Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans NEED Offensive Tackles, Filling Holes on Defense & Remaining Cap Space

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tennessee Titans need to draft and sign an offensive tackle. I'm going over the Titans' biggest remaining needs on today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it! 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 00:00:50 Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $200. If your bet wins, visit fanduel.com slash locked on to get started. We've made it through a couple of weeks of free agency. This feels like a good place to have a progress report for the Tennessee Titans. I'm going to look at their biggest remaining needs on offense and defense and talk about whether the Titans need to fill those needs with draft, free agency, or both.

Starting point is 00:01:21 Can't wait for you guys to play along with me down below. Let me know draft, free agency, or both for some of these needs. And then at the end of the show, we'll go over just how much cap space the Tennessee Titans still have remaining. Before we get into it, thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day.

Starting point is 00:01:41 Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday. It's time, folks.

Starting point is 00:01:57 We're doing a progress report for free agency right here because it is time to dive deep into the NFL draft. This year's Locked on Titans NFL draft preview. Can't wait to go over every single position. Going to dive into a mock draft Monday on Monday and have mock draft Monday for the next four weeks. So it is draft time starting next week here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. Get subscribed. Stay

Starting point is 00:02:25 subscribed. All right. Let's talk about offense because there is no bigger need for the Tennessee Titans than offensive tackle. It is by far the biggest need remaining on the team. And for me, there is a difference here between short-term and long-term needs. To me, linebacker or defensive line, safety, even you could say linebacker, they're short-term needs for the Titans. I'm not really that concerned about those positions long-term. But you look at a position like offensive tackle,

Starting point is 00:03:10 that is something that the Titans need in the short and the long term to fix. Those are big needs there. So for me, you talk about offensive tackle, draft, free agency, or both, that is a both. You got to sign a veteran offensive tackle and draft an offensive tackle with your first two picks. No way around it. With one of your first two picks, you have to get an offensive tackle for the Titans. This is a tremendous offensive tackle draft class. There are some great names at the top. Obviously, you have Joe Ault and Oluf Fashinu and Talisa Fawanga and J.C. Latham and Amarius Mims and Troy Fataanu.

Starting point is 00:03:47 And there are a ton of great guys. And then, of course, you go to that second tier of Tyler Guyton and Patrick Paul and Kingsley Suomata. And, you know, there are a lot of good options. I mean, I just named eight offensive tackles right there. They could all reasonably go first round. I mean, like, it's not insane. A guy like Graham Barton, I think he's more of an interior player,

Starting point is 00:04:09 but maybe he plays at tackle. A guy like Jordan Morgan, I think is an interior player. Maybe he plays at offensive tackle. I mean, that's 10 guys that all could go in the top 50 picks of this NFL draft. So the Titans have to get their hands on one of those top-tier offensive tackles in this draft. But I also think they need to sign somebody. They need to go out in free agency

Starting point is 00:04:31 and get one of these veteran offensive tackles. You look at what the Titans have on offense right now, especially on the offensive line. To me, Jalen Duncan is your backup left tackle. You have Peter Skowronski and Sadiq Charles at left guard. Cushenberry at center with no backup center,

Starting point is 00:04:51 so I think a veteran probably needs to go there. Daniel Brunskill at right guard with Dylan Radins at the backup right guard spot. And then I think you have an open starting spot at right tackle with Nicholas Petit-Ferrer as the backup. Maybe. I guess maybe. Nicholas Petit-Ferrer or Jalen Duncan progress enough under Bill Callahan to be that starting right tackle, but I can't take my chance on that. At the end of the day, Jalen Duncan and NPF are still on their rookie

Starting point is 00:05:19 contract. Whatever rookie you draft in the first two rounds, it's going to be a rookie. All right. So while I'm counting on them getting a good player there at the end of the day, we're talking about all young players. They need one veteran offensive tackle to come in and maybe they're a starter. Maybe they're not, but they need a veteran offensive tackle in the mix. Again, you look at who's available in free agency. Mekhi Becton, still out there. All right.

