Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Need Safety Talent, Adding Bargain Cornerbacks & Bringing Back Special Teams Pair

Episode Date: March 9, 2024

The Tennessee Titans will be making big changes to their secondary this offseason. Looking for a coverage safety to pair with Amani Hooker will be key and Geno Stone has a previous relationship with multiple Titans. It continues with adding two cornerbacks in free agency. Without the top names hitting the market some bargain options like Chidobe Awuzie and Jeff Okudah could be good fits. Finally, the Titans brought back long snapper Morgan Cox and should consider bringing back Nick Folk as well. Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Follow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Subscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videos Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitans Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. NissanOur friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com. RobinhoodRobinhood has the only IRA that gives you a 3% boost on every dollar you contribute when you subscribe to Robinhood Gold. Now through April 30th, Robinhood is even boosting every single dollar you transfer in from other retirement accounts with a 3% match. Available to U.S. customers in good standing. Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC), is a registered broker dealer. BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelGet buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your bet wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

The Tennessee Titans need some major help in the secondary, and I'm going to tell you what the perfect fits in free agency are on a bonus 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. It's Saturday. All right. No copyright strikes, but it is a Saturday night bonus episode of the Locked on Titans podcast. We

are capping off the 2024 Locked on Titans free agency preview. We have talked about the entire offense. Yesterday, we talked about the front seven on defense, and today we are talking about the secondary. This is all before the legal tampering period kicks off on Monday. Tomorrow, I am going to have a predictive mock free agency to go over what I think the Titans free agency haul actually looks like.

Make sure that you don't miss that. Thank you for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday and sometimes on the weekends as well with bonus episodes. It's all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure

you get subscribed, stay subscribed to the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. It's a great time to get subscribed as well subscribed to the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. It's a great time to get subscribed as well with all the big news that's about to come in free agency and then the draft, of course, as well. Stick with me here. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, 25 years of Tennessee Titans fanatic, cover the Tennessee

Titans for Sports Illustrated, USA Today, got the film channel over at Tic Tac Titans here on YouTube. So much going on. But with that being said, time to talk safeties. All right? Because I think safety is where the Titans really need to add somebody and they are going to have a great opportunity to do so with the pure amount of safeties that are available.

The safety market is turning into the running back market. Just like that overnight. So many safeties that are available. The safety market is turning into the running back market. Just like that overnight. So many safeties got cut by their teams because they weren't worth their paycheck. So many safeties are in the market now that there's so much supply. It's going to take demand down, which is going to drive down the price of safeties. So, that's great news.

Especially for the Titans who I don't think they need to pay top tier dollar at safety. But if they go option 3, 4, 5, 6, that's where I really think they could get some great value. And number one on my list, Cameron Curl. Cam Curl is 25 years old still. He's 6'2". And he had a great experience with Chris Harris, who was the DB coach for Washington before he came over to Tennessee, who was retained by Denard Wilson and Brian Callahan and the coaching staff.

Cam Curl can do it all. He can cover and zone. He can take a man if he needs to. He's willing and physical to come up and tackle. He is a versatile, do-it-all safety. And at only 25 years old, coming from a terrible place in Washington, I think that Curl would be a great option with a personal connection. He would be hype.

Do hype, happy, and hate. Cam Curl is in my hype tier. Another guy who would be in my hype tier is Geno Stone. Now, Geno Stone, only 5'11", but he's also 25 years old. He's not quite as physical as maybe you would want. He's not going to do as well getting down in the box and fitting in the run game. He misses some tackles, all right?

That's a reality. But he is a ball hawk in the back end. Seven misses some tackles. All right, that's a reality, but he is a ball hawk in the back end. Seven interceptions last year. Great ball production. That's something he was known for coming out of college. Him and Imani Hooker played together at Iowa and both had four interceptions apiece that season. So you put him and Imani Hooker back together. They already have chemistry and Geno Stone just played for Baltimore. The connection to Denard Wilson, somebody who will truly understand his skill set

and what he does best, which is roam in the back end, read the quarterback size, and go and get interceptions. In today's NFL, defense is not what it once was. All right? You're not having a lockdown, 85 Bears, 2,000 Ravens.

