As promised, first-year GM Ran Carthon is retooling, not rebuilding, a Tennessee workforce that completed 7-10 in 2022 and on an embarrassing seven-game dropping streak. Carthon has freed cap house by slicing ties with a number of overpaid and underperforming gamers.
Nevertheless, till Carthon makes use of the extra cap house to make a major splash, Titans followers needs to be cautiously optimistic. Listed here are Tennessee’s three largest issues forward of the 2023 NFL Draft:Â
1. Will the purge proceed?
Tennessee has made a number of notable cuts through the offseason, together with offensive deal with Taylor Lewan, exterior linebacker Bud Dupree and extensive receiver Robert Woods, and it appears Carthon might make extra. In keeping with ESPN’s Turron Davenport, Tennessee and workforce captain Kevin Byard are “at a crossroads” after the workforce approached the security a few potential pay lower.Â
Byard, 29, has $28.2 million left on the extension he signed in 2019 and continues to carry out at a excessive degree. Final season, he had 4 interceptions, the fifth time reaching this mark prior to now six seasons, together with 108 tackles.
By releasing Byard, Tennessee would save roughly $6 million, however he’d go away behind a $13.6 million useless cap hit, per OverTheCap. Ought to he turn into accessible in a commerce, a number of groups will covet Byard. Â
Star working again Derrick Henry might be one other subtraction, as Bally Sports activities’ Michael Silver reviews that the workforce has shopped him this offseason. A contract restructuring additionally should not be dominated out for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has a $36.6 million cap hit this season, the ultimate yr of his present deal.
2. Which place to deal with in spherical one?
The Titans maintain the eleventh general choose and have loads of wants. They’ll get inventive however want to begin robust within the draft.
Tennessee spent a first-round choose on Treylon Burks final season, and whereas he was strong when wholesome, extra receivers are wanted. Final season, Tennessee ranked twenty ninth in receiving (3,227 yards) and will choose Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba. NFL Community’s Daniel Jeremiah has Smith-Njigba as Tennessee’s choose in his newest mock draft.Â
The defensive backfield might be in worse form than the receiving corps, particularly if Byard will get moved. Tennessee allowed probably the most passing yards within the NFL final season (4,935). The yr’s draft is deep at cornerback, so there will probably be loads of choices.Â
Contemplating the variety of wants, it is sensible to commerce again within the first spherical to stockpile property and choose a cornerback or wideout late within the first spherical.Â
3. Can Carthon lock up defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons long run?
If there’s one Titan who Carthon ought to construct round, it is the 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive deal with, however is the sensation mutual? Though Simmons, a free agent after this season, needs a big wage, it is onerous to think about he’d wish to spend his prime years in a retooling scenario.
Simmons, the nineteenth general choose within the 2019 NFL Draft, has developed into Tennessee’s high defender and one of many league’s premier skills. Since 2021, Simmons has 21 tackles for loss and 16 sacks and earned two Professional Bowl alternatives and Second-Group All-Professional honors twice.
Earlier this month, Simmons deleted his Titans-related Instagram posts and unfollowed the workforce’s official account, a traditional negotiating tactic by gamers in right now’s NFL. Whereas Simmons could also be sad, an extension shouldn’t be out of the query since he nonetheless follows T-Rac, Tennessee’s mascot.
Spotrac’s calculated market worth predicts Simmons’ subsequent deal will probably be a four-year, $104.4 million contract, which might rank him because the second-highest-paid defensive deal with within the NFL.
