:01:32 always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. And speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. Going to have a great week of shows for you

Starting point is 00:01:47 with mandatory minicamp going from Tuesday through Thursday. I'm going to be breaking it down every single day, so don't miss any of that. Again, get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network.

Starting point is 00:02:02 But the Calvin Ridley deal was an absolute steal when the Titans signed him to it back in free agency. That was my initial takeaway. But one thing I told you all who were listening back then when it happened is this deal is going to get better and better and better because of the amount of wide receivers who are going to sign contracts afterwards.

Starting point is 00:02:23 And we saw probably what will be the biggest wide receiver contract we get this offseason. It's the biggest wide receiver contract in NFL history. It is the biggest non-quarterback contract in NFL history. And that was Justin Jefferson with the Minnesota Vikings. Signed a deal paying him $35 million a year. Over $100 million in guaranteed money. A monster deal for a guy like Justin Jefferson

Starting point is 00:02:54 who absolutely deserves that money and deserves the contract. No doubt about it. But, again, think about this in terms of the Calvin Ridley deal. Calvin Ridley is one of the best 15 wide receivers in the league, and he's getting paid $12 million less a year than Justin Jefferson. And again, look at all the other deals that have been signed between Calvin Ridley and this Justin Jefferson deal. Jefferson, $35 million.

Starting point is 00:03:25 A.J. Brown got a new deal for $32 million. Amon Ross, St. Brown got $30 million. Jalen Waddell, $28 million a year. Devontae Smith, $25 million. Nico Collins, $24 million. All those guys jumped over. Well, A.J. was already over, but all those guys jumped. Calvin Ridley's deal, pushing his down the list. He was top 10 when the deal came out in terms of his average annual salary

Starting point is 00:03:52 that he gets every year. And there's still going to be Jamar Chase, Tee Higgins, Brandon Ayuk, CeeDee Lamb. Word is that Tyreek Hill is about to get a new re-up on his deal. He's already making, you know, $30 million. He wants more than that because Tyreek Hill is saying, hey, look, I need to be getting paid more than A.J. Brown. I need to be getting paid around the same as Justin Jefferson. And I totally understand where he's coming from.

Starting point is 00:04:19 If I was him, I would fight for that too. And he's probably going to get it soon. So you start to look and the Calvin Ridley deal at $23 million a year, $50 million guaranteed, like what an absolute bargain. And I know people are thinking in their head, well, these players are better than Calvin Ridley. Well, hold on here. Devontae Smith, Jalen Waddell, Nico Collins, Michael Pittman Jr., Tee Higgins.

Starting point is 00:04:45 Are these people absolutely guaranteed for sure better than Calvin Ridley? I'm not 100% positive about that. Think last year, Calvin Ridley and a Jacksonville Jaguars offense that was misusing Calvin Ridley, that had its ups and downs. We all have been clowning on Jacksonville for months. Why? Because the offense didn't come together. Everybody's uncertain about Trevor Lawrence. Their offensive line is still in shambles a little bit. Like it was not the best version of that offense based on the talent that they had in Jacksonville. So in a down year for that

Starting point is 00:05:21 offense, which was still a good year compared to what the Titans were doing, of course. You know, let's keep perspective here. But the point is that Calvin Ridley could have done even better. And he still had 76 catches, 1,016 yards, eight touchdowns. And that's coming off of, like Calvin Ridley has said himself, basically missing two years of football. And he still was a thousand yard000-yard receiver with over 75 catches with eight touchdowns in a down year for Jacksonville's offense

Starting point is 00:05:51 coming off a two-year gap where he wasn't playing football. He even said so far this offseason that last year was almost like another rookie year for him because he had been out of the game so long. So my point here is that Calvin Ridley is still a 1,000-yard receiver in a down year for his team and for himself and has the potential to be even better this year. And you got him for $23 million a year. He is the 13th highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. And again, as I said, Jamar Chase