Starting point is 00:05:52 Donovan Smith, starting left tackle for the Chiefs last year. Still out there. Andrus Peet, who had a meeting with the Titans previously. Still out there. Charles Leno, who was a starter for the Commanders. Still out there. Chris Hubbard. If Chris Hubbard is healthy, he was very good for the Titans for the still out there. Chris Hubbard, if Chris Hubbard is healthy,

Starting point is 00:06:10 he was very good for the Titans for the first half of the season last year. Maybe you bring in a guy like that just to have someone in the mix who's a veteran. Pete, to me, again, the Titans bring in Andrews Pete, who's played on the left side of the offensive line his entire career, basically, and should be a left tackle going forward at the end of his career. Maybe Pete is a guy who they check the medicals on, and if they can't get Joe Alt at number seven, then they take one of these right tackle types in the second round, and they bring in Andrews Pete to be their left tackle for this season. That could make some sense. Maybe they think, hey, if we don't get Alt,

Starting point is 00:06:42 and we draft Patrick Paul or Tyler Guyton or one of these guys, maybe even a Roger Rosengarten, you know, if we draft one of these guys, then we can play him behind the veteran and Pete. You know, so to me, as I said, when the Pete meeting happened, that's insurance. But no matter what happens here, and to me, out of this group at this point, I didn't want Mekhi Becton early in the process because I wanted the Titans to go get Jonah Williams, Michael Nwenyu, maybe a Trent Brown, but now that all those options are off the board,

Starting point is 00:07:11 I'd rather go with Mekhi Becton than any of these other names. Might as well at this point. I mean, there are no better options. Might as well take the chance on the upside and the potential there. Might as well do that. So for me, I would like the Titans to go ahead and bring in Makai Becton, let him have a chance at right tackle. Hopefully you get Joe Alt at left tackle,

Starting point is 00:07:30 and now you have the chance to do something. But for me, it's either way. They need to draft an offensive tackle, but they need to sign an offensive tackle too, because it is a long and a short-term need for the Titans. The other need that I want to mention on offense is wide receiver. And I talked about it a ton yesterday to start off the day show. My everydayers will remember I talked about how wide receiver is still

Starting point is 00:07:52 a long-term need for the Titans. And I think they need to draft two of them. You look at the depth chart, you have Ridley, you have Hopkins, you have Burks, that's probably your top three. You have Phillips as the backup slot receiver. You got NWI as the backup to Hopkins as the X receiver. Colton Dow is probably going to start on PUP after tearing his ACL, but maybe you consider him the backup for Ridley. Again, for

Starting point is 00:08:16 me, I want the Titans to draft two wide receivers here. I think that there's a great chance that Colton Dow and Kyle Phillips aren't on this team come the regular season. If the Titans are able to get their hands on Malik Nabors, Marvin Harrison Jr., like, they have to absolutely do that. It is a long-term need. Get a young wide receiver to grow with Will Levis. Trade Traylon Burks.

Starting point is 00:08:38 Make Traylon Burks a backup. Cut Colton Dow. Cut Kyle Phillips. Cut NWI on a $1 million contract. I don't care. I'm still taking two wide receivers and one of the best wide receiver draft classes we have seen in forever because it's a long-term need still. But with the biggest needs on offense put to the side,

Starting point is 00:08:57 we're going to go to the defensive side of the ball and talk about remaining cap space before we do. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Say goodbye to busted brackets because FanDuel lets you bet every single game of the tourney. The tourney is back this weekend now. So whether you're betting on a big upset or you're riding the number one seed, it is time to go dancing on America's number one sportsbook fan door.

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Starting point is 00:09:44 that's $200 to use on point spreads, money lines. You can even pick who's going to win it all. Make sure that you visit fanduel.com slash locked on and bet on college hoops until they cut down the nets. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We're playing draft, free agency, or both. Looking at the Tennessee Titans remaining needs we talked about offense now I want to move to defense we'll talk remaining cap space at the end before we get into all of that thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every

Starting point is 00:10:37 day remember next week it's time to dive deep into the NFL Draft. We're going to have a mock draft Monday to go over. We're going to look at positional reviews for each position in the NFL Draft. I'm going to do my scouting reports on all the different players. So excited for the draft preview to be here. Make sure you stay with me. Get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. But the defense has a lot of holes, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to

