Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Will Titans Add a Tight End, Free Agent WR Wants Tennessee & Mailbag Leftovers!!

Episode Date: June 24, 2021

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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, this Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is presented by the Peacock and Williamson podcast. NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday. Brian and Matt give you a national perspective on all the latest NFL news.

Make sure you check out the Peacock and Williamson podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network wherever you get your podcast. On today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast, we are going to talk about some interesting quotes. We got a quote from someone inside the Titans building about a position that they may still make an addition at. I'm going to tell you what that position is and what options the Titans might have. Then we're going to go to the second interesting quote related to the Tennessee Titans.

And it comes from a prospective free agent at the wide receiver position. I'm going to tell you who said the quote, what it means, and how likely it is that the Titans could pursue that player. And then at the end of today's show, we did get a little bit of overflow from Monday's mailbag, so I'm going to finish off some of the questions that came in after the buzzer. So a Thursday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it! Titans fans, we are going to look at some interesting quotes today that are related to our Tennessee Titans.

The first one that we are going to look at comes from someone inside the building. But before we dive into that, I want to remind you to follow the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream so you don't miss any of the episodes that we will have leading up to training camp, through training camp, and then into the regular season. Follow me on social media as well, on Twitter, at TicTacTitans, on Facebook, at Locked on Titans Pod. But let's dive into this first quote. Like I said, it comes from someone inside the Titans organization, and it's beat writer,

staff beat writer, Jim Wyatt. Now, if you remember, before the Julio Jones trade happened, Jim Wyatt said in a few mailbags that he still did believe the Titans were going to make an addition at wide receiver. Well, he's saying similar things about the tight end position, but even more bold than some of the ways that he would answer the Julio Jones speculation. So I'm going to read you this quote from Jim Wyatt, and it comes from his mailbag this week. It says, quote, I still think there will be an addition at tight end. It's just a matter of who and when.

End quote. Now, Jim doesn't overplay his hand ever. He's not somebody who's trying to tip off anybody as to what the Titans are doing behind closed doors. And while they may get rumblings of things, the Titans other staff aren't completely plugged into every single move the Titans are going to make a week or weeks before it happens they're kind of on the edge of their seat to have an idea whether it's a true rumor or a fake rumor but whether it'll happen or not that's up in the air even John

Robinson can't know that for sure until the Falcons say yes so when you hear bold quotes from Wyatt it's just a matter of who and when. That leads you to believe if he's willing to say something like that, it's absolutely going to happen. Now that obviously makes us move to the question, who? Who would the Titans be bringing in? Well, I'll go over a few options here. We've talked about some of the options throughout the summer. I still do believe the Titans need to make an addition at tight end as that third tight end.

I'd like them to carry four tight ends. I would like for one of these young tight ends in training camp to get a chance to make the roster, whether that be Tommy Hudson or Miller Forrestal or Briley Moore or Jared Pinckney, for that matter. I would like to see one of those young tight ends get a chance to latch onto the roster and actually be developed, but I do think the Titans need a third veteran tight end as well that hopefully can kind of bridge the gap between the Jeff Swaim and the Anthony Ferkser. Now, who could fit that billing? Obviously, the top name everybody will think of first is Zach Ertz,

and there are a ton of rumors out there that connect the Titans to Zach Ertz. But here is what I will say about Zach Ertz. The Titans do make a trade for him. Now, if the Eagles end up releasing Zach Ertz and he'll take a small deal, the Titans have about $7 million in cap room right now. If you want to give the Kevin Johnson deal, the $2.25 million, if you want to give that to Zach Ertz, if he's released by the Eagles, then great. But I don't know if the Eagles are going to release Zach Ertz. So if they don't and they want to make a trade, I would say that the Titans would give up a sixth round pick that's conditional if they only have to pay $2 million of his $8 million salary.

That can work like the Titans did with Ryan Tannehill. They didn't pay the full salary the first year. So I would give the Eagles a sixth round conditional pick if Ertz plays a certain amount of games. Then like what happened with Karts and Wentz and the Colts, if the Titans have Ertz out there for a certain amount of snaps, then it's a sixth round pick. If not, it's a seventh round pick.

I would do that on the condition that the Titans also only had to pay about $2 million. Now, if the Eagles are willing to eat even more, then we can talk about it. If they're willing to eat less, then the offer would go down. But I think like a sixth round pick, if the Eagles were to eat, let's say $4 million. So the Titans paid half of the salary for Zach Ertz, gave up a conditional sixth round pick.