Starting point is 00:06:28 is getting a deal soon. Tee Higgins might get his deal soon. Iuke needs to get a deal soon. CeeDee Lamb needs to get a deal soon. Tyreek Hill is going to get paid again soon. And that's going to push Calvin Ridley down even further. He's going to be 16th, 17th, 18th highest paid wide receiver according to average annual value in the entire NFL. And we're talking about a guy who could go for 1,200 yards and 80 catches next year. Rancart Dawn absolutely cooked. And to get

Starting point is 00:06:59 that deal done where they were at knowing what would happen next, knowing that all of these wide receivers still had to get paid. I mentioned this when the Calvin Ridley deal happened back in free agency, and now it's playing out exactly how you thought it would, and the Ridley deal just looks better and better every day. And not only that, but Calvin Ridley is living up to the expectation on the field. Brian Callahan even said last week, Calvin Ridley is everything that we expected him to be and more. He looks explosive out on the field.

Starting point is 00:07:31 He's been there every single day for the OTAs, getting acquainted with not only the offense, but his teammates, his coaches, and most importantly, Will Levis. I made the opinion last week that Calvin Ridley needs to be wide receiver one for the Tennessee Titans. He needs to be their top wide receiver. Calvin Ridley needs to be wide receiver one for the Tennessee Titans. He needs to be their top wide receiver. He's being paid to be.

Starting point is 00:07:49 And everything that we have heard so far indicates that he is doing exactly that. Now, it's early. It's early in the process. But we're getting ready to roll into mandatory minicamp tomorrow or Tuesday. And we're getting ready to go into training camp at the end of July. And Calvin Ridley has already come out of the gate doing exactly what he needs to do. And that is a great sign.

Starting point is 00:08:11 That's absolutely a great sign. So speaking of mandatory minicamp, I'm going to talk about the offensive side of the ball, why we need to see greatness out of Will Levis here based on how far he is into the playbook and I'll break that down for you guys. Answer some other questions about every position on offense and I'll tell you why the defense

Starting point is 00:08:31 needs to see these four players back out on the field during mandatory minicamps. We've got a lot to discuss on today's show. Before we get into it, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by game time game time is the best place to buy tickets and hey it's time for the NBA finals are you excited for the NBA finals how cool would it be to go to a game if you're going to do it you need to buy the tickets on game time prices on game time actually go down the closer you get to tip-off.

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Starting point is 00:09:51 Lowest price. Guaranteed. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about the Calvin Ridley deal and how it gets better and better every day and might get even better by the time we get to the NFL season. Now it's time to dive into mandatory minicamp. We have our first mandatory team activity of the season, of the offseason, whatever you want to call it. I mean, once training camp gets here, it's time to just call it the season.

Starting point is 00:10:36 We're not even in the offseason anymore, right? We're in June, baby. Football is right around the corner. Oh, I can feel it. I can smell it. I'm so excited. I'm sure you guys are as well. So let's talk about the offensive side

Starting point is 00:10:48 of the ball and what I'm watching for in the mandatory minicamp. Before we do, thanks again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen. Another reminder, I'm going to be breaking down mandatory minicamp practices for the next three days here on the show. Make sure you do not miss a single

Starting point is 00:11:03 one. It's your team every day here on the Locked On Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. But, Will Levis. Will Levis needs to dominate. I want to see a step up from Will Levis in this mandatory minicamp with everybody available. Look,

Starting point is 00:11:21 we heard something very important from Brian Callahan last week, and it kind of, I think it kind of skated by a lot of people. It even skated by me at first and I went back and I listened again like I usually do to most press conferences. Brian Callahan even said the offense is installed. Like he said at this point it's all about recall. They installed the early down offense. They installed third down and red zone. Now it's all about recall. They installed the early down offense. They installed third down and red zone. Now it's all about what can you remember?

Starting point is 00:11:48 What can you recall? What can you process? All right, everything has been given to the players at this point. So what's it going to look like out there? Well, I want to see Levis slicing and dicing them. One thing about Will Levis that was a big draw for him as a player and as a prospect coming out of college was his intelligence, his ability to absorb and digest an offense.

