Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Free Agency Recap: Bud Dupree Signs, Titans Add Two Role Players & More!

Episode Date: March 16, 2021

Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, be honest with me. You were worried. You started to get a little nervous, started to get a little paranoid. The Titans are letting all their good players go.

All of these names are coming off the market. Where's John Robinson? What are we doing? I tried to preach patience all day long on social media, but I'm not going to lie to you guys either. There as we started getting into the early evening, I was feeling that anxiety as well. But better late than never for Tennessee Titans General Manager John Robinson, who was able

to complete three deals on day one of NFL free agency. I am breaking down all of those deals for you on today's Locked on Titans podcast. I want to remind you, I'm going to be putting out Monday through Friday Tennessee Titans content, not only during the season, but all year long. And this is the only place that you're going to find that. So make sure that you subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Follow me on Twitter at TicTacTitans and check out the new Facebook page at Locked on Titans pod. But the Titans were able to complete three deals.

Number one, the biggest of them all, edge rusher Bud Dupree. So we're going to dive into that deal first, talk about what it means for the Titans and why it was so important considering what was left on the market at the time. And then we are going to dive into the other two signings that the Titans made. And although the money isn't quite as big as in the Bud Dupree deal, I do feel like these two signings could be just as important for the Titans going forward. And then at the end of today's show, we can't pass through day one of free agency without

talking about some of the players that the Titans lost on the day, not just for comp pick purposes, but also want to dive into the reasoning as to why the Titans may have chosen to spend their money in the ways that they have. So a monster episode here on the Locked On Titans podcast, breaking down everything from day one of NFL free agency. Let's get it. you know it's funny I talked in today's intro about you know anxiety and being nervous about whether the Titans were going to make a move I'm nervous right now that the Titans are going to make more moves it's about 10 o'clock here on the East Coast. I am truly trying to wait as long as possible

so I can break everything down for you guys and give you a really good summary of day one. But I think that we are out of the madness for today. So I feel comfortable diving into this Bud Dupree signing. So we have all been waiting for a top- edge rusher we knew about a ton of different names on the market Shaq Barrett, Romeo Aquara, Trey Hendrickson, Yannick Ngakwe, Matthew Judon just to name a few there are obviously more names in there Carl Lawson of course was a fan favorite but the Titans settle in and target Bud Dupree. Looks like the deal is going to be about $16.5 million per year.

Now, we don't know the exact terms of the contract at this time, and it was previously reported right when the signing broke that the deal is agreed to, but the years and the terms are not necessarily set. And this goes back to a conversation that we had been having throughout all of my free agency previews, that teams are going to be looking to keep cap hits, what actually goes against the salary cap this year because of the COVID depressed cap.

They're going to try to keep that really, really low and push guaranteed money into the future. So I'm certain that's why the terms of the contract with Bud Dupree are not necessarily completely available yet. So I'm certain that's why the terms of the contract with Bud Dupree are not necessarily completely available yet. So we will watch that. And that's something that we'll break down in future episodes. So make sure that you do subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast.

But we know it's going to be about $16.5 million per year. We know it's going to be a couple of different years, multiple years indeed. So probably past two. But let's talk about Bud Dupree as a player incredible burst incredible tenacity he's going to hustle from whistle to whistle or from snap to whistle and John Ledyard actually one of the better NFL analysts in the NFL cognoscenti actually said that he is the anti-Vick Beasley. So we're going to hear more from John Ledyard in the future, but just going to leave that there. So the anti-Vick Beasley, I can start there with that

burst, that tenacity, that athleticism. He's got great ball production as well. He's had 19 and a half sacks over the last two seasons, and he has caused from his pressure, he has caused nine turnovers since 2019. So basically the last two seasons, he's been incredible. Now, one thing that you do got to mention, he did tear his ACL during the 2020 season. And his rehab, by all indications and reports, is going very, very well. But, you know, typically you're not going to hear anything different. The agent, the PR team around him is not going to let negative news come out. But at this moment in time, we have no reason to doubt that he'll be ready for training camp.