Starting point is 00:11:06 throw a little defensive visual up on the screen here. Defense has a lot of holes, all right? You look at the front seven. To me, what stands out the most as the biggest need for the Tennessee Titans on defense right now, I know a lot of you guys would say linebacker, safety. For me, it is edge. The Titans need to go get an edge rusher, all right? And for me, it needs to be in the draft, all right? There are some really good edge rushers in this draft, especially you look in the second round. In theory, like I talked about in a mock draft that I did earlier in the week, my everydayers will remember, if you go out and get Joe Ault at pick number seven,

Starting point is 00:11:55 and then in the second round, there should be a lot of good pass rushers. Think about Chris Braswell from Alabama. Think about Darius Robinson from Mizzou. Think about a Marshawn Neyland. I mean, and that's just three. That's just three. There are going to be other options out there as well. There are more names, and we'll break down the edge rushing group as we get into the draft preview this year. But you need to go out and get a young edge rusher. Because here's the reality. Your edge rushers right now, yeah, Rashad Weaver is going to back up

Starting point is 00:12:29 Harold Landry or be a backup. But when Brian Callahan talked about edge rushers the other day, he did not mention Rashad Weaver. And the Titans could save some money if they cut him, you know, later in the year, too. So I don't think that Rashad Weaver is a lock to make this team. But you got Harold Landry on one side. He is a bona fide rusher, but Landry probably only going to be with the team one more season,

Starting point is 00:12:51 two more seasons at max. Arden Key, Brian Callahan already called him a rotational pass rusher, so they don't see him as a bona fide starter. So even if they saw Key as a starter, he's on the last year of his contract realistically. We talk about the real contract within the contract. I think Key got three years, $21 million, but it's really two years, $14 million.

Starting point is 00:13:18 It may have just been two years, $14 million at the end of the day. Thinking back to last year, I think that's what it was. But either way, Key is not a guarantee to be on this team next year. Landry, who knows? Like the Titans need an edge rusher bad, whether it be for this year or long-term planning into the future. It is a long and a short-term need. That's why I think the Titans need to address edge rusher with that second pick, or if they're able to trade down in the second round, pick up an additional third pick, maybe even at 106. The Titans need to address edge rusher, someone who rushes the passer,

Starting point is 00:13:54 whether it be a stand-up edge, whether it be that Danico Autry can play defensive end, can go on the interior. Either way, I think the Titans must, must address the edge need in the draft free agency there's nobody out there who's worth it and there's nobody out there who's helping them solve the long-term issue that is edge rusher so I think that you ask about the big need of edge for me the answer between free agency draft and both is clearly the draft but you move forward a lot of people are worried about linebacker, and understandably so. You got Otis Reese, but I think he's more of a backup who you can develop right now. You have

Starting point is 00:14:31 Kenneth Murray, who the Titans brought in free agency. I think Murray is the starting weak side linebacker. Right now, you want him to be a dog off the leash. Just run all over the place, do what you got to do. Then you need, you know, your middle linebacker, your number one linebacker who is your hard-nosed run stuffer. Right now, I think Jack Gibbons is the backup to that player, but Gibbons would be the starter there right now if we had to start the season today, but we don't. We don't.

Starting point is 00:14:58 For me, this is another position, like with Edge. This is a long-term need. Maybe you're high on Otis Reese. I want to give Otis Reese a shot, sure. But let's be real, he's an undrafted free agent. What are the odds that Otis Reese is an answer long-term for the Titans at linebacker? Just be realistic. What are the odds?

Starting point is 00:15:19 I'm not saying it can't happen. But what are the odds? You know what I mean? We got to be honest with ourselves here. So for me, the answer, draft free agency or both for linebacker, clearly, to me, it is draft. Alright? And we're getting some whispers that the Titans are interested in some linebackers. They've been doing their homework there. I think that makes a lot of sense

Starting point is 00:15:43 if they're able to drop back and get some more picks. I think even, you know, 106, 148, somewhere in there, I think the Titans should consider a linebacker. Rand Carthon has had success in his career drafting late in the draft and linebacker is one of the positions that he's hit on. So I just don't think that anybody

Starting point is 00:16:00 in free agency is a long-term solve. I don't think anybody in free agency right now, they could maybe bring in Isaiah Simmons or whatever, but like, is anybody in free agency going to be better than a mid-round pick that you could get right now? I don't think so. So going linebacker in the mid-rounds on day three,