Starting point is 00:12:13 And, you know, we looked at 2021 Kentucky with Liam Cohen as the offensive coordinator, and you were like, okay, he has the ability to process an NFL-level playbook. Well, let's see it. It's a new playbook, new scheme, new system, new calls, new everything. How quickly can Will Levis pick all that up? How quickly can he recall on the field in real time, get everybody set in the right positions,

Starting point is 00:12:35 know exactly where to go with the ball based on what the coverage is telling him, reading his keys. How quickly can he do all that? I want to see Will Levis come out and dominate. That's what I want to see. So hopefully we see that. And a big part of that is that connection to Calvin Ridley. I want to see Ridley and Levis together being unstoppable. That's what I want to see, especially without the pads on Calvin Ridley speed. He should be absolutely cooking out there. Also, while we're talking wide receivers is DeAndre Hopkins going to be back on

Starting point is 00:13:06 the field? I talked about it yesterday. A lot of you guys get so mad when I talk about some of these rumors and some of these things. Like, I don't know what to tell you. If everybody's discussing it, then it's time to discuss it. And I'm going to tell you, hey, we're hearing this rumor, but it's absolute nonsense. And I don't know, people get mad at me about that sometimes, but it is what it is. So I want to see DeAndre Hopkins back, not because I'm worried about him within the offense or the rumors that we talked about

Starting point is 00:13:32 yesterday, but just because I want the nonsense to stop. Let's just stop talking about this. So DeAndre Hopkins shows up for mandatory minicamp, and all that stuff gets put to bed. Okay? And that's exactly what I want. So, anyways. Moving forward with wide receiver though, who is going to emerge? Which one of these young guys is really going to put their stamp on things?

Starting point is 00:13:55 Burks, will the hype train keep rolling? Kyle Phillips, he's fighting for his life out there. He is fighting for his roster life. Okay. Can he step up? Can he show the coaches that he can punt return again? That's what I'm looking for. And speaking of punt return, Jaquan Jackson, the rookie out of Tulane,

Starting point is 00:14:12 is he going to make a mark for himself? We saw a video put out by the Titans social media team where Jaquan Jackson made a nice catch from Will Levis on the sideline on an out route. Can he step up and prove that he's going to be a vital part of this offense and more than just a punt return or kick return specialist type guy. That is going to be interesting to follow. Running back. At running back, who is going to be RB3?

Starting point is 00:14:36 RB1, RB2, set in stone. We're not playing any games here. It's Tajay Spears. It's Tony Pollard. We all know it. They're going to be interchangeable. They're going to do everything that the other one does. And I absolutely love that balance by the offense. Last year, I talked about the predictability of having Derrick Henry in the backfield. And while Derrick Henry definitely had his pluses as a player, they were obvious. The size, the speed, the game-breaking ability, which I think has taken a little bit of a backseat in the last few years, his ability to break the big one. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:15:06 But, of course, the offensive line was a detriment. That's a conversation for a different day. But outside of those top two, Julius Chestnut. I'm not very high on Julius Chestnut. Hassan Haskins. Hassan Haskins is not a running back. He's a special teams-only player. So if they keep him, it'll be his RB4,

Starting point is 00:15:24 and he should never have the ball in his hands. Maybe a little pass pro if you need him, but no, no, no, no, no. The undrafted free agents. Dylan Johnson from Washington. Jabari Small from Tennessee. I know a lot of Vols fans out there. Very high on Jabari Small, so I'm very interested in who can kind of separate themselves in that RB3 situation. And we've seen Julius Chestnut and Hassan Haskins do some kick return stuff. Can Dylan Johnson, can Jabari Small, can they do any kick return stuff?

Starting point is 00:15:54 If you're going to be a non-starter or a non-primary role player, like, you know, Tajay Spears, starter, Tony Pollard, they're both primary players within the offense. If you're not going to be that, then you better have value on special teams. You absolutely must add value on special teams. So with the way that the Jets coaching staff said the other day, there might be 100 kickoff returns per team this year.

Starting point is 00:16:21 That's a lot. Well, if you could show that you could do a little bit of that, that is how you secure a roster spot as an undrafted free agent or as a roster bubble guy. That is what you're looking for. Okay? So who will emerge as RB3? That is a good question.

