Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans DO NOT Franchise Tag Harold Landry - Why, What Now and How NFL News Impacts Titans Plans!!

Episode Date: March 8, 2022

The Tennessee Titans decided to NOT franchise tag Harold Landry on Tuesday. Why did they decide that and what comes next? Tyler breaks down all aspects of the decision and why it doesn't mean Landry is gone in Free Agency! Next, some MAJOR news came from the NFL Tuesday including players who DID get the franchise tag! Three of them were Tight Ends the Titans might have had interest in. Where do the Titans go from here? Tyler goes over some good options that still remain. Finally, the biggest news of the day centered around two Hall-Of-Fame quarterbacks! Aaron Rodgers will stay with the Packers and Russel Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in a shocker. How do these pieces of news affect the Titans? Tyler explains the ramifications!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans\Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” 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!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. 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, it is a major Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Tuesday was one of the craziest days in NFL offseason history, and it included the Tennessee Titans not placing the franchise tag on outside linebacker Harold Landry. Not only that, we saw some franchise tags get placed on some tight ends, and we saw two major news stories surrounding two Hall of Fame-level quarterbacks. I'm going to tell you how all of the day's news affects the Tennessee Titans,

and of course, we will start by talking about the Harold Landry news, how not tagging Harold Landry affects the Tennessee Titans offseason, and what comes next. All of that on a big time Wednesday 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, it is a Wednesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. A ton of news to discuss. of the Locked on Titans podcast.

A ton of news to discuss. First and foremost, we have to talk about the Tennessee Titans deciding not to franchise tag pass rusher and outside linebacker Harold Landry. We're going to talk about everything that stems from that decision on today's show. Before we get into it, I've got to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Days like today are exactly why you make the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. I'm going to be pumping out Monday through Friday daily Tennessee Titans content, not only during the season, but all year long.

You're not going to find that anywhere else. Make sure that you subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. You're going to find the Locked on Titans podcast there. It's free, always available on all platforms, and that includes the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. Subscribe over there. Catch the show on video. Hit that notification bell so you're always notified when new content goes live.

Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now, and you've got to check out my Twitter account, at TicTacTitans for my additional analysis there. Also, check out the show Facebook page at LockedOnTitansPod. But with all that out of the way, it is time to dive into this news. And it was a little bit of a shock to me.

If you guys have been watching the show for the all season since the end of the year, even during the season, I made it known and very clear that it was my opinion that the Tennessee Titans need to do whatever they can to keep Harold Landry around, even if that included franchise tagging him for $18.7 million on a one-year deal. Now, here's the other thing. If the Titans franchise tag Harold Landry, that would give them more time to work out

that long-term deal. But downside of that is, if you do use the franchise tag on Landry, then that $18.7 million, if you don't get a long-term deal done by the start of free agency next week, will count against the cap and really hamstring what the Titans can do in free agency. So John Robinson and company decided we are not going to franchise tag Harold Landry. We can't have $18.7 million of cap space tied up if we're unable to get a long-term deal done with Landry by the start of free agency. Now, obviously, I'm very high on what Landry brings to this team.

Yes, he is not an elite, pure pass rusher. He's not that. But the versatility that Harold Landry gives to the Titans. He can rush the passer. He can run stunts and twists and loops on the defensive line. He can drop back into coverage when the Titans run those fire blitzes and those zone blitzes. He

can stand up as an off-ball linebacker in a 4-3 alignment. He gives the Titans front multiplicity, which is something that Mike Vrabel talked about when he was hired as head coach. I mean, Harold Landry is the key to the defensive front seven that allowed them to have different fronts and to play 4-3 and to play 3-4 because of the versatility that Harold Landry displayed. He's missed one game in his first four years as a Titan. Incredible durability. So versatility, durability, production. Everybody says, oh, Harold Landry only had one good year.

He had the 12 sacks. He had nine sacks in his second year when Cameron Wake was on the opposite side of him. If you give Harold Landry just a smidgen of a reliable partner on the other edge, Harold Landry's going to be an incredibly productive player for you. So I am a little bit shocked here, but here's what I do want to say.

