Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans OC Todd Downing Arrested for DUI, Titans OL of the Future & 2023 LT Options

Episode Date: November 21, 2022

The Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing was arrested for DUI following the Titans win over the Green Bay Packers. What does this mean for the Titans and how will it impact them going forward? Next, the Titans offensive line had some great moments against the Packers and Tyler thinks the Titans may have found their answer at four of the five offensive line spots in 2023. What about the fifth spot? To cap off the show, Tyler goes over some options at left tackle for the Titans in the off-season!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONSimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnNFL to learn more.BlueNileMake your moment sparkle with Blue Nile. Go to BlueNile.com and use code lockedon to save fifty dollars on your purchase of five-hundred dollars or more.BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, the Titans got a big primetime win against the Green Bay Packers on a national stage. And within 12 hours, we find out that the Titans offensive coordinator, Todd Downing, has been arrested and charged with DUI. I'll explain what it means for the Titans going forward. Then, based on that game against Green Bay, I think four of the five spots on the Titans' offensive line in 2023

are solidified. Who solidified those spots? Why do I feel that way? And then, what about that fifth spot? Well, I got some options in the offseason in free agency and the draft that could fill that need for the Titans. So all of that and more 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. Titans fans, we got to talk about Todd Downing being arrested for DUI. My lord, Titans fans, we can't have nice things. But before we get into that, I do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy made easy. You just pick two to five players,

and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry. First-time users can get a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That's prizepix.com, promo code LOCKEDON. Thank you guys for making Locked On Titans your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen

or you just haven't subscribed yet, make sure you do. I'm going to be putting out daily, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year round, including on the Locked On Titans YouTube channel. So subscribe there, smash the notification bell and throw a thumbs up on the video. It goes a long way to support the channel. I definitely do appreciate it.

But with that being said, just the timeline of events here, guys. The Titans, big win, national stage. Quite frankly, Todd Downing's best called game of his entire tenure as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. And then we wake up on Friday morning and it's, what? What's going on? What? Who? What?

Who's mugshot us? Oh. Todd Downing. Titans offensive coordinator arrested, charged with DUI and speeding. It was crazy. It was crazy. No lie. But what does it mean going forward?

And there's two angles here. There's how it impacts the Titans as a team. And then this other national witch hunt, which sort of started percolating. So I'll dive into both of those first. What does it mean for the Titans going forward? Well, I guess really before we get into anything, don't drive drunk. Don't be an idiot. I mean, it's that simple. It's that simple. If it needs to be said, then it needs to be said. Don't drive drunk. Period. No excuse for it.

The Titans offer their employees free Lyft service. There is literally no excuse for Todd Downing to drive drunk or anyone to drive drunk ever. Now, number one, I'm no angel. I've made my own mistakes in my life, as I'm sure all of you guys watching have or will. So I'm not here to tell you any overarching thing about Todd Downing as a person. All I can tell you is driving drunk is idiotic. You put yourself at risk and everyone around you, so don't do it.

Natural disclaimer. For the Titans, the penalty for drunk driving per the personal conduct policy for the NFL seems to be three games but per a report from Paul Kaharski the Titans don't have immediate discipline set for Todd Downing

no league discipline is set as well the NFL usually waits out to see the evidence of the case, how it all plays out, and everything like that. So although I expect that if the charges stick and all that, remember this is all alleged and in process, if they stick, it'll be probably a three-game suspension. Well, here's the reality.

If they wait for the case to play out, we may not get anything anytime soon on Todd Downing and his status or any suspension or anything like that. And the other side of it is if he does get suspended, let's say Todd Downing got suspended tomorrow

for three games. I think it would be Tim Kelly that would end up calling the plays because he's got real experience as a play caller in the NFL. And although it came in a bad way, would it be the worst thing to get a look at Tim Kelly and know this is Tim Kelly's work? Just to see? I don't know.