Starting point is 00:16:38 And then for me, if I had to pick, I'm going with Dylan Johnson. I like the power that he brings, the varying skill set compared to the top two guys, but we'll see how it plays out. And then tight end. I talked about it last week. My everyday is remember, I think there is a chance that Josh Wiley could start over Chigaconquo. He fits the mold of what Brian Callahan's offense has typically used better than Chigaconquo. And when you're in three wide receiver sets, more often than not, like the Titans are going to be,

Starting point is 00:17:09 you have to have a tight end that can block. And we just know that that's not Chigaconquo. I don't think that Chigaconquo will have a down year per se, but I just think when you're out there with three, when you have two tight ends out there and you have a Trevon Wesco, yeah, you can have Chig out there with three, when you have two tight ends out there and you have a Trevon Wesco, yeah, you can have Chig out there. But in a first down, game neutral situation,

Starting point is 00:17:32 you might need somebody who's a better blocker than Chigaconko out there consistently with his hand in the dirt next to the offensive tackle. And I think Josh Wiley, Nick Vanette is an older guy. He can block.

Starting point is 00:17:43 He's not an absolute zero in the passing game, but Josh Wiley is kind of the in-between, and especially if he's put on weight like the coaching staff has said. And then finally, the O-line. Who's playing on that right-hand side? Will Nicholas Petit-Ferrer and Jalen Duncan be back out there? They need to be because if not, Leroy Watson, Leroy Watson, is coming for that right tackle spot.

Starting point is 00:18:07 And Sadiq Charles at right guard, Brunskill, Dylan Radins. There's so much going on out there. Again, I've said, I think the NPF and Radins would be the best combination, but if NPF isn't healthy and he gets passed up by someone who's out there putting in work. And then Sadiq Charles, much more of a power player than Dylan Radins and Daniel Brunskill. Brunskill especially. Radins looks bigger. I think that Brunskill is going to get faded out here. And we'll talk later about some potential cut candidates for the Titans during training camp.

Starting point is 00:18:38 And I think Brunskill would probably be on the top of that list. I had him as a cut candidate earlier in the offseason. He survived it. He's still on the team. But they could say some change there a cut candidate earlier in the offseason. He survived it. He's still on the team, but they could say some change there. But that's a conversation for a different day. Now, it's time to talk about defense where four starters need to be back out on the field

Starting point is 00:18:55 for the Titans. I'll tell you who they are. Before we get into it, though, I do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Look, it's winner take all time in the NBA and the NHL, and FanDuel is giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet.

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Starting point is 00:20:03 Either way, make sure you visit FanDuel.com and make every playoff shot count. FanDuel, America's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. I am so fired up for Tennessee Titans minicamp. Can't wait to break it down the next three days. Again, make sure that you are here every single day. So you are fully caught up on everything that happened at Tennessee Titans minicamp. But with that being

Starting point is 00:20:51 said, before we move into the defensive preview, do you want to let you know that Locked On has launched the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel. It's on YouTube and now it's also available on Amazon Fire TV and the free Fire TV channels app. It's called Locked On Sports Today. It's here for you 24-7, covering the top sports stories of the day with local experts like me from Locked On Titans. You also get coverage of every league with our national shows like Locked On NFL, Locked On NBA, Locked On NHL, all that. Make sure that you find Locked On Sports Today.

Starting point is 00:21:24 Now available on the free Fire TV channels app and, of course, here on YouTube. But looking at defense, for me, it's all about getting players back on the field to finally play together. All right, throughout the voluntary, voluntary OTAs, we have not seen Jeffrey Simmons.

Starting point is 00:21:44 Not there. Harold Landry, not there. LeJarius Sneed has been in the building. He's been present, but he hasn't been out on the field. Tavondre Sweat. I spent a lot of time talking about it, but Tavondre Sweat missed the back half of OTAs two weeks ago. Wasn't out there for OTAs during the media portion this week.