There is some optimism ahead of us. So number one, the Titans definitely do have the ability to get a long-term deal done with Landry before free agency kicks off so they can have their cake and eat it too. You get a long-term deal done with Landry where his cap hit can be manipulated so that he only really cost the Titans $10 million on the salary cap this season. And then that gives you that additional money to go out and maybe get a tight end, go out and maybe get an interior offensive lineman, go out and maybe get a wide receiver, whatever you decide to do with that extra money. And reports coming from Teron Davenport from ESPN say that the Titans did not tag Harold Landry, but they do believe that they will be able to get a long-term deal done with him. And the

plan is still to have Harold Landry in Nashville. And while I do believe that report, and I do believe that that is the case, by not tagging Harold Landry, now you've set yourself up to, he has no need to take a long-term deal for the Titans if the Titans aren't the highest bidder. And you may be thinking to yourself, well, you know, no big deal. Harold Landry goes, the Titans can't afford him. It is what it is. But let me say this. There are some people online who I have seen express the opinion that Harold Landry's production and Harold Landry's role could be filled or could be replaced by Danico Autry, by Rashad Weaver, by Bud Dupree.

Let me make this perfectly clear. None of those three players have the skill set to replace what Harold Landry does for this defense. Danico Autry, Rashad Weaver, and Bud Dupree cannot drop back into coverage 190 times in a season. Danico Autry, Rashad Weaver, and Bud Dupree cannot play off-ball linebacker in a 4-3 front to give you that front multiplicity that this defense is searching for.

You fundamentally change what this defense can be when you take Harold Landry's versatility, scheme versatility, out of the equation. So a very risky move for the Titans. I get it. They didn't want to have that nearly $19 million in cap space tied up. out of the equation. So a very risky move for the Titans. I get it. They didn't want to have that nearly $19 million in cap space tied up at the beginning of free agency, but at what cost?

Because in my opinion, this is what I have to say about the entire situation here. If the Titans take a step back whatsoever in the pass rush department, even if they improve on offense some, the team is worse. I've said this before. The second most important thing in football besides the quarterback position is pass rush. The only thing that can negate elite quarterback play is pass rush. The only thing that can negate elite quarterback

play is pass rush. If the Titans take even a single slight step back on defense this year while improving slightly on offense, they will be a worse team for it. So while the reports do indicate that the Titans want to get a long-term deal done with Harold Landry,

a long-term deal that gives them their cake and lets them eat it too, as I said before, great. That makes me feel great. But they run the risk now of losing Harold Landry and best believe that a productive, durable, young, versatile edge rusher,

even while not being a top-tier pass rusher, is on the free agent market, they are going to get paid. This is a potentially major miscalculation by the Titans front office. And when you look at the cost of Bud Dupree and what he gives the Titans, and then you look at maybe letting Harold Landry go, it just makes me even more frustrated, even more upset. But here's the thing.

Just makes me even more frustrated, even more upset. But here's the thing. The Titans have until Monday to get a long-term deal done with Landry before he hits free agency. And the reports are that's what they want to do. And by God, I hope that they find a way to do it. Because if not, I am very worried about the 2022 Tennessee Titans. So that's my take on the situation. We are going to talk more as the week progresses

about what the Titans can do with this. We talked yesterday. Yesterday's show was a free agency preview. I talked about Harold Landry's tax situation. But in my second and third segments, I looked at other free agent options on the edge market, what the Titans should be looking at if Harold Landry walks, what they should be looking at if they keep Harold Landry around.

So if you want to dive back into that information, it's all there available for you on yesterday's show. But there was a ton of crazy NFL news that took place on Tuesday, including franchise tags actually being placed on certain players. And there were three players who got the franchise tag who will greatly impact the Tennessee Titans free agent plan. So we'll talk about that in just a moment. Before we get into it, though, do want to tell you guys about the best tasting protein

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With a protein bar, they're low-calorie, low-sugar, high-protein, high-fiber. Make sure that you go to Bilt.com right now. Use the promo code LOCKED15 and you'll get 15% off your order. Once again, that's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at Bilt.com. Titans fans, let's continue this Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We're going to talk about some players who did get the franchise tag and how that affects the Titans going into free agency. Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Make sure that you're

also following the Locked on NFL podcast. Locked on experts are covering the biggest stories around the NFL every Monday through Friday in less than 30 minutes. I'm the host of the Thursday National Show, so even if you just subscribe to help support me, I would appreciate that greatly, but I also want to tell you guys that they're constantly doing league-wide live events and roundtables, and I was a part of one of those on Tuesday night discussing all this crazy national NFL news. So the Locked On NFL podcast available on all platforms and always free. That includes YouTube as well, so subscribe over there. Would greatly appreciate it.