I think it would be kind of interesting to see what Tim Kelly could do with the offense in a three-week span. But we don't know how it's going to play out. We don't know how long these things will take. But we do know that if the charges stick, it'll be a three-game suspension. I think you would see Tim Kelly call in plays.

But in the meantime, some people were saying, you know, Todd Downing be fired, this and that. I was pretty convinced that he's not going to be fired. It's a first-time offense as far as we know. But when you consider a report that came out from a local national television station, WSMV, it looks like Todd Downing was driving close to 100 miles per hour. He said that he was getting death threats against his family.

Things like that. A very bizarre incident. It's very reckless and very dangerous based on this report. So my initial reaction was Todd Downing probably won't be fired. But when you read some of the details, man, it is reckless and it's dangerous. some of the details, man, it is reckless and it's dangerous. And it's, I guess you don't know how the Titans will react when this thing finishes out, what they'll do

when they do have all the information that they need, what the league will do. But first time offense, probably going to be a three game suspension. If it comes to that, whether he gets fired or not, I don't have a good answer for you there. But either way, what I do want to touch on before we move forward is this national fake witch hunt for the Titans because they had alcohol on the plane or they may have had alcohol on the plane. The Atlanta Falcons were drinking Bud Lights in their stadium, what, a month ago or so? No alcohol on team property or in the locker room, things like that.

Taylor Heineke, last week for the Commanders, had a bucket of Bush Lights next to him on the plane. Bush was tweeting at him about it. Bush was tweeting at him about it. We cart champagne into locker rooms for playoff victories. Guys smoke cigars indoors after wins. I'm not saying it's right to allow this behavior. All I'm saying is we're not going to throw the book at the Titans here. It's preposterous to say something like that. I think that's absurd.

So this, in my opinion, is just the bad apple ruined in the orchard situation. It's like a teacher allowing you to chew gum in school. They're cool with it. And then one idiot puts a bunch of gum under their desk and halfway through the year, you're not allowed to chew gum in the classroom anymore because this one person blew it. Guys, these people drink on airplanes on the way home after victories. It happens. The Titans aren't the first.

They aren't the last. The league sent out a memo reminding people of the rules and all that. That's great. But let's lay off this witch hunt for the Titans. Todd Downing made an idiotic decision, a dangerous, reckless decision, but Titans aren't losing draft picks or getting fined or any. Let's all calm down on that. That's all I got to say on that one. So we're going to move forward here. One of the big positives coming out of that game against the Packers, the play of the Titans offensive line. I'm going to tell you guys what

made me so excited, why I think four of the five offensive line. I'm going to tell you guys what made me so excited, why I think four of the five offensive line spots for next year are solidified, and then we'll finish off the show looking at what the Titans can do about that fifth spot at left tackle. Before we get into that, though, do want to tell you guys about Total Wine & More. This holiday season, find what you love at Total Wine & More with so many great bottles to choose from. It's easy to find a new favorite, Cabernet or Chardonnay, or the perfect gifts for everyone on your list with some help from a friendly guide.

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and exclusions apply. Forget boring rental cars and find your drive at Turo.com. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's show talking about some actual football. Man, Todd, what are you doing? Oh, God. I guess from a non-analysis standpoint, just as a purely a fan here, man, how frustrating. The guy finally calls a good game. Titans got the best vibes they've had all season.

And then he does something dumb like this to make the organization look bad too? Despicable. Anyways, moving right along, talking about that football, wasn't it great to sit down and watch football all day on Sunday, knowing you got a Titans win in the back pocket and things are pretty good overall? I mean, I enjoyed it personally. Stress-free, very relaxing, really enjoyed it. But one of the best parts of the game was the Titans' offensive line. There's no way around it. The offensive line of the future, as I continue to say.