I would do that deal. I think it would be worth it. Think what you want about Zach Ertz, but I still think he can be a contributing player if he stays healthy. Some other options that the Titans would have on the free agent market, it's pretty slim pickings right now. You would have a guy like Jesse James playing 88 games, 150 catches, about 1,400 yards.

A guy like Tyler Eifert. Now you'll say he's never healthy, but he's played in 15 games in 2019 and he's played in 16 games in 2020. So maybe he's found a sweet spot where he can keep himself healthy in a good role. He's played in 74 games, 221 catches, 2,500 yards, 26 touchdowns. Definitely the best receiving threat on the market still. You have a guy like Josh Hill who was a role player in New Orleans, kind of a receiving threat as well as had 116 catches for a thousand yards in his career. A blocker, I don't know if this is a mold between Swaim and Anthony Ferkser. I think Luke Stocker would be more of a Jeff Swaim type guy, so I don't know if that makes a lot of sense, but he's out there and would be at of a Jeff Swain type guy. So I don't know if that makes a lot of sense,

but he's out there and would be at least a viable option. He's had 83 catches, about 690 yards in his career. Like I said, not much of a pass catcher, more of a blocker. But Trey Burton, on the other hand, may be able to blend that mix together, although he's much more of a pass catcher. Played 98 games, 159 catches, 1,500 yards, 15 touchdowns. If the Titans look at some other trade options, which I think is very unlikely, but those names are out there. David Njoku from the Browns or an O.J. Howard from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But like I said, a trade for those lower names I mentioned, probably unlikely. I would like the Titans to go after Zach Ertz if possible. If not, I would look at Tyler Eifert. I think that could work out. And if not, Trey Burton. Those are kind of the names in the ranges that I would be looking for personally. But we're going to move on to the second interesting quote that we're going to talk about. And that actually comes from a free agent.

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That's one word, LOCKEDON, and you'll get a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. We are going to continue taking a look at these interesting Titans-related quotes. We talked about Jim Wyatt discussing the tight end position, looked at some options as well. Well, now we're going to dive into a current free agent who happened to name drop the Tennessee Titans. free agent who happened to name drop the Tennessee Titans. Now we saw this earlier in the all season with edge rusher Melvin Ingram after the Julio Jones trade. He talked about maybe being a package deal. And I do want to say for the record, I would prefer that if the Titans made one more decent level signing with the $7 million of cap space that they have, I would prefer that it be an edge rusher. But if it's not that it be an edge rusher but if

it's not going to be an edge rusher my number one position I would go after is wide receiver quite frankly I don't see enough value at the tight end position with the names that we just talked about I identified the names that I would be interested in if the Titans do decide to add somebody at tight end and of course actually I left out a name that everyone's going to be screaming at their radio right now, and that's Delaney Walker. But I'm going to stay solid. I'm going to stay truthful to what I believe. I don't believe that Delaney Walker plays in the NFL again.

He got a tryout with San Francisco. They ultimately decided to sign our boy Michael Pruitt. So with that in mind mind I think San Francisco the organization has a history with Delaney they gave him a workout they gave him a shot and I just don't think it's there guys I'm sorry I like the guy I appreciated his time in Tennessee he was a big culture changer for the Titans but but I just don't think he's going to play in the NFL ever again that's just my feeling so I'm not going to add him in a list of options when just don't think he's going to play in the NFL ever again. That's just my feeling, so I'm not going to add him in a list of options when I don't think he's a realistic option.

I think if he was a realistic option for the Titans, he would already be in the building, so that's kind of how I feel about it. But I would say Jim Wyatt being as bold as he was with his quote, it may in fact mean that it's someone who already has ties to the organization like a Delaney Walker so Jim kind of feels comfortable about it because he knows they're going to give him a shot eventually he's a veteran doesn't need to come in right now maybe he'll come in for training camp but uh I just don't believe that so that's where I'm at right now so after we talked about that we're

going to move on to the next quote here like I said current free agent it's a wide receiver and it's Golden Tate so he says quote I would love to go back home to Tennessee Indy over with Carson Wentz obviously the LA Rams would be fantastic with Stafford so putting out three teams that make the most sense for him and it makes sense coming home to Tennessee. I mentioned that. I talked about Golden Tate before the Titans got Julio Jones. I mentioned him as a realistic option that would help the Titans if they added him to the wide receiver room. And one of the reasons that I mentioned it is because he's from Tennessee. Back when Golden Tate was in trade rumors, one of the big rumors was he might come to Tennessee.