Starting point is 00:22:06 Is Tavondre Sweat so banged up that he's missing multiple weeks of key offseason workouts? Jeffrey Simmons is a two-time All-Pro. LeJarius Sneed is one of the top five cornerbacks in the NFL. Harold Landry is a guy who's been very, very, very consistent year in and year out, other than the year that he tore his ACL. And last year after the bye, he was fantastic. So I'm not worried about those veteran players who have proven that they can

Starting point is 00:22:36 take care of themselves. But I am worried about a second round rookie with conditioning issues, weight issues, who still hasn't signed his contract, who's expected to be a starter right away from day one, and a major contributor. Your second round pick should be a major contributor. I am worried about him missing two weeks of OTAs and then a mandatory minicamp,

Starting point is 00:23:03 and then having a long break until, again, there's another OTA next week from the 10th through the 13th, but a lot of the time, coaches will cancel that as a show of goodwill to the players. So if Sweat misses the last three weeks

Starting point is 00:23:22 of off-season workouts with the team and mandatory minicamp, and then has to just go on his own for six weeks to his own devices and then show up for training camp. This is just already off to a frustrating start, in my opinion. So we need to see those four players back out on the field. Look, if Steed isn't out there because they're managing the knee, sure. But I would hope before training camp,

Starting point is 00:23:49 we got one week of practices with the actual defense. The two best players on the defense from last year. Like, I just want to see that. Okay, they need to build the continuity. And more than anything, the chemistry of just being teammates. These are new coaches. These are new systems. All of that stuff. So that is my number one thing.

Starting point is 00:24:12 But also, Rashad Weaver, Elijah Moulton, two guys who they're at the crossroads. Alright, I won't sing anymore, I promise. But I'm just saying, with a new coaching staff, guys who have been okay, mid-round picks, had moments, had injuries,

Starting point is 00:24:31 these are guys who may not make the roster if the new coaching staff brings in other players they like. So really need Molden and Weaver to step up. And with the Titans not signing an edge rusher yet, and with the Titans not signing a safety yet, they're going to have ample opportunity to take advantage of those openings. So let's see it from Elijah Molden and Rashad Weaver. And then finally that linebacker battle. We all kind of penciled in Cedric Gray as the

Starting point is 00:25:00 starter next to Kenneth Murray. Kenneth Murray missed the OTA practice that was open to media last week. Is he hurt? What happened? Who can step up in his place? Is it time for Otis Reese, the undrafted free agent freak athlete from last year to step in? What about James Williams, the seventh round draft pick who's a converted safety going to linebacker?

Starting point is 00:25:19 Can he step up? That'll be an interesting spot because I see Otis Reese and James Williams as guys who will back up Kenneth Murray. They have that same big body, super physical, super aggressive, good athlete. Like, I think they're the primary backups. And then on the other side, you have Cedric Gray,

Starting point is 00:25:39 you'll have Jack Gibbons, you'll have Chance Campbell. Can any of these guys step up? And I know that there's Luke Gifford is in there, but he's a special teams only player. He's not playing linebacker for the Titans. Come on now. So really interested to see how this linebacker position sorts itself out. Again, right now, I think Jack Gibbons is the starter.

Starting point is 00:25:59 I don't think DeCedric Gray has passed up Jack Gibbons yet, but I think that he absolutely could. But this mandatory minicamp, every opportunity during the offseason when you're a rookie to prove yourself, you've got to take advantage. And Cedric Gray needs to do that as well. So, with that being said,

Starting point is 00:26:14 that is my preview of mandatory minicamp. Again, first practice is on Tuesday. I'm going to be breaking down everything that happens and everything that you need to know. All the quotes, all all the info all the drama football, baby It's football time. It sucks that we're going to have this mandatory minicamp and then there's that huge six-week break But i'm going to make it fun. All right, i'm going to make it fun

Starting point is 00:26:36 We're going to do a full roster breakdown where I kind of rank every player on the roster whether they're a high-end starter Average starter below average starter I'm going to do my infamous top five week where I do top fives of everything, Titans, non-Titans, all that. Going to do some historical stuff about draft classes that the Titans have had and how they panned out, which a lot of them obviously not great. But with that being said, though, that is going to do it for me today. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Calvin Ridley Contract GETS BETTER, Will Levis Commanding Offense & Will Sweat Return?

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