But three names that got the franchise tag that impact the Titans were all tight ends. We saw David Njoku, we saw Mike Kosicki, and we saw from the Dallas Cowboys, Dalton Schultz get the franchise tag as well. So that's three tight ends that were at the top of the market, quite frankly. The only other names that are even close are like a Zach Ertz or a Rob Gronkowski, but those were the three top tight ends on the market.

Obviously, the Titans were in the business of upgrading at tight end one and upgrading the weapons around Ryan Tannehill. So this does put a damper on, you know, those plans that they may have had. Now, getting the franchise tag for these players kind of was expected. Njoku was kind of on that line, but Schultz and Gasicki, it was kind of expected that this would happen. But now, when you look at the Titans tight end targets, it brings you into the mid tier. But the reality for me is that's where I wanted the Titans to be

all along. Yeah. A Rob Gronkowski on a one-year deal would make a ton of sense. If Tom Brady could talk his friend into playing for his other friend, Mike Vrabel, that would be a perfect fit on a one-year deal. Yes, 100%. I agree there. But if Gronk doesn't really see the Titans as a championship contender, which who could fault him at this point in time for that, then why would he come back and sacrifice his body for a team that doesn't have a chance to win a championship? So I don't really see that as a super realistic option. It could happen.

I'm not going to rule it out, but I just don't think that's the most likely thing that can happen. I think the most likely thing that can happen is that the Titans take a look at that mid-tier of free agents and names that I've identified all along. Gerald Everett from the Seattle Seahawks gives you a little bit in the blocking game.

A good run after the catch option. A guy that can move around a little bit as a tight end. Do those backside flat routes when the Titans do a bootleg on the play action and they have the tight end go from one side of the formation behind the line of scrimmage, behind the offensive line to the other flat and they do the quick dump off. We've seen that from the Titans for three straight years now

as a pivotal play in the playbook and a pivotal option for Ryan Tannehill on some of those bootlegs. Everett could really do well in those situations while also being just as good of a blocker, if not a little bit better than Jeff Swaim. Another guy who makes a ton of sense for me and maybe even is taking the top spot in my mind away from Gerald Everett is Tyler Conklin, who played for the Minnesota Vikings. Again, solid blocker, good red zone option, has a little bit more consistent receiving talent than Gerald Everett, maybe not as good run after the catch,

but a better route runner, a more traditional tight end. That would make a ton of sense as well. A guy like maybe OJ Howard, you would take a chance on. A guy like CJ Uzama, who has some issues with the Titans locker room, so you wonder how much that would factor in, but that would make a lot of sense. A lot of you guys like Hayden Hurst, although I've soured a bit on Hayden Hurst from my Intel talking about what

kind of blockery is in the physicality that he plays with out on the field. I think that maybe I've soured a bit on Hurst, but that could be an option as well. Like I mentioned, OJ Howard would be a high risk, but potentially high reward player if he could stay healthy and turn into what people thought he could be when he was drafted in the first round in 2017. So there are options for the Titans at tight end

that I think would make a ton of sense that don't have to be these top tier options, that don't have to be these guys who are at the top of the market. Taking a look at my notes here, full transparency. I want to make sure that I give you guys all of the best names that could possibly be out there. No way around it. Want to make sure that I give you guys the best information.

Another guy who could potentially make sense, who could be stolen away from the Indianapolis Colts, Mo'Ally Cox. That's another guy. Now, he doesn't give you a ton of high upside. He's not really going to improve at all as a player. He's an older guy, so I don't really see him getting a ton better and improving. But what he gives you right now, very good guy with the ball in his hands, strong physical runner, willing to block physical, will put his nose in there.