And he said that himself. He plans to be ready for training camp. Now, outside of the ACL, he has had some injury concerns earlier in his career that he really was able to battle through. I don't see that as a major knock on him. But there was some spotty production earlier in his career as well. If you look at those early years, at least from a sack production standpoint, he only had four sacks his first year in 2015, then four and a half, then six, then five and a half. So the first four years of his career, he didn't really have a dominant season. But then you get to the 11.5 in 2019 that really blew him up onto the scene as a possible

top-tier edge rusher. He had eight sacks last year in 11 games before he tore that ACL. So you could see how the numbers and the projections would line up for another double-digit sack season. So it makes sense that he's in this range. It makes sense he would be getting that kind of money. But one thing I do want to mention is the Titans don't have a TJ Watt on the other side of Bud Dupree to go along with him. So is that going to affect the type of player that he is? I'm going to be honest with you guys. I'm lukewarm on the signing. There are other names

that I probably would have preferred. But I do want to say this. Although I'm up and down lukewarm on Bud Dupree because of all the reasons that I talked about, both good and bad, what I will say is I wanted the Titans to reallocate their funds to address the defensive line, to address the pass rush. And although, like I said, I'm on Bud Dupree as the name out of that list, I can't fault John Robinson for saying,

hey, this is the guy that we want and this is the guy that we are going to get. So if John Robinson believes in Bud Dupree, although I know that John Robinson's history here with edge rushers is very spotty, and I recognize that and understand that. If John Robinson truly believes that he's the guy to fix the problem, well then, who are we to tell him any different? I wanted big time money spent on a pass rusher, and John Robinson gave that to me. So we will see whether Bud Dupree is the answer or not.

But either way, the Titans are doing their best and using the money in a way that I agree with to try to fix that problem. So we'll talk more about the Bud Dupree signing and about how he fits in the defense. I'm going to do a big deep dive on him from a film perspective. I'm going to dive into all of his snaps from the last two seasons and see what kind of player the Titans are truly getting and how he can fit in the scheme.

So much more Bud Dupree conversation to come in the next episodes coming down the pike this week. But we have more signings to dive into. Two other signings that may not be as high profile as the Bud Dupree signing, but I think could have a major impact for the Titans as well. Before we do get into that, though, I want to remind you about our friends over at betonline.ag. March Madness is this weekend, and you're going to want to make sure that you place

all of your bets on betonline.ag. It's not just college basketball and March Madness, though. Of course, you've got the NBA and NHL in full swing. Also, BetOnline has you covered for award shows, TV shows, and even reality TV, real-time updated odds and props on pretty much anything you can imagine. So head to their website or use your mobile device. Sign up for free at BetOnline.ag today. And if you use promo code LOCKEDON, that's one word, LOCKEDON, you'll receive a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. They are literally giving you free money. So head to betonline.ag,

sign up using promo code LOCKEDON, and take advantage of the offer. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. The marquee signing on Monday for the Titans was obviously edge rusher Bud Dupree, but there were two other signings that the Titans made that I think could have a major impact on the 2021 season as well. We're going to dive into those two signings. Before we do, I told you about betonline.ag where you can place all of your March Madness bets.

But if you need any advice on which bets to place, you have to check out the Locked On Bets podcast, the new podcast from the Locked On Bets podcast, the new podcast from the Locked On Podcast Network, hosted by your boy Q and handicapping expert Lee Sterling. They're going to get you ready to go every day with daily picks, blowout specials, and Lee Sterling's lock of the day. Make sure that you follow the Locked On Bets podcast, brought to you by betonline.ag, wherever you get podcasts.

But the first signing we are going to dive into for the Titans, well, I guess it's the second signing that we are going to dive into, but the first of this segment is defensive lineman Danico Autry. So first of all, Danico Autry is coming over from Indianapolis. So this addition is twofold. You're adding a talented player on the defensive line and also taking a talented player away from your division rivals. So you've got to love that. And quite honestly, if you ranked how excited I am about the three signings,

this would rank as number one for me. So let me explain why. So Danico Autry is 30 years old. Yes, he is an older player, a veteran in the NFL, but he has been the most productive in his last few seasons once he got to Indianapolis in 2018. He had nine sacks in that first season, three and a half in 2019, but then seven and a half this past season in 2020. So that's 20 sacks in the last three years. Incredible production from an interior defensive lineman.

He's a big guy. He's 6'5", about 280 pounds. He's going to play defensive end and defensive tackle. So think about the Jack Crawford role, how Crawford would play that 4-3 defensive end for the Titans, but could also kick inside and rush from the interior in sub-packages and passing situations. So Danico Autry, in theory, is going to be rushing next to Jeffrey Simmons when the Titans

go with that pass rush package, when they have six defensive backs on the field, five defensive backs on the field, and have four pass rushers. So right now, in theory, you're going to have Bud Dupree, Danico Autry, Jeffrey Simmons, and Harold Landry. Sounds pretty good in theory, right? Well, we thought so last year, and things kind of went awry, but why not be optimistic? What's the point in being pessimistic at this time when we don't know what's going to happen? So I like the addition of Danico Autry most out of all three of the signings. Really excited about what he can do next to Jeffrey Simmons.

