If the Tennessee Titans want to regain their footing atop the AFC South division, then they need to do more this offseason. With their biggest additions so far in free agency being cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and tackle Andre Dillard, there is plenty of talent still out there to take advantage of.
While adding a big-time playmaker is highly unlikely at this point of the offseason, it certainly should be a path that the Titans look into, seeing how much they struggled down the stretch last year. After getting out to a sizeable lead for their division, they not only let the Jacksonville Jaguars get back into the race but also lost their shot at the postseason, all in one fell swoop.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill looks like he will be back for another season, and with second-year option Malik Willis still finding his footing, look for Tannehill to hold onto that starting role moving forward.
Needing to do something before April’s NFL Draft, here are the three players that the Titans should go after in free agency.
Having just been released by the Jaguars, Shaquill Griffin is on the open market and likely available at a reasonable contract. After putting up big numbers in Seattle, Griffin was handed a three-year, $40 million deal in 2021 and only made it two seasons before he was looking for a new team.
Griffin failed to record an interception or any really impactful play for Jacksonville during his two seasons, and a big part of that lies in his 19 total games over the past two seasons, including only playing in 5 last year. With his health factoring into his release, the Titans would be smart to go after him to shore up their CB group.
Outside of Murphy-Bunting and Caleb Farley, Roger McCreary is still establishing himself and Kristian Fulton is struggling, so adding a veteran presence like Griffin would be smart, but only if on a cheap, one-year deal.
The second of two defensive free agents on this list is linebacker Deion Jones, a once-good LB who has made stops in both Atlanta and Cleveland. With the Titans having likely moved on from Zach Cunningham, they need some talent in their LB group.
The 28-year-old Jones still has some left in the tank to give (even after a down year in 2022), even if he will be looking to join his third team in less than two full seasons. At this point in free agency, Jones likely would be interested in an incentive-driven, one-year deal that can help him re-establish himself and put himself in line for a nice payday next offseason, provided he has a good year.
The final free agent on this list is wide receiver DJ Chark, who probably is the best receiver left on the open market. With the likes of Allen Lazard, Jakobi Myers, and Juju Smith-Schuster all having signed modest deals in free agency, Chark is likely looking to cash in on a weak class.
While a long-term deal likely wouldn’t be needed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chark sign a two-year deal worth $8 million per season. Coming off a year with the Detroit Lions that saw him catch 30 passes for 502 yards and 3 TDs, Chark would have a great shot at the WR2 role in Tennessee alongside Treylon Burks.
Plus, if the Titans went this route, they wouldn’t need to use an early pick on a WR, helping use their top-100 draft capital on more important areas, while being able to address WR on Day 2 or later.
Free agency returns at the forefront of the NFL with the 2023 NFL Draft over and minic
This outrageous NFL conspiracy theory has Tom Brady suiting up for the Las Vegas Raiders.NFL owners are not going to allow this to ever happen, but who wouldnâ
A mix of well-established veterans infused with some young talent has the Houston Texans secondary shaping up to potentially be among the most underrated in the
In need of an experienced punt returner, the Minnesota Vikings decided to make a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire former first-round pick Jalen Rea