The Titans were looking for a slot receiver at the time. It made sense. So with that already connected, Golden Tate being from the state, all of those things, the Titans needing wide receivers at the time, especially because before the Julio Jones trade, it made all the sense in the world for the Titans to sign Golden Tate as a free agent for cheap. Well, here's what I'm going to say back to what we were just talking about. I would rather the Titans go get an edge rusher over a tight end, but I would also rather the Titans go get a wide receiver over a tight end. And if they do, I want it to be Golden Tate. I want it to be Golden Tate. Golden Tate has played 160 games in his career, 695 catches, 695 catches 8278 yards

46 touchdowns last year he played in 12 games had 35 catches 388 yards and 2 touchdowns so you take all of that into account and then you look at this outside of Josh Reynolds

AJ Brown and Julio Jones, the Titans are looking at what? Cam Batson, who's played 182 snaps, 20 games. Nick Westbrook-Akina has played three games, 33 snaps. I mean, when you take that into account, what about the other guys?

Des Fitzpatrick? Racey McMath? Mason Kinsey? That's a zero when it comes to snaps and games in the NFL. So the lack of experience here, ask yourself truthfully, would you rather have Cam Batson or would you rather have Golden Tate

when you're in the middle of the playoffs and you're trying to make it to the Super Bowl? yourself truthfully, would you rather have Cam Batson or would you rather have Golden Tate when you're in the middle of the playoffs and you're trying to make it to the Super Bowl? When A.J. Brown has a knee injury and is out for two quarters? When Julio Jones hurts himself and can't go for a game? Who do you want out there? To me, it's an easy answer. It's Golden Tate every time. As the fourth wide receiver on the team, that would be a perfect role for Golden Tate. And the Titans have all these big physical wide receivers, and I love that it matches their style.

But guys, I think that a wide receiver group needs to be made like a basketball team. You need to have guys who can do different things. And quite frankly, right now, you're looking at Mason Kinsey, or you're looking at Cameron Batson as that small, short slot guy. I'd rather have Golden Tate. It's not going to cost that much. Give that $2.25 million to Golden Tate. I am perfectly fine with that. I think it makes a lot of sense. Because like I said, you have to prepare for the worst. And once again, I'm going to come back to this every single time. The Titans are in

a win now mode. And that kind of teases a question that I got asked in the mailbag, but the Titans are going for it. The Julio Jones trade tells us that the Titans are all in right now going for a Superbowl going for as much as they possibly can. There's no reason to rely on Cam Batson anymore. I'm okay with Golden Tate as the number four, Nick Westbrook-Akina as the number five, and then Des Fitzpatrick. Or Des Fitzpatrick as the number five, and then either Racey McMath or Nick Westbrook as the sixth, because those guys can really help on special teams. Honestly, I'm kind of rooting for Racey McMath on that, the more that we get closer to training camp.

He's got elite speed. If he can be just as good as a special teamer, as a gunner on punt, on kickoff, if he can be just as good as Nick Westbrook there, and he can be more on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver, then I'm all for that. I think the Titans carry six. If they carry seven, I want Marcus Johnson to get in on the action. So either way, there's a spot for Golden Tate in my mind in this wide receiver group, and that's who I want to see added. And I

think the Titans would be wise to use a little bit of that money that they have left and make that happen. I think it makes all the sense in the world. And Golden Tate has already said that he's interested. He said it himself. So there we go. Those are the two interesting quotes, both pass-catching positions. We are going to continue the episode diving into the leftovers from the Monday mailbag. Before we do, got to remind you guys that if you are hungry for some leftovers after

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Use promo code LOCKED15 and you'll get 15% off your first order. Once again, that's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at BiltBar.com. We are going to cap off this Thursday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast with some leftover questions from the Monday Mailbag that came in just after the buzzer. And where we're going to start is with Cody White. And Cody is upset with me. I even said on Monday's podcast he had two questions

and then I only answered one of them. So sorry about that, Cody. We are going to get into your first question really now. And he said, with the Julio trade done, would you rather have had the team give up a second and a future fourth as they did for Julio? Or just have them swap second round picks and give up a future fourth last draft to move up and get a young wide receiver? My answer is very simple. I'd rather have Julio Jones over any young wide receiver or the draft compensation, anything like that. The Titans are in a win now mode.

