Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Cut Humphries, National Titans-Adjacent Stories & Titans Help Houston

Episode Date: February 26, 2021

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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, it is Friday, and not only is it Friday, ladies and gentlemen, we have Tennessee Titans roster moves to discuss. That's right, in this little barren wasteland of football information, the Titans have officially got their off-season rolling.

So I'm going to start off today's show, obviously, with the big headlines, with the four roster moves that took place on Thursday, including the Titans finally making one of those salary cap saving cuts that I projected on the show just a few weeks ago. But after that, we are going to dive into some general NFL news. But the kicker is all of these pieces of general NFL news do have some sort of touch or some sort of relation to the Tennessee Titans. We have a former Tennessee Titan released by his team. We have a Tennessee Titans free agent option.

We're getting some updated information there. And then we also have some trade rumors and trade noise to talk about with two different high-profile starting quarterbacks, one of them being in the Tennessee Titans division. And then after that, it is a Friday, and I want to send you guys off into your weekend on a very positive note. So we are going to go over a very positive, inspiring, and uplifting story that shows you exactly how teamwork makes the dream work.

I do want to remind you guys, the Locked on Titans podcast is Monday through Friday all year long. So make sure that you subscribe on whatever podcast you do stream your podcast on and I will be here for you every single weekday. But we are going to dive into

this Friday show. We got Tennessee Titans roster news. We got national NFL news and we got an uplifting story to inspire us to be our best selves this weekend. It's a Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it! All right, Titans fans. We finally got some big-time, real, legitimate Tennessee Titans news on Thursday.

We got four roster moves, and I'm going to dive into all of them right now with you guys. The number one biggest move, the most important move that we got on Thursday, though, was Adam Humphries, Tennessee Titans wide receiver who signed a deal just two years ago, was cut by the Titans. He was released. What this means is Adam Humphries will be about four and a half, $4.75 million of dead cap. That means it's basically five million dollars of cap space the Titans just got to throw in the trash but on the flip side of that coin the positive here is the Titans will be saving 4.75 million dollars close to five million dollars so let's just say the Titans are

saving five million dollars of salary cap now this is a move that I projected Adam Humphries has had issues with concussions he hasn't been able to be out on the field consistency consistently and based on the way that the Titans offense is set up they just don't have a monster need for that slot guy it's just not something that they need and with the injury history and the production and the money Humphries just wasn't worth it the Titans would be better off going after a cheaper slot receiver in free agency, like a Jamison Crowder if he happens to get cut, a Golden Tate if he happens to get cut, and they would also be better off looking at a young, cheap wide receiver in the middle rounds

of the draft with how studly the wide receiver draft classes have been in recent years. It doesn't make any sense to pay near $9 million for a guy like Adam Humphreys. Now, I will just put a cap on everything on his career and just say he had some good moments. That catch this year in Week 2 against Jacksonville, the game winner against Kansas City in 2019. I mean, when the guy was on the field, he was productive. So I know that that last moment we will think of him is having that ball go off his hands against Cleveland and ruining the comeback attempt. But I want to remember Adam Humphreys positively. I think he did give all that he could. And at this moment in time, I just hope for his safety, his health, I hope that he can get back right,

get over that concussion issue and finish his career on his terms. So no ill will for me towards Adam Humphreys. This move made sense. But one thing that is curious to me, if the Titans waited until after June 1st, they would have saved, instead of $5 million, they would have saved near $8 million from cutting Adam Humphreys. Now, of course, John Robinson needs that money now in free agency. So maybe that factors in.

But as Mike Miracles on Twitter, we had a discussion today when this was going down. As Mike pointed out, the Titans could have designated Adam Humphreys as a June 1 cut. They can tell the NFL, hey, we're officially going to cut him after June 1st. And they can use that saving money right now. It's a very weird quirk. And the Titans can only do that with two guys. So it would make sense to do that with Adam Humphreys. But the downside of that is if you do that,

while the Titans would lessen their dead cap for Adam Humphreys from basically $5 million down to like $2.5 million, that dead cap goes on the 2022 cap. So maybe John Robinson just didn't want to push any money towards 2022 and also wanted to have that $5 million of savings before free agency instead of in June. Who knows what the market looks like then. So I get it from John Robinson's perspective.