So something that I talked about going into the game, I wanted to see the Titans with Ben Jones out with the concussion. I wanted to see Aaron Brewer at center. I wanted to see Dylan Radins at left guard because I think next year in 2023, if Ben Jones retires, which man, he's, he's looking, he's looking old, man. He's an older player. He's been beat up. You feel bad for Ben Jones. He's truly a warrior. I just don't know how much more his body can take realistically. So he may retire after the season. If he does, Aaron Brewer is the perfect person to fill in that spot at center

because Aaron Brewer is undersized. He's freaking maybe 290 soaking wet. I think he's probably playing closer to 270, quite frankly, in the only position that you can realistically get away with that size at his center. I think Aaron Brewer is a true center. Mike Vrabel even said after the game that he thought Aaron Brewer did a good job. Also, Dylan Radins, probably a guard. And whether Dylan Radins is a guard or not, he's a left side player.

Dylan Radins needs to play on the left side of the offensive line. I think that he probably is a guard or not, he's a left side player. Dylan Radins needs to play on the left side of the offensive line. I think that he probably is a guard long-term and regardless of what I think, I think the Titans think he is a guard long-term. And with that in mind, Dylan Radins had an 87.5 pass blocking grade against the Packers. He gave up zero sacks and zero pressures. Kenny Clark is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL, a great pass rusher as well. Aaron Brewer at center and Dylan Radins at left guard allow zero pressures to Kenny Clark.

That is something you can build on. Now the run blocking grades in this game were not good. The Packers ran that 6-1 front all about stacking the interior, not allowing double teams, not allowing guys to get up to the second level. That's the entire goal. So it was tough out there.

Tough sledding for the Titans offensive line to execute the way that they want to. But even with that, we've all been worried about the pass blocking all year, right? If I asked you, what are you more worried about with the Titans offensive line, pass blocking or run blocking? You would tell me pass blocking 100 out of 100 times. So the fact that the Titans were able to pass block the way that they were with four of those five guys playing a good game,

we had Dylan Ravens at 87.5. We had Nate Davis, 77.6. Aaron Brewer, 69.9. NPF, 60.5. But then we had Dennis Daly with the lowest, 60.4. So my entire point here is, I think that Nate Davis has been good. Nate Davis has been good.

But Nate Davis isn't resetting the guard market. You know what I mean? Like, the way that Imani Hooker got paid a nice mid-range contract, I think that's the way that the Titans can pay David Long and Nate Davis. A nice mid-range contract. These guys aren't resetting the market. These guys aren't getting the highest bonus money we've seen at the position.

They're nice, solid players, but they haven't been the best at their, well, David Long's getting there with his play this year. We're getting in nervous territory when we talk about the money, but here's my point. I looked at the Titans roster and I did a little bit of finagling. And I think keeping Ryan Tannehill, restructuring Robert Woods,

cutting Taylor LeJuan, cutting Bud Dupree, cutting Zach Cunningham, with those moves right there, the Titans could have $30-40 million in cap space. You get David Long back. You get Nate Davis back. Remember, when they do deals with these guys, they give them their guaranteed money and it keeps the

cap hit low in year one. Like, Harold Landry's cap hit this year is like $5 million. You can keep the cap hit low. They did the same thing with Bud Dupree. Cap hit was low. Jeffrey Simmons is going to get a deal. His cap hit is going to be low for year one. So you get David Long. You get Nate Davis. You get Jeffrey Simmons back. You restructure Danico Autry. You cut Taylor LeJuan. You cut Zach Cunningham. You restructure

Robert Woods. You cut Bud Dupree. You do these moves and you carve out $30-40 million. You use $20 million of that on the three guys bringing them back. And then you got about $20-18 million to make some moves here. And I think that with Radins at left guard, Aaron Brewer at center, Nate Davis back at right guard, Aaron Brewer at center, Nate Davis back at right guard, and NPF at right tackle,