Also, a good red zone target. Got that basketball background, which we see is pretty common with tight ends these days. So, all of that makes sense. Those are options that make sense. Gerald Everett, Tyler Conklin, CJ Uzama, OJ Howard, Mo Alley-Cox. I kind of have those guys in order. I would prefer Everett and I would prefer Conklin over any of the available options. A guy like Kyle Rudolph, even, who was released by the Giants could make a ton of sense as

well. I like Kyle Rudolph even, who was released by the Giants, could make a ton of sense as well. So I think all of those names are still available for the Titans, are still going to be available for the Titans in free agency. And again, I know that a lot of people want to get a tight end in the draft, and I'm not saying that the Titans shouldn't do that. I think the Titans should ultimately get a tight end in the mid-rounds of the draft, but the reality is that tight ends that are taken outside of the top 10 of the NFL draft rarely are ready to produce on a serious level in their rookie season.

Look at Jonu Smith, who was absolutely not ready to be a full-time contributor for the Titans in his rookie season. So you got to go out and get a reliable tight end one in free agency. Supplement that with someone in the NFL draft that can be your tight end too, that you can groom to be your tight end one. And then I say, bring back a guy like Anthony Ferkser who can still be that third down pass specialist tight end and play his role within the offense. So that's how I'm seeing the tight end position based on the franchise tag news that we got on Tuesday. That wasn't anywhere close to the biggest news in the NFL on Tuesday, though. The quarterback news really broke Twitter. There's no way around it. Aaron Rodgers going back to the

Green Bay Packers. Russell Wilson traded to the Denver Broncos. How does this impact the Tennessee Titans, though? I'll dive into that here in just a moment. in just a moment. Titans fans, let's cap off this insane Wednesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. We talked about Harold Landry not getting the franchise tag. We talked about how the tight ends

at the top of the free agent market getting franchise tag affects the Tennessee Titans plans. But now, how does the biggest news from Tuesday impact the Titans? It may not seem like it impacts them a ton on its face, but there definitely are some ripple effects and some waves from that news that will crash onto the Titans, even if just a little bit.

Now, before we get into that, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every day. As for your second listen, check out the Locked on NFL Draft podcast. It's hosted by Ryan Tracy and former NFL cornerback Eric Crocker. They're bringing the NFL Draft to life every single day

by not only giving you insight and analysis on college football prospects, but also giving you the perspective of NFL front offices. The Locked On NFL Draft Podcast is free and available wherever you get your podcast. But like I said, the big news of the day, Aaron Rodgers going back to the Green Bay Packers, Russell Wilson being traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos.

Huge news. Now, on its face, immediately, right out of the gate, Titans fans are going to say, well, obviously it impacts the Titans because the Titans didn't trade for either of those guys. Well, as I've said throughout the entire offseason, it is not

likely or logical that the Titans were ever going to trade for either of those guys. And quite frankly, if you listen to the Titans general manager, he told you from the time the season ended all the way up until the press conferences last week in the combine that Ryan Tannehill was going to be the quarterback in 2022. It's on you if you decided not to believe what he was saying.

There were some people who still tried to lie to themselves and say, oh, well, of course he's going to say that. He doesn't want to ruin Tannehill's confidence, ruin negotiation. No, he just told you the truth. Ryan Tannehill was going to be the Titans quarterback in 2022. It was never going to be anything else. And on Saturday morning, I believe it was, Mike Florio, I just talked about this

on yesterday's show. Mike Florio, or was it Monday's show? Yeah, Monday's show. Mike Florio came out with a bogus report over the weekend that the Broncos, the Steelers, the Titans are all options for Aaron Rodgers. Crap!

That was negotiation by Aaron Rodgers to get the maximum deal he possibly could from the Green Bay Packers. That was never happening and that report was BS. And there were some people saying, well, Florio was right about Julio. Okay, one drop in the bucket doesn't mean that you got a full one. So,

that was always nonsense and I'm actually mad at myself for arguing with the bozos that I argued with on Saturday morning about that report being crap, because it was. It always was. Aaron Rodgers was never coming to the Titans. As I've said all along, not because the Titans wouldn't want Aaron Rodgers, but because it made no sense for the Packers to do that financially.