He had options here. But one thing is if the Titans are going to do one of those June 1st designations to try to help them you know lessen the dead cap for one of these cap casualties like a Kenny Vaccaro a Malcolm Butler something like that well you only get to do it with two guys and the two highest priced guys that they could have used it on would have been Butler and Humphreys so the fact that Robinson decided not to use this at this moment in time is very interesting, and we have something to watch going forward throughout the offseason.

But the other three moves are way, way lesser on the scale of importance, but I want to make sure that I let you guys know. Two other cuts that took place. We had special teams ace and defensive back Chris Milton. I'm very fond of Chris Milton. He was a very good special teamer, but he did deal with a lot of injuries. The Titans had a hard time keeping him on the field, and he gives you no value on defense as an actual defensive back. So that makes sense that the Titans would not re-sign Chris Milton. Now there's a health issue. Breon Borders and Chris Milton were both cut. So both

those defensive backs, Chris Milton obviously helped a lot more on special teams. Borders had some good moments in the middle of the season, but I got to be honest with you guys, there was a reason that the Titans got him off the scrap heap. We saw some of the negative parts of his game show up late in the season before he officially went out. But because those two guys both ended the year on IR, the Titans have to release them even though their contracts had run out with the team. So just more weird CBA salary cap stuff.

But either way, Milton and Borders were both cut along with Adam Humphreys. Now the last piece of information is the Titans did sign a contract with a guy named Julian Taylor. He's a defensive tackle, but he is a big bodied guy. Kind of that Jack Crawford type. But he's younger obviously. He's got a little bit but he is a big-bodied guy, kind of that Jack Crawford type, but he's younger, obviously. He's got a little bit more explosiveness to him, so he's a defensive lineman. Out of Temple was drafted in the seventh round in 2018 by the San Francisco 49ers. He played six games in 2018 and 2019 combined, about 200 snaps, but late in 2019, he tore his ACL. He spent the entire last season on

the physically unable to perform list, and he was cut in November by the 49ers. The Titans pick him up, and the Titans have had some pretty good success with undrafted free agent defensive linemen. So maybe a guy like this who's young, still has upside, played in a good defensive system with Robert Sala in San Francisco before he went to be the coach for the New York Jets this year maybe a guy like that if he gets healthy can be a diamond in the rough for the Titans similarly to how they got good production out of Isaiah Mack last year and then of course Tyre Tart this year so that covers the Titans roster moves from this week and from Thursday. We are going to continue forward into today's show

and talk about some national NFL news that has some sort of Tennessee Titans connection. Before we do jump into that though, I want to tell you guys about BetOnline.ag. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Football might be over, but the NBA, college basketball, and NHL are in full swing. MLB is right around the corner. The Masters is right around the corner. BetOnline even has you covered for award shows, TV shows, and reality TV, all with real-time updated odds and props on pretty much anything that you could imagine. BetOnline also has you covered for all your news, scores, and odds. It's the best way to place your bets, and it's free to sign up.

Head to their website or use your mobile device today to sign up for free and use promo code LOCKEDON. That's one word, LOCKEDON. You'll get a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. Let's dive into this national NFL news, like I said, with a little bit of a Tennessee Titans connection. So number one, the story that I want to start with. So yesterday's show, my first segment, we talked about a John Clayton report that said basically J.J. Watt has narrowed down his choices in free agency to three teams. In no order. In no order here. The Titans, the Bills, and the Packers.