I think you can take that chunk of money, you can get wide receiver options and depth at cornerback in the draft, and then take your big chunk of free agency money and spend that on a new left tackle. And then you have new left tackle, Radins, Brewer, Davis, and P.F. And now you've got an offensive line

that you can feel good about. It's all possible and it's all there. But your natural question would then be, well, who's available at left tackle? Well, I'm going to give you all the options that I see right now I think it's a very good free agent class if you're looking for a top tier left tackle or if you're looking for some mid-range left tackle options which is really where I think the Titans could get some very good value so before we get into that do want to tell you guys

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when you sign up at prizepix.com for a 100% instant deposit match up to $100. Titans fans, we are going to cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about Todd Downing, major Titan Downing on that one. We talked about the Titans offensive line, and now I think we got a good glimpse of the future against the Packers on the offensive line. Love what I was able to see there in pass protection.

Well, now I want to talk about that fifth spot on the offensive line of the future and what I think the Titans can do at left tackle. Before I get into it, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, free Tennessee Titans content all year round on all platforms, including the Locked

On Titans YouTube channel. Subscribe, smash the notification bell, and throw a thumbs up on the video right now if you're watching. Do appreciate it. As for your second listen, check out Locked On Sports today. You get all the biggest sports stories, all the games that matter. You can go beyond the

scoreboard and behind the scenes with local experts and insights only Locked On can provide. Locked On Sports Today available on this app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. But who could play left tackle for the Titans on the offensive line of the future? Look, I recognize that there are options here. Like, you could bring back Taylor LeJuan on a super cheap deal, super team-friendly deal,

if he wants to give it a go one more time. And then you draft an offensive tackle in the first three rounds of the draft to be the heir apparent and see what you can do there. That's an option for you. Maybe that's the most viable option for the Titans if they don't want to spend a big chunk of that money on a left tackle.

If they want to restructure Bud Dupree or they want to restructure Zach Cunningham. You know, they make a trade for somebody. Something like that. So that's all a possibility. I recognize that. Draft somebody, give Taylor LeJuan a team-friendly deal, and see what happens there.

I think that's a pretty risky route, though. Taylor can't stay healthy, man. It's unfortunate that his body is betraying him. He was a really, really good pro-bowl-level player. Not all pro-level, but pro-bowl-level player when he was healthy and his best. But those days are gone. So I think it's real risky to do that, especially with, we have to acknowledge the Titans hit rate on offensive linemen early in the draft. Okay. So with that in mind, I think that I would rather,

like I talked about, I think the Titans can carve out 30 to $40 million in cap space. They can use about $15 to $18 of that on Jeffrey Simmons, David Long, and Nate Davis. And then they can use the remaining chunk of that to get a free agent left tackle. And who would be available to them? Well, at the top of the market, you would have a guy like Orlando Brown, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. He wasn't able to get the deal that he wanted before being franchise tagged, so he could hit the open market. Now, the problem is the projection on Orlando Brown is about $22.4 million per season. Now, if the Titans did sign him, they would

finagle the bonus money to where he would probably be around $10 million in salary cap hit the very first season. And then that would allow you to do that. But for me, even though Brown is 26, he's had some injuries. I don't think he's played his best at Kansas City this year either. So I don't think that's the route I would want to go for top money market. If it was a guy like Teron Armstead, who was available in this year's free agent class, then yeah, I would be for that. But with that in mind,

some guys below Orlando Brown that I think could make some sense, Jack Conklin. Maybe the Titans want to move NPF over to left tackle. You bring Jack Conklin back to the organization. He's had his injuries. He's 28, 29 years old. So you could probably have him on a mid-range deal.

You bring him back because he wants to reconnect with the franchise and see what he can do. That's a possibility, but for my money, I'd rather decline on that. Conklin has been beat up with the injuries. He's going to be more expensive than maybe some of these other guys that I think could be available, and there's more natural fits. I like NPF at right tackle, so don't want to do anything like that.