So I want Julio Jones on the team for the Titans right now over any other option that they realistically had, or at least have the options that you laid out there next question is from Mike Inclon and he says you've mentioned the window is like two years do you think we are in better shape this year or next year easy this year uh we're a year before the Titans have to pay Harold Landry. We're a year before the Titans could realistically think about paying A.J. Brown. We're a year away from another year of tread on Derrick Henry's tires. We're another year away from the offensive line aging even further. We're another year away from Kevin By line aging even further. We're another year away from Kevin Byard aging

even further. We're not going to have Rashawn Evans next year, and while I'm not super high on Rashawn Evans or him staying with the team, it's still another tool in the toolbox right now for this last season. Who knows how long Caleb Farley will stay healthy. Janoris Jenkins is a guy who I don't think will be around more than one year. Danico Autry is past 30. I think the time is now. So there's no better time than the present, in my opinion. Next question, two questions here from Tyler Collins, some fun ones, quite frankly. He said, who would win Wolverine or Batman? And this is a pretty easy answer in my opinion. So if you go back to the first X-Men movie X1 from what, 1999, 2000, 2001, I was a little kid. It was awesome though. Magneto is able to disable, able to disable Wolverine because he's magnetic, because of the adamantium in Wolverine's body.

So to me, if Batman was able to not only figure out that you could hurt Superman with kryptonite, find kryptonite on Earth, fashion that kryptonite into weapons to be able to take on Superman and ultimately disable Superman then I definitely think that Batman would be able to figure out as soon as Wolverine popped his metal claws out of his hand Batman would be boom magnet you got metal in you boom so I don't think that Batman would kill Wolverine because Batman doesn't kill people even though he really does if you watch any of those movies even the Michael Keaton ones in the 90s Batman has to kill people and it's not that he doesn't he kills people but I mean he doesn't save people and you can't tell me that he's beating up all those thugs all the time and none of those strikes that hit his opponents kill them the. The way they hit the ground, hitting a box,

hitting their head on something. There's just no way. If Batman was real, he would have killed a bunch of people just because you got to protect yourself. Eventually, you're going to have to make that decision. Or it's just going to happen by accident because you got to use force. Either way, whatever. We're off on a tangent now, but you guys know what I mean. I'm taking Batman. He would find a way to magnetize Wolverine. he would find a way to disable him and it wouldn't be I honestly don't think it would be a very big challenge for Batman I think there are a way tougher opponents than Wolverine if you're battling to the death then I mean that's gonna make it hard because I mean if Batman has to kill him, then I still say Batman wins. But Wolverine has the regeneration and you basically have to cut his head off to kill

him. And I don't know if Batman would take those measures, but if he had to, then he could. So Batman. But I'm also a little biased, as anybody who's been a fan of the show for a while knows. I am a Bat-stan. Next question, a little weird, but I'm all for it. Tyler said, okay, next question. Did you ever find Ms. Pac-Man attractive?

And the answer is no. But if you guys are watching Loki right now, which, whoo, also, if you've listened for any time, you know I'm a big Marvel guy. If you're watching Loki, Ms. Minutes, sexy little clock, minutes. Sexy little clock, okay? Sexy little clock. But moving forward, the last leftover mailbag question comes from Varney Vale, and he talks about Jordan Matthews.

And we talked about this before, I do believe. Former Eagle wide receiver Jordan Matthews has put on 30 pounds. He's trying to make it into the NFL as a tight end. And Varney basically asked if the Titans should give him a training camp invite. And I 100% say yeah. He played at Vanderbilt in college. So there's some familiarity with the area there, obviously. I think it's worth a shot.

He can't be any worse than any of the undrafted free agents that the Titans have in the building right now. So why not? I think that would make a lot of sense. At least give him a look. Can't be any worse or any better than the basketball player that they have been trying out recently. I'm forgetting his name and I'm sorry, guys. But, you know, there's like 90 guys.

He was on a tryout basis. It's hard to memorize every single name, but I'm pretty close. But the tryout guys, I mean, why not? Why would you give that dude a tryout and not give Jordan Matthews a tryout? I would absolutely do that. So that's my answer there, Varney. But that's going to do it for us today. I am going to be back with you guys tomorrow for the third episode a week.

Remember, taking just a little summer sabbatical here, three episodes per week for the next few weeks before we kick things back up to five days a week when training camp rolls around. So just wanted to let you guys know that. But make sure that after you're done listening to this show, you check out the Locked On Today podcast. It's basically all of the biggest sports stories

from every sport in under 20 minutes hosted by the great Peter Bukowski. Check out the Locked On Today podcast. 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. you