Now, going to clarify this. So after I recorded the podcast, after I uploaded the podcast, John Clayton went on Twitter and had this to say. Quote, people are misinterpreting what I said on radio today. I said Tennessee, Green Bay, and Buffalo were the leading teams for J.J. Watt, but not the final three. Watt hasn't narrowed his list. The Cleveland Browns are still in. So are the Raiders. He has a dozen teams after him. End tweet. Okay, so one, number one, that makes a lot of sense. And if Clayton is saying he was being misinterpreted well then that's perfectly fine understandable so I talked about it yesterday but I wanted to follow up and give

you guys that but here's what I do want to say about this this tweet reeks to me of agent interference John Clayton reported the truth J.J. Watt's looking at Tennessee, Green Bay, and Buffalo. But J.J. Watt's agent said, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, don't say that. Don't say that. We want the Browns to bid as high as possible. We want the Raiders to bid as high as possible. And when you look at those five teams, Tennessee, Green Bay, Buffalo, Cleveland, and the Raiders, the two teams that make the least sense are the Browns and the Raiders. So they would have to pay more money to get J.J. Watt's services. So now what J.J. Watt's agent can do is he can go to the Titans, the Packers, and the Bills and say, hey man, the Browns, and we already got a report that J.J. Watt's highest offer

is $15 to $16 million per Diana Rossini. So already, already it's happening. J.J. Watt' agent told John Clayton, hey, walk that back. We need negotiating power over the three teams we actually want to go to. Diana Rossini, hey, hey, say that J.J.'s highest offer is $15, $16 million.

And what that'll do is that'll cause the teams that J.J. really wants to go to, like Tennessee, Green Bay, and Buffalo, it'll make them say, oh, well, if the Browns are offering him $15, $16 million, if the Raiders are offering him $15-16 million, then instead of offering $10, we're going to have to offer $12 to get him. And that's exactly what is happening here. And the same thing happened last year with Jadavion Clowney, where all the reports came out about the contract that the Browns were offering him. Jadavion Clowney never

wanted to go to the Cleveland Browns. He wanted one of the teams that he did want to go to to pay more money. So he used the Browns as leverage. And right now, it's obvious that Watt and his agent, through the media, are using the Browns and the Raiders as leverage against the Titans, Packers, and Bills. So I hope you guys all realize the game within the game here. If not, I just put you on some game. Let's move forward to the next national story with a Titans connection, and that is the Denver Broncos have cut defensive lineman Jarrell Casey. Now this had everybody

in a tizzy on Thursday, on Twitter, on Facebook, all over social media. Titans fans understandably have a ton of nostalgia. Jarrell Casey was like the only bright spot that the Titans had during that Rustin Webster early days. He's also a five-time Pro Bowler, one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. I get the connection. But we got to talk about a few things here, guys, and I got to keep it a buck with you. Jarrell Casey might be at the end. I don't even know if he'll get signed again. The Titans got out from under his big-time contract because they knew he just wasn't the same player. He goes to Denver, gets paid a bunch of money in Denver,

over $10 million, and plays three games. It's not just your ability when you're on the field, but your body starts breaking down, and Jarrell Casey has always been an undersized defensive lineman he's having car crash after car crash after car crash every Sunday after Sunday every season after season so when you take into account that he's in one of the most physically demanding and one of the most physically punishing positions in football and he's an undersized guy, and he's over 30, I mean, the end comes for all of us. And the Broncos know that they don't want to pay Jarrell Casey $12 million. The Titans knew that they didn't want to pay him that kind of money.

And the fact that John Robinson was able to get a 7th round draft pick for Jarrell Casey when he went and played 3 games for the Titans, everybody hated on that trade last year. I supported it. I was a fan of it all along. And it's proven right. The Titans won that trade. They got a draft pick for a player who can't contribute anymore and got off his money.

That is such a clear win. Getting off the money alone was a win. Getting a draft pick for a guy who played three games? I mean, J-Rob, great job, man. Great job. That's all I can say about that. Now, the other side of this is everyone's wondering, is Jarrell Casey going to come back? Tennessee Titans reunion. We have a hole on the defensive line. Daquan's leaving. Bring back

Jarrell. Okay, that makes some sense, but in my mind, Jarrell Casey can't play, so that would be a waste even no matter how cheap he is. And then the flip side is, do you guys remember, Jarrell Casey can't play. So that would be a waste even no matter how cheap he is. And then the flip side is, do you guys remember what Jarrell Casey said about the Titans trading him? He said, they threw me away like a piece of trash. You think if he felt that way that he would come back here? No. Sorry, guys. All of you guys holding your Jarrell Casey jersey right now, I get it.