Starting point is 00:16:18 somewhere in there, that would make a lot of sense for me. So draft and edge, linebacker and edge are both long-term and short-term needs that I think need to be addressed in the draft. Going into the secondary, safety, to me, address that in free agency. You can pick up a safety late in the draft, sixth, seventh round, something like that, but what are the odds that that player is going to be a contributor? It's very, very low. I think it's more likely to get a contributor at linebacker that late than it is to get one at

Starting point is 00:16:50 safety that late. So I still think the Titans need to go into free agency to get a safety. You look at Julian Blackman, Justin Simmons, who is still an apple of my eye, Marcus May, who the Titans have had a meeting with. Quandre Diggs is out there. Eddie Jackson. Jamal Adams even. He's more of a linebacker than a safety to me, but whatever. Maybe they want to use him in a particular role. Either way, you have a Monty Hooker at one starting safety. You have Elijah Molden as the backup strong safety who can be a dime linebacker who can line up on tight ends. You have that, but you need that second starting safety. I think the Titans can find that in free agency for right now.

Starting point is 00:17:28 And then next year in the draft, they can focus more on safety as a top-tier need. On the D-line, you got Simmons at defensive tackle, Joseph Day at nose tackle, which really he's a versatile guy, can move up and down the line. But that is it, in my opinion. Literally, that is it. So for defensive line, for me,

Starting point is 00:17:49 I still think the Titans can draft or can sign someone. And I'm cheating a little bit here. I'll admit, I'm going to go with pure free agency to solve defensive line because you have players like Teartart, still out there. Maybe. Maybe there's a reunion. Maybe. Humble Teartart, still out there. Maybe. Maybe there's a reunion. Maybe.

Starting point is 00:18:06 Humble Teartart coming back. Probably not. Emmanuel Agba, Carl Lawson, Brian Monet, who's more of a nose tackle type, Shaq Lawson. These are all guys that can help on the defensive line

Starting point is 00:18:19 on one-year deals for, you know, $2 million. But undrafted free agency. Take a chance on a nose tackle who's a rookie who didn't get drafted. That's how you found Tart. That's how you found Naquan Jones. That's how you found Isaiah Mack before them. Go get an undrafted free agent interior defensive lineman, and I bet the Titans can find somebody who can play on early downs. But with that being said, that is my remaining needs on defense. That is how I would solve those needs for this season. We're going to talk about how much cap space the Tennessee Titans have.

Starting point is 00:18:56 Before we get into it, though, do want to let you guys know that Locked On Sports Today is a 24-7 streaming channel programmed just for you to bring you the biggest stories without all the nonsense that you get from the big networks like Fox Sports and ESPN. Locked On Sports Today gives you can't-miss analysis, opinions, and news streaming 24-7 on YouTube, and it's on the free Amazon fire TV channels app. It's part of the locked on podcast network.

Starting point is 00:19:27 It's locked on sports today. Your team every day. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast going over the biggest remaining needs on offense and defense. Talked about how I would solve those with draft, free agency, or both. Let me know how you guys feel about the needs and how you'd solve them down below. Now I just want to have a talk about the remaining cap space available to the Titans. Again, this is kind of a free agency progress report. We are about to change our focus from free agency to the draft in a major, major way. So I wanted to take this last episode of the week and just look at where the Titans roster

Starting point is 00:20:28 is at, look at what they still need, how they can solve it, and that includes how much cap space they actually still have to do something about it. Before I continue, thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen. Let's take a hydration break, everybody. I had somebody in the comments the other day say, what happened to our hydration breaks? I'm still hydrating. I've been slacking on reminding you guys that's my responsibility. That's my fault.

Starting point is 00:20:52 So all of us, get your water in. Hydration break. Delicious. Alright. So, remaining cap space for the Titans. We see the roster. We see the remaining holes. We know that they

Starting point is 00:21:08 have eight draft picks. What about the money now? Legereus Sneed, we still don't have the exact contract details for Legereus Sneed. We don't know 100% what the structure is, his cap hit this year.