Getting into the range of guys who I think could make some sense. If the Titans wanted to spend some real money at left tackle, So don't want to do anything like that. Getting into the range of guys who I think can make some sense. If the Titans wanted to spend some real money at left tackle, a guy like Elton Jenkins, who's been banged up for the Packers this year, but throughout the first, you know, rookie contract that he's had in the NFL, Elton Jenkins has been all pro level. He's played guard, he's played tackle, and he's played them well. I think a guy like Elton Jenkins, who's only 27 years old right now or will be 27 by next season,

that's a guy that you invest money in knowing that you're going to have five years of high-level play from this guy. You don't have to wonder if he can play at a high level. You know he will. So that's one of the more expensive options, but I don't think it'll be top-of-the-market money like you would see with Orlando Brown.

Underneath that, two guys that I think make a lot of sense for the Titans, and they were trade options that I talked about during the season. Andre Dillard, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles right now. He's the backup to Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. Mailata and Lane Johnson are some of the best tackles in the NFL. So you could say the guy is a backup and use that to bring him down. But the Eagles have a ton of talent at tackle. And Andre Dillard, I think, is a starting level offensive tackle in the NFL.

He just needs to get out of Philadelphia and get the opportunity to do so. I think he would make a ton of sense for the Titans. He's still 27 years old. We've seen him play very well despite not being a starter right now. And I think not being a starter this year, would allow you to get Dillard at a much more logical price point than somebody like Orlando Brown, Conklin, or Elton Jenkins. Besides him, another guy in a similar situation, Isaiah Wynn, offensive tackle for the New England Patriots.

He's been passed up on the depth chart by guys who are playing better, but he's still a first round pedigree type guy. And he's the kind of guy who would give him an opportunity and a new place. I think that maybe he could have some success not being a starter the full year this year brings that price down and makes him a little bit more manageable. You could probably get him around, you know, 12 to $14 million a year with a cap hit in the first year of about $5 to $6 million. So that makes it a little bit more economical for the Titans rather than one of the top contracts at the position.

You know guys get cut as well. There will be cap casualties that go on the market at offensive tackle once we get to free agency. So there are some there. Jawan Taylor is another guy who is more of a cheaper right tackle option. I say cheaper, but it'll be more of a mid-range option place for Jacksonville right now. You could bring him in, comes out of Florida. I think he's a solid player. So I think those are all options. Now, of course, if you want to go into the draft, which I know some of you guys will want to do, you got Fashanu, I'm pronouncing it

incorrectly, from Penn State, but he's probably going to go top 10. Same thing, Paris Johnson from Ohio State, Peter Skowronski from Northwestern, Broderick Jones from Georgia. I know that it's a good tackle class. It is going to be a good tackle class, but the Titans are going to be picking in the mid-20s. These tackles go off the board quickly. You think the Titans are going to be a good tackle class, but the Titans are going to be picking in the mid-20s. These tackles go off the board quickly. You think the Titans are going to be able to get somebody who's going to be a day one starter at left tackle in the first round in the late 20s, mid-20s? That's risky to me. So even if you go the mid-range Taylor LeJuan deal,

and then you bring in an early rookie even in the first round. How do we feel about that? I would rather just go with a free agent and then take an offensive lineman in the third, fourth round in that range and then go get wide receiver and cornerback help in the first and second round. Try to look at it that way. That's much more palatable for me if I looked at the offseason playing a little bit early. That's what I would be looking for. So those are options. Again, I'll say Dylan Radins at left guard, Aaron Brewer at center,

Nate Davis at right guard back on a mid-range interior offensive line deal, NPF in a second year at right tackle, and then you go out and you get a guy like Elton Jenkins on the high end or a guy like Andre Dillard or Isaiah Wynn in the mid-range area and have them play left tackle. Take your early draft capital, spend that on wide receiver, cornerback, and then in the mid-rounds, add another young offensive tackle into the mix and see where you go there.

That would be my plan. Those are my options. That's what I would do with the offensive line of the future. But that's going to do it for today, folks. I hope you guys did enjoy the stress-free Tennessee Titans Sunday. But as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on tight.