But your boy Ty is here to tell you, just let that dream go so that you don't get your feelings hurt anymore. Anyways, moving to the next story here. We got two quarterbacks in the news. I'm not going to go over the exact reports. I'll just give you the gist of what's going on. The Russell Wilson trade news going from the Seahawks to somewhere else. Whoo, boy, it's heating up.

And he's even named teams. He said he wants to, per his agent, he wants to stay in Seattle. But he would be willing to play for the Bears, the Saints. I think the Dolphins were in there as well. So he's identified a few teams like, hey, if you guys are going to trade me, then send me here. So that's interesting. That story has gotten further than I ever thought.

But at the end of the day, I think Russell Wilson stays with the Seahawks. The next story is, of course, Deshaun Watson with the Texans. All I really have to say here is the Texans, again, through the media on Thursday, came out and said they have no intention of trading Deshaun Watson. I mean, what just a poorly run franchise. They're just going to run that team into the ground. And then Watson's agent came back out later in the afternoon and said, Deshaun Watson reiterated to head coach David Culley earlier this week,

he wants to be traded. He will not play another game for the Houston Texans. So, boy, things are getting strange. Things are getting strange. But that is the big NFL news from Thursday before we head into the last portion of our show on this Friday and talk about some inspiring

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weekend with an inspiring story here, trying to get you guys to be your best selves this weekend. And it's AFC South related, so let's dive right in here. Obviously, as everyone has noticed, probably the state of Texas was hit really, really hard with winter weather that they weren't prepared for. Honestly, based on their policies, the way that their energy grid is set up, you could argue that this could have been prevented, but I won't get into all those socio-economical, political topics.

But anyway, either way, the people of Texas were devastated by that winter storm that hit the entire country, really. But Houston and Texas in general were adversely impacted. So the members of the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts, all came together to give a joint donation of $100,000 to the Houston-Harris County 2021 Winter Storm Relief Fund. And not only that, the NFL Foundation decided that they would match that donation from the AFC South Clubs. That brings the total donation up to $200,000.

So you love to see, you know, the people who have more be able to give back and help out the less fortunate, especially in trying times. Now, what I do want to do is read you the quotes from each of the owners here to give you a good idea of what their mindset was getting into this venture. From Shad Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, quote, Houston has endured some difficult times recently, but it always bounces back.

I am confident that will be the case again. In the meantime, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL Foundation, and our fellow AFC South teams are here to help. Everyone in Jacksonville is a Houston fan today as we get through this together. End quote. Jim Ursae from the Colts. Quote, while we regularly square off against our division rivals on Sundays in the fall, some things are bigger than football and now is one of those times. The Colts are happy and proud to join the Jaguars and Titans organizations as well as the NFL Foundation to assist our NFL family in Houston that is facing enormous challenges right

now. All of us here in Indianapolis are thinking of and praying for the Houston community and others throughout Texas who have been impacted. Then we have a quote here from Cal McNair from the Houston Texans. He says, quote, as our community continues to recover from devastating events of the last week, we are grateful for the support from our AFC South family as well as the NFL Foundation. I am very proud that our division and the NFL consistently act as one team with one mission, take care of each other. This is part of who we are.

And then, of course, finally, we have quotes from mom herself, the Queen of Nashville, Amy Adams Strunk. Quote, it is an honor to join our colleagues in the AFC South and at the NFL Foundation in supporting the Houston community as they recover from the devastating effects of the winter storm. As a native of the area, I know the region will overcome the stunning amount of damage to families and property, and the entire Titans family is thinking of them during this difficult time. End quote. You add that to the million dollars that Amy Adams Strunk has pledged earlier in recent years

to the hurricane relief for J.J. Watt. I mean, how can Houston have anything bad to say about their hometown gal in Amy Adams Strunk? And how could any Titans fan have anything bad to say about Amy Adams Strunk at this moment in time? I will continue to be a loud-mouthed champion of Amy Adams Strunk and what she has done for this football team, the community, and everyone. Quite frankly, I'm really proud to have her as the owner of the football team that I cover. But with that being said, I do want to tell you guys about the Locked On Bets podcast. Betting on the Tennessee Titans doesn't have to be a guessing game if you listen to the

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