Starting point is 00:21:23 Right now, if you go on like SpotTrack.com or overthecap.com, those finance websites, they have a placeholder for LeJarius Sneed at $19 million, which would, you know, he's making $19 million per season on average, so they have a $19 million cap hit. He's not going to have a cap hit of $19 million. That's simply not going to happen. So, in my opinion,

Starting point is 00:21:51 you're probably going to get about a $14 to $12 million cap hit for LeJarius Sneed. He's got $5 million in bonus. Remember, on our last Financial Friday, I broke down that you take the signing bonus and you divide it based on how many years are on the contract. So if it's a four-year contract and he got a $20 million signing bonus, that means that his signing bonus for each year of his contract

Starting point is 00:22:19 will count against the cap for $5 million. $20 million signing bonus for your contract. Divide $5 million per season. So when you talk about his cap hit, we know because I talked about it last week that your cap hit is a combination of your bonus money and your salary. So his bonus money is going to be $5 million. So that's our base value.

Starting point is 00:22:47 And then you add from there. I don't think that they're going to have $14 million in salary in year one to make it a $19 million cap hit. I think it'll be about $5 to $7 million less than that. So I think we're talking about $12 to

Starting point is 00:23:04 $14 dollars on the cap hit. Alright. Right now, right now the Tennessee Titans have about 24 million dollars of cap space according to SpotTrack. Now again, I think they're going to have about 5

Starting point is 00:23:21 to 7 more million dollars once the Snead contract actually comes out. So right now, right now the Titans have about $30 million in effective cap space. But remember, we talked about this financial episode, Financial Friday last week. The rookies, the rookie contracts are going to account for about $7.5 million in additional cap space used. So I think the Titans have about $30 million, but you minus that $7.5 million,

Starting point is 00:23:55 and it's about $22.5 million. So if the Titans have $22.5 million, they can't go out and get crazy with that. Alright, number one, the Titans rolled over like $7-8 million of cap space from 2023 to this year. So you could roll over cap space in the NFL, which makes sense for the Titans to keep their powder dry there. And you want to have the ability to make moves during the season.

Starting point is 00:24:19 The Titans are going to want to add some veterans who become available after training camp. The Titans are going to... Remember how they added Travis become available after training camp. The Titans are going to, remember how they added Travis Gibson last year after he got cut by the Bears? Think about those scenarios. The Titans could add players there. When there's a surplus of talent

Starting point is 00:24:33 at a certain position on another roster, the Titans could take advantage of that and get the guy that's the odd man out. Those are situations that you have to have money for. Also, what if the Titans are at the trade deadline? What if the Titans are at the trade deadline? What if the Titans are I don't know, let's say 6-3?

Starting point is 00:24:52 7-2? And they're like, you know what? We really, really need a top-tier edge rusher. Like, we drafted a guy, we got the draft pick, Landry, Arden Key, that's good, but we're going all in.

Starting point is 00:25:08 Maybe we want a rushing defensive lineman to fill that Danico Autry role because we didn't properly fill that. There are going to be options out there. Maybe there's an injury, and the Titans really need to replace somebody. You need to have the cap space available to absorb a contract to make that kind of trade. So, I think the Titans will go out

Starting point is 00:25:34 and sign some more people, but at $22 million of effective cap space, it's not like the Titans can go out there and give big guaranteed money, alright? Like, they can only give out 1.75, 2.5, 3.25 million dollar contracts at max. At max. So, basically the Titans still have money to play with, but just because you have $100 in your bank account

Starting point is 00:26:03 doesn't mean you got to spend $100 at dinner. It's okay to save a little bit of money because you don't know if you're going to want dessert or not. So I don't think the Titans should make any colossal moves going forward. They probably have one or two more little signings. Like I said, get a guy at D-line. Get a guy at safety. But $22 million, in my opinion, is not a ton to play with.

Starting point is 00:26:26 It's not like they got buku bucks to spend still. So, I think the Titans are in a good spot right now with what they've done in free agency. They have some remaining needs. They need to add some, you know, some remaining vets, offensive tackle, D-line, safety. But a lot of these things

Starting point is 00:26:41 are going to have to get fixed in the draft. And like I've been saying all off season, they're not going to fix everything and one off season. So, you know, it's not like, you know, they were going to have a complete full great roster in one year. So this is where we're at. It is time folks to move to the NFL draft. But with that being said, that is going to do it for today's show. My music's all screwed up, but as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland,

Starting point is 00:27:08 and this, Chopped and Screwed, is Locked on Titans.

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Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans NEED Offensive Tackles, Filling Holes on Defense & Remaining Cap Space

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