Made zero sense at all. So, anyways, now that we're past those nonsensical conversations about Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, we can move forward to how this really impacts the Tennessee Titans. And, number one, it makes the 2022 schedule that much more difficult because, number one, if Aaron Rodgers would have retired and got traded somewhere else, then that makes the Titans game against the Green Bay Packers,

which the Titans do play the Packers next year. That would make that game a lot easier than playing against the Packers led by Aaron Rodgers. Well, now they're going to have Aaron Rodgers and Devontae Adams, who was franchise tag, back on the team. So Titans are probably going to get smoked in that game like they did the last time they

played the Packers now. And also the Titans play the AFC West in 2022. The Raiders, the Chargers, the Chiefs, and the Denver Broncos. And you're kidding yourself if you don't think that the Broncos are mile, mile, a mile high better. Should I go? No? All right, yep. Nope, never mind. Sorry, guys. But anyways, the Broncos are just a way better football team now with Russell Wilson at quarterback compared to Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Locke, or if they would have traded for Carson Wentz

or Jameis Winston signing free agency or anything like that. So both those games on the Titans schedule just got way more difficult. So that's number one. That's my first takeaway. Number two, though, more immediately, more urgently, this impacts the Tennessee Titans in the draft. If you're somebody who wants the Tennessee Titans to trade back from 26 to wherever, well, they just lost a dance partner. Because the reason that teams trade up from the early second round or from the last few picks in the first round to the mid-20s is to get a quarterback. And with this quarterback class, not expected to have a bunch of

people in the top 15 picks or so. Guys like Matt Corral, guys like Desmond Ritter, or even maybe a guy like Kenny Pickett could fall back into the last six or seven picks in the first round. And the pick right before or right after the Tennessee Titans has the ability to be a team that's interested in a quarterback. So it would make sense that teams would look to trade up to the Tennessee Titans pick at 26 to get that quarterback. Well, the Broncos were a team that had picked number 40, I believe, and they're not going to trade up now. They have their quarterback. There's no reason for them to do that. So one logical dance partner for the Titans to accomplish a trade back in the draft while not, look, the Titans can trade back, but I don't want the Titans to accomplish a trade back in the draft while not look the Titans can trade back

But I don't want the Titans to go back 20 picks to past 45 Now you're you're not gonna get one of the top tier or second tier level players in the draft So I don't think it would be smart to go that far back but pick number 40 that made sense Well, that's off the table now. So really the only team team that makes any sense in 27 is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sorry, that was out of my mind when I was trying to explain it. But Tampa Bay could be looking for a young quarterback. So teams may want to jump up in front of them to make sure they get that young quarterback that they're interested in.

And the only team that's left that makes sense in my mind with how the draft is right now is the Detroit Lions. The Lions have pick number 32 and pick number 34. And while the Titans would never be able to get their hands on both those picks, I can see the Lions trading up from 32 to 26 to take Desmond Ritter or Matt Corral

or Kenny Pickett to get somebody in there who's young to compete with Jared Goff. They have picks, so it wouldn't be a complete waste of a pick. It's not like it's their only first-round pick. And if they trade up 32, they still have picked 34, which is their own pick. 32 would just be trading away the Rams pick.

So that's a great place to gamble on a young quarterback and just see what you get. And if you don't like what you got in that young quarterback, then you keep them around for one more season and you draft another quarterback again and even higher in the draft and go for a guy you like. So it would make sense for the Titans to do that. But either way around it, number one, this means for sure that the Titans aren't getting either of those two quarterbacks. Number two, it makes the 2022 schedule

that much harder for the Titans. And number three, it makes it even more difficult for them to trade back in the draft one less dance partner that makes sense. So that's how all that news affects the Titans. Not very positive, but either way, those are the waves that are falling down on the Titans after that massive tsunami of NFL news on Tuesday.

But hopefully, as the week progresses, we get a long-term deal for Harold Landry. I'll be here to break that down with you guys. If not, we'll continue our free agent preview throughout the rest of the week. But what an insane day. What an awesome episode. Make sure that you guys subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. And if you're one of those people who said that the Titans won't be bringing back Harold Landry, that he thinks that he's going to walk, feel free. Tell me in the comments. I'm an idiot. Whatever. I just cannot believe that John Robinson would allow a young, productive,

versatile, did everything that the team asked, perfect teammate, great in the locker room, great off the field. I just have a hard time believing that John Robinson would let that guy walk away, but we will see. Until free agency kicks off next week, there is still a chance. So you're telling me there's still a chance. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland,

and this was Locked on Titans.