Like, those defenses just don't happen anymore. So, rather than focusing on shutting down offenses, turnovers is the key. Putting pressure on the quarterback, forcing mistakes that turn into turnovers. And Geno Stone can create turnovers. So, those two are definitely my top tier options. But another guy who would make sense is C.J. Gardner-Johnson. All right?

C.J. Gardner-Johnson played with Denard Wilson in Philadelphia in 2022. So there's a connection there. He is a physical tone-setting player. And if you wanted to put a Monty Hooker back deep in the Geno Stone role that we just talked about and let him get back to doing that rather than playing closer to the line of scrimmage, guarding the tight end like he's done the last couple of years,

if you want to put a Monty Hooker back to deep safety and let him roam the field, then a guy like C.J. Gardner-Johnson can be that box safety, that physical safety that comes up and plays the run, plays physical. He's only 26 years old. He's six foot tall, so he's big. He's physical.

He's got the body. He's got the relationship with Denard Wilson. I think that would make a ton of sense. He's versatile. He can play in the slot. He can play safety. He can play some dime linebacker. That's the kind of guy you're getting with C.J. Gardner-Johnson,

but he's obviously not going to play as well in coverage. He's not going to be a lockdown man guy. He plays with incredible intensity, but that can cut both ways with penalties and dust-ups. Is he going to be healthy? He tore his pec and missed week 2 to week 18 last year. He came back for the playoff run for Detroit, but with that physical violent style,

is he somebody who's going to stay healthy? And let me just point this out. I would be happy with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, but you have Roger McCreary who is an excellent slot corner, an excellent nickelback. Having C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Roger McCreary, maybe there's some overlap there that doesn't give Gardner-Johnson quite the value that he would have otherwise. So that's something to consider.

Some other guys that I would be very happy about, again, Cam Curl, Geno Stone, I'm hype. All right? Happy, CJ Gardner Johnson. Also, Darnell Savage. The guy who hasn't done as well coming up in the line of scrimmage, being physical, making tackles, but has great ball skills when he's in the back end, can have great production and create turnovers. That's important.

A reunion with Kevin Byard for cheap. I think that would be perfectly fine for the Titans. Pair him and Imani Hooker back together if he wants to. And then Justin Simmons. He's 30 years old, like Kevin Byard, kind of towards the end of his career. But I think for a cheaper deal because of the market for safeties, I think that Justin Simmons would make a ton of sense for the Titans as well. Still a very good player, a good person, a good leader, great football character, which I think is important for this

team, especially with the changing coaching staff. You need to make sure that the locker room stays in a good place. Some guys who I wouldn't be as happy about. Some guys who I wouldn't be as happy about. Xavier McKinney, the best safety available, young, great, talented guy, but I just don't want the Titans paying $17 million, $16 million, $15 million for a safety. I just don't.

Especially in this safety market with how the mid-tier of safeties and the second tier of safeties is going to get pushed down in value and price, why would you then go pay top-of-the-market money for a safety? Doesn't make sense to me. So I'm out on Xavier McKinney for the price tag. Jamal Adams, totally out on Jamal Adams. He is a defensive lineman now.

All right, if the Titans want to bring him in for $2-3 million and basically let him play linebacker, then sure, why not? I mean, he could fit in a Denard Wilson defense, I think, but I'm not letting him play actual safety and I'm not paying anything close to five million dollars. Not getting there. And so I think Jeremy Chin, Jeremy Chin is another guy who's going to play at the line of scrimmage, box safety, physical against the run, and I just think the Titans need to worry about coverage guys more. So that's why I like a Cam Curl or a Geno Stone. That's why those are my top options.