And think about it this way, guys. This is the way that we have to think about this. Daquan Jones got paid $7 million last year, and his market value is about $6 to $7 million. last year and his market value is about six to seven million dollars well the Titans deal with Danico Autry is three years 21 million dollars there's a guarantees of 14 million dollars it's basically a two-year deal for 14 million dollars that's basically the deal that we're looking at here we know the structure we know that it's about seven million per year but those first two years are the only years that are guaranteed and what's interesting is the Colts were trying to beat the Titans out to retain Autry, but the Titans were willing to guarantee more money in his second year, and that's ultimately

what got the job done. So again, you take him away from a division rival. That gets me even more excited about this. But Danico Autry, like I mentioned, can play that defensive end role not only in a 4-3 alignment, but he can play a 5 technique in a 3-4 alignment. Works perfect as a balance for Jeffrey Simmons. He can also play a little bit of 3 technique in sub packages, like I said. He got double teamed a lot in Indianapolis, and like I was saying, you put all that together with the Titans basically took the $7 million they were paying Daquan Jones, who a defensive tackle nose tackle and decided to pay that seven million dollars to Danico Autry who's going to help you more in the way of pass rush like I said 20 sacks in the last three seasons and he's going to be more of a Jack Crawford type

the Titans can get a cheaper nose tackle even let Tyre Tart, an undrafted free agent from last season, take that nose tackle role from Daquan Jones and then use Danico Autry and more of the Jack Crawford, Daquan Jones role there. So they're kind of changing on the defensive line where they're going to use that $7 million. And I, for one, have been begging for more pass rush help. So you add Bud Dupree on the outside

and then you transfer that $7 million from a nose tackle-defensive tackle to a defensive tackle-defensive end hybrid who can actually rush the passer and has 20 sacks in the last three years. I mean, just a masterstroke from John Robinson. Adding in, taking him away from a division rival. I mean, I could go on and on and on.

I love this deal. I love adding Danico Autry to the Titans defensive line. So excellent there from John Robinson. We're going to talk about the next deal here. And this is the lowest key deal of them all, the least interesting of them all. But I'm going to explain to you why. I actually think it's fantastic and the Titans have signed offensive tackle Kendall Lamb to a two-year deal for up to, up to, that's the key word here, up to $8.25 million. So let me explain. I don't know this for certain, but you guys can take my word for it here. We'll talk in the next segment about how you can kind of take my word for certain things. So when it says up to $8 million, that's all playing time incentives.

So if Dennis Kelly or Taylor LeJuan get hurt and Kendall Lamb plays a bunch of games, then he's going to make more money. But the reality is this is going to be a two-year deal worth about $4 million. It's going to be about $2 million per season. It's basically the Ty Sambrillo deal, but they're going with Kendall Lamb instead of Ty Sambrillo. And I love that because Kendall Lamb's more athletic. Kendall Lamb caught a touchdown against the Titans in 2020. If you guys remember, the Browns got a big-man touchdown against the Titans,

and they were kind of trying to rub it in when the Titans ran that play to Aaron Brewer for some reason on third down, not in the end zone. Not going to hash all the way back to that. But either way, Kendall Lamb is an athletic tackle, so it makes sense in the Titans scheme that he could step in as a backup. And the Titans love that heavy tight end role where they use an offensive tackle like a David Questenberry or an Aaron Brewer who's interior. But you know what I'm saying.

They love using that offensive lineman in heavy packages as a passing threat. Kendall Lamb has the athleticism to be able to do that for you. Now, he only started one game last year. The Browns were healthy on the offensive line, but he played 15 games in Houston in 2018, was with Houston the first four years of his career. So there's the Mike Vrabel connection there. Started two games in 2019. So he is a backup tackle. He's a swing tackle, but he's going to fill that Ty Sambrillo role while also being able to give the Titans that athletic offensive lineman they can use in goal line passing situations as well. So, fill in multiple roles for a contract that's very economical, and they're going to pay the guy more money if he does, in fact, have to play games. Kendall Lamb, somebody who I would be comfortable with playing a few games

in the way of Taylor LeJuan or in the way of Dennis Kelly if they were to get hurt. Now, I wouldn't count on him for a full season, but similarly to Ty Sambrillo, the Titan system makes it as easy as possible on offensive linemen, so I really like the fit there. I'm excited. I'm probably more excited about a backup offensive tackle than is humanly healthy, but I can't help it. I think these are both, these two lower level deals, I think are both fantastic for the

Titans. I think John Robinson really hit it out of the park with those two. And while I'm lukewarm on the Bud Dupree signing, like I said, philosophically speaking about how I wanted the Titans to use their money this offseason, I cannot complain about what John Robinson has done in day one. But that doesn't change the fact that there was mass panic on Titans Twitter and on social media early in the day because of what took place. I'm going to talk about what kind of caused that panic. Talk about the names that went off the board early.