All right. But with that being said, two-part bonus edition of the Locked on Titans podcast today. We talked safeties. Now I'm going to talk about cornerbacks. Before we get into cornerbacks though, I do want to let you guys know that today's bonus episode is brought to you by Robinhood. Did you know that even if you have a 401k for retirement,

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to specific terms and conditions. Robinhood IRA available five years. The 3% matching on transfers is subject to specific terms and conditions. Robinhood IRA available to U.S. customers in good standing. Robinhood Financial LLC member SIPC is a registered broker dealer. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. It's a bonus edition breaking down the secondary in free agency. We just talked about safeties, guys I would be hype about, guys I would be happy about, guys I would be not as happy about, the hate tier, of course, but now I want to dive into cornerbacks because the Titans definitely need some cornerbacks as well. I think they probably need two cornerbacks, and that's in addition to adding a cornerback

in the draft. I think the Titans need to get two in free agency, and then they need to add one in the draft as well, but before I get into my options there, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday and sometimes some bonus episodes on the weekend, all year long, on all apps, 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 here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, on Sunday night's episode on YouTube,

Monday morning for my podcast, folks, I'm going to have a predictive mock free agency. Very excited to do that with you guys. But looking at cornerback, the Titans need outside corners. I mentioned Roger McCreary just a second ago. McCreary has proven that he is a very good slot cornerback. So the Titans are good at the slot. And if they want to add a slot cornerback for competition,

well, for me, the obvious choice is to get one in the draft then because there are a lot of good slot cornerbacks in the draft in the late rounds, mid rounds, that you can get a ton of different guys. Mike Sanestrill, Andrew Phillips, Bernardo Green. There's a bunch of them. I'm going to go over that when we go through our draft preview series, but there are a bunch of different ways you could slice it.

For me, I think in free agency, the Titans need to attack outside corner, and that's why the number one guy that I would be hype about for the Titans is Chidobe Awuzie. All right. Obviously, you got the Cincinnati connection with Brian Callahan. Awuzie is six foot tall. He's only 28 years old. So I still think he's got two years left where he can really be a part of the Titans run. He did deal with an ACL injury in 2022.

He played excellent in 2021. 2022 deals with the ACL injury. Came back in 2023, though, and played 15 games. Had shaky moments, but again, we have talked about these ACL guys. He's going to play better in 2024 than he played in 2023. He can play outside, which is what I'm looking for. Play man or zone. The Bengals could do it all during that time. I really like Chidobe Owuzie. I think he would make a ton of sense for the Titans.

But another guy. Another guy who's going to be a lot cheaper. We're going to talk about, you know, Awuzie maybe two years $16 million. Two years $18 million. Somewhere in there. Two years $19 million. With $10 million guarantee. Something like that. This guy

is going to be $6, $5, $4 million, and it's Jeff Okuda. So Steve Jackson, the defensive backs coach for the Titans, coached Okuda last year and got the most out of him. He had his most productive season. Look, Okuda is a former top five pick. Only 25 years old.

Six foot one. 200 pounds. I mean, this guy has everything physically that you would want from a top outside cornerback. With a first round pedigree. Top ten pedigree. He had some bad seasons in Detroit. Who didn't?

He had some injuries as well, but I think you get Jeff Okuda back with a coach that makes him comfortable. You let him play man coverage on the outside and use his physicality in the Titans attacking system. I think Okuda would be a good, I talked about this in my, in my other bonus with Isaiah Simmons. Simmons is still young, first round pedigree, got all the physicality and athleticism that you would want. For cheap, take a chance on these guys. See if you can coach them up.

See if you can get the best out of them, and then you might find yourself a diamond in the rough. Okuda is the same way. Yes, he's got risk. Yes, he's got downside. But the Titans aren't going to find a long-term answer at cornerback this year. All right? Unless they hit on a mid-round pick and he just turns into a stud. But look at who's available.

With a Jarius Sneed only being available via trade, which I don't want the Titans to do. With Jalen Johnson going back on a long-term deal to the Bears. Like, there just aren't any long-term, you find long-term answers in the draft. So draft somebody in the mid-rounds, maybe even second round if you feel compelled to do so. And take a chance on some of these low-end guys who maybe

haven't worked out. And I think Jeff Okuda at cornerback is that. Okay? Another guy who I think would make a ton of sense for the Titans is Rakia Sin. Rakia Sin, 27 years old, 6 foot tall, outside corner, can play tight man coverage, isn't scared to do it, was with Denard Wilson last year in Baltimore,

and similarly, Ronald Darby. Now, Darby. Now Darby is 30 years old so he's lower on my pecking order but outside cornerback had some good years in Denver had a good year in Baltimore last year knows what Denard Wilson is going to expect. Denard Wilson knows what he's capable of so Rakia Sin and Denard and Ronald Darby are guys who make sense for me as as happy options. I would be hype with J me as happy options. I would be hype with Chidobe Awuzie. I would be hype with Jeff Okuda just because I want to see what the potential can be

after he had a good year with Steve Jackson, his defensive back coach in Atlanta, who's now with the Titans. Happy, though, I would be happy with Rakia Sin. I would be happy with Ronald Darby. I would be happy with Adoree Jackson. Adoree Jackson could play mankind. He played in Wink Martindale's system last year, and when Adoree was healthy,

and when the Giants' defense started playing well at the end of the year, Adoree was good. So I know that we hear Adoree Jackson, he's 28, I'm not going to freak out if they don't do it. But I'm not going to be mad if they bring back a Dory. Because I think in this system with his skill set, probably going to be one year, $5 million prove it deal. Might be worth it.

Might be worth it. Kendall Fuller is another guy. I don't want to really pay the price for Kendall Fuller at 29, but am I going to be salty about it? No, not really. So, I mean, out of those names, there are options for the Titans. All right?

And I was only going to do two segments on today's show, but there is some Titans news to go over. The Titans made a free agent signing. I'm going to tell you who it was here in just a moment. Before I do, I do want to let you guys know that today's bonus episode is brought to you by GameTime. GameTime is the best place to buy tickets because you can take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime.

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Download the GameTime app today. Last minute tickets. Lowest price. Guaranteed. Titans fans, we are going to cap off this bonus edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We have gone through the entire offense. We have gone through the entire front seven. And now we have gone through the entire secondary on defense as well. So offense, defense, position by position.

We've done the whole thing. I hope you guys have enjoyed this year's free agency preview. But the Titans made their first free agent signing. And we got to talk about it. It's Morgan Cox, the long snapper for the Titans. And I talked about this earlier in the offseason. Just bring Morgan Cox and Nick Folk back. You know, like they did a good job last year.

Let Morgan Cox play long snapper until he wants to retire. He's from Tennessee. He lives in Tennessee. He's happy. He's still good at the job. He may be older, but who cares? If he wants to keep doing it, I want him to keep doing it. Morgan Cox is a really good long snapper. Just a couple seasons removed from being an all-pro in Baltimore. I mean, he's a great, great long snapper. Does a great

job. As for Kicker, I wanted to hit this real quick before we go because we haven't talked about Kicker. Again, bring Nick Folk back. 93% on his PATs. A lot of that had to do with Craig Aukerman not having a good plan. He was 96.7% on his field goals. Made a lot of his field goals. Made some 50-yarders.

Just bring him back on a one-year deal for $2.5 million. Seems fair. But then, also, should probably bring in a younger guy as an undrafted free agent just to compete. If they don't want to do that, if they don't want to bring back Nick Folk, who's, I mean, 39, going to be 40 years old,

Cameron Dicker is available. 24 years old. Chase McLaughlin, available. 28 years old. Like, Joey Sly. You could bring in one of these mid-tier guys. You know, Cameron Dicker I would be more interested in just because he's so young, 93% on his field goals last year, 100%.

He's an exclusive rights-free agent for the Chargers, though. They'll probably just bring him back. But, I mean, just saying, there are options out there. Younger guys, bring in a younger guy. Bring back Nick Folk. Let him compete. That's what they are options out there. Younger guys, bring in a younger guy. Bring back Nick Folk. Let him compete. That's what they need to do there. But with that being said,

that is going to close out our 2024 Locked on Titans free agency preview. Hope you guys enjoyed. Again, I'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow with a mock predictive free agency to tell you who I do think the Titans actually signed. Can't wait to go over that with you guys. Make sure you're with me. Get subscribed.

Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. But with that being said, as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland. And this, got to time it up. Oh, yeah. Here it comes. What's locked on Titans? What's locked on Titans? Huh?

Huh? Huh? Yeah. Here it comes. What's locked on Titans?