And then a couple of Tennessee Titans who will not be coming back to Nashville. That had a lot of you guys upset. But if you had listened to the Locked on Titans podcast. You would have at least been expecting it. So we're going to dive into that next. Before we do, I want to tell you guys about our friends over at rockauto.com. Rockauto.com is a family business. It's been serving auto parts customers online for 20 years.

They have everything you need for either your classic or your daily driver, and you can get all of it delivered directly to your door in a few easy clicks. Their catalog is unique. It's remarkably easy to use. You can quickly see all the different brand specifications and prices that you prefer best of all prices at rockauto.com are always reliably low and they're the same for professionals and do-it-yourselfers so go to rockauto.com right now see all the parts available for your car or truck and make sure that you write locked on in the how

did you hear about us box right underneath your shipping information so they know that we sent you. Reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need, rockauto.com. Folks, we are in the midst of Built Bar madness. So we've been telling you for a while about Built Bar, the best tasting protein bar on the market. Bilt Bar is an amazing low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber protein bar. The bars are covered in 100% real chocolate. They are truly absolutely delicious. You can put them in the refrigerator. You can put them in the microwave.

Either way, they're fantastic in multiple different forms. And there are a ton of fantastic flavors that you can choose from. And as a matter of fact, it is time for Bilt Bar Madness. The matchup of the day is going to be peanut butter brownie versus the coconut almond. So Bilt Bar is basically doing a bracket tournament for which flavor is the best tasting Bilt Bar. Today's matchup, like I mentioned, is peanut butter brownie versus coconut almond. To me, it's a slam dunk. The peanut butter brownie is one of the absolute best bars that Bilt Bar has.

I would take it over everything except about maybe two or three other flavors, and we will get to that as we go. But if you want to vote, make sure that you go to BuiltBar.com or go on Twitter at Built underscore Bar to place your vote. Also, go to BuiltBar.com, use promo code LOCKED15, and you'll get 15% off your next order. Once again, that's code LOCKED15 for 15% off your next order at BuiltBar.com. Make sure that you check back and see who's won today's matchup and who will become the

best tasting protein bar ever. Well guys, here we are at the end of my recap of day one of free agency for the Tennessee Titans. And there's no way that I could go this entire show without talking about the Titans who won't be returning. Or I guess they're former Tennessee Titans now and earlier in the day there was mass panic on social media as I've kind of hinted at all day long the Titans weren't making any moves and what really got everyone up in arms was a name that's had all of us up in arms for the past week and that that's Jonu Smith. So Jonu got a big time deal. A big time deal. From the New England Patriots.

He got four years. 50 million dollars. 31 million of that guaranteed. Jonu Smith is making as much money as Derrick Henry. Now you could argue that Derrick Henry's underpaid and that the running back market is what it is, and that's why it's the case, but I'm sorry.

John U. Smith is not worth $12.5 million a year, and I also want to say this. I want to say that a lot of people are saying that John U. Smith's going to go to New England now. He's going to be utilized properly. He's going to blow up. He's going to be utilized properly. He's going to blow up. He's going to turn into the player that everybody thought he could be in Tennessee. Well, like I've said before, is Arthur Smith an idiot?

No. Arthur Smith just architected one of the best offenses in the NFL the last two seasons. The best offense in Tennessee Titans history. He was a tight ends coach before that. He's been with Johnnie his entire career. in his history. He was a tight ends coach before that. He's been with John who his entire career. I think if there's anybody, literally anyone in the NFL who knows how to use John who Smith best, it's probably Arthur Smith. So to me, how Arthur Smith used John who tells me everything I need to know about John who as a player. So I personally am not that worried about John who

going somewhere else and blowing up and paying a tight end like John who Smith, who has the limitations that he has. Yes, he's got a lot of good qualities, but, but paying some of the limitations that he has, I just 12 million is crazy. I thought it would be 10 to 11 million. A lot of people on Titans Twitter were trying to tell me it was going to be six to seven million or six to eight million dollars. Man, come on. Give me a break. I tried to warn all of you guys that John is probably not coming back. If the Titans tagged him, then maybe, but that would be the only way because I knew that on the free agent market, he was going to get this kind of deal. And I knew that I didn't want to pay it. And I knew that on the free agent market, he was going to get this kind of deal. And I knew that I didn't want to pay it. And I knew that John Robinson wouldn't pay it either.

And I've been saying I would like Kyle Rudolph. And I got a lot of pushback for that. Rudolph isn't as good of a player as John U. Smith. Well, that's not the point, guys. I gave this example on Twitter. Look at Dennis Kelly. Look at Jack Conklin. Is Dennis Kelly a better player than Jack Conklin?

No Jack Conklin got twice as much money as Dennis Kelly $15 million to Dennis Kelly's $7 million so the Titans didn't upgrade at right tackle last year but Derrick Henry ran for 2,000 yards and the Titans gave up half the amount of sacks they gave up in 2019 with Jack Conklin and a healthy Taylor LeJuan for the last 12 games and the Titans gave up half the amount of sacks they gave up in 2019 with Jack Conklin.

And a healthy Taylor LeJuan for the last 12 games. So just think about that. It's not always about getting the better player and upgrading every position. Sometimes you have to downgrade at a position, but if you can get 75-80% of the production for 40-50% of the price, and that's what happened with Dennis Kelly. 45% of the price, but ended up with better production, offensively speaking. So there are positions, and within the Titans' scheme on offense, I think that they could downgrade at tight end,

and then use those funds that they're saving to put towards the defense which clearly needs more help and I thought the Titans could cut Kenny Vaccaro and cut Malcolm Butler and save that money in the secondary and put it towards the pass rush we saw what an expensive secondary gets you not enough so let's flip that on its head if we have to and go with an expensive pass rush and save some money in the secondary have some average players in the secondary and see if a dominant top tier pass rush can help can flip that on its head and I believe that pass rush in the trenches is where it all starts when I did my roster rankings for positions I talked about interior defensive line being that top top position after the top five and what the Titans do went out and got the big-time pass

rusher, which to me is the second most important position on a football team, and then went and got an interior defensive lineman pass rusher, which in my opinion is the sixth most important position on a football team, to pair with Jeffrey Simmons, who already had those qualities. I mean, I just love that. I love that. This is the way that I wanted the Titans to do it. I may not agree with every name that they choose. I'm lukewarm on Bud Dupree, but I agree with what they're doing and how they're using the money. And that leads me into the second portion of that. I agree with letting Jonu walk for that money, and I agree with letting Corey Davis walk as well. Corey Davis got signed by the New York Jets. Three years, $37.5 million. A little bit less than I thought

he was going to get. I thought he was going to at least get that $13 million per year average, which would be three for 39, but he got three for 37. So a little less than $13 million a year, $27 million guaranteed. Heck, Corey Davis got less per year than Nelson Aguilar, which is just insane to me. Corey Davis should be furious at his agent. But I'm not paying this either. The reality is A.J. Brown is the Titans' top wide receiver, and he's going to get a big-time deal. Big-time.

Top five wide receiver money. And I would love to pay him that to keep him in Tennessee. And when you're going to pay a wide receiver next offseason, the Titans should lock him up early before his fourth year. No reason to not pay a guy who deserves it. If you're going to give that kind of money to A.J. Brown two years from now when his extension will kick in,

you can't have Corey Davis on the books as well. That's too much money to have in wide receivers, guys. Allocation of funds. I would rather that money for Corey Davis be spent on Bud Dupree. And that's what this comes down to. That's what it comes down to. The Titans couldn't afford Johnnie Smith and Corey Davis both anyways, based on what they got. $12 million a year, basically. A little more than $12 million a year. They wouldn't have been able to keep them both anyway.

And I wouldn't want either of them at their price point. So all I'm saying is I know that it hurts to see Malcolm Humphries, Vaccaro, Jonu, Corey Davis these guys leave. But I agree with the way the Titans are choosing to use the money. And they're not done. The reason we don't know about Bud Dupree's contract details yet is because they're working out ways to keep his cap hit as low as possible. I don't think that's the case with Lamb. I don't think that's the case with Autry. I think their deals are what they are, but the Titans are going to be looking for a way to maneuver Bud Dupree's deal because it's a

multi-year deal to keep the cap hit as low as possible. I still think that they need to add a veteran tight end, and I also think that they need to add a veteran cornerback. And that's at the minimum for me. That's at the minimum. Two more things. And we'll pick up the pieces after that. But that's what I want to see from the Titans. That's the total recap for day one.

I hope you guys join me again, recapping day two of free agency on Wednesday morning. I'll be here with you all week long, right here where you need me. But that's going to do it for me today. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. you