Titans 2016 Offseason Preview: Fanspeak Free Agency Simulaton

The Tennessee Titans enter free agency with a number of questions that need answered, but luckily they have the cap room to fix some holes. Now with their coaching staff up in the air it can be tough to predict what direction they will go in, but here is a possible free agency plan to help fix the Titans using Manage the Cap.

Cuts and Re-signings:

Cuts: WR Harry Douglas and TE Anthony Fasano

I would expect further cuts once a new staff is in place and they start to build the team to fit their style, but I feel like these are two fairly easy cuts. Douglas really wasn’t a factor on this team despite the injuries to Kendall Wright and Dorial Green-Beckham being such a raw talent. As for Fasano he wasn’t that bad, but the Titans can probably do better for a blocking TE complement to Delanie Walker.

Re-Signings: None

There are a couple of players who might get some consideration depending on the new staff, but by in large I don’t see the Titans really trying to bring a lot of players back.

Signings:

Offense Signings:

RB Alfred Morris- 3 years $12 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $3.15 million
OT Andre Smith- 4 years $32 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $5.7 million
OL Kelechi Osemele- 5 years $40 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $4.95 million
OG Brandon Brooks- 5 years $36.5 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $4.5 million
QB Bruce Gradkowski- 1 year $2 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $2 million
TE Brent Celek- 3 years $10 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $2.47 million

My priority here was to help out Marcus Mariota as much as possible through free agency, and that obviously meant a heavy investment along the offensive line. Originally I was just going to sign Andre Smith and Kelechi Osemele to pair with former first round picks Taylor Lewan and Chance Warmack, but when I saw Brandon Brooks still sitting out there I thought I’d get creative. One of the Titans biggest holes is center and there aren’t any good options in free agency, while the draft is pretty thin as well. Though neither player has center experience one possibility for the Titans would be trying to convert Warmack or Osemele to center. Warmack in particular intrigues me at center if he was open to it. If this isn’t an option then only one of Brooks or Osemele needs to be signed.

Alfred Morris I think represents a good value pick-up for the Titans offense. Yes his contract might seem to be a bit much, but the guarantee figures to be relatively low so this would basically be a ‘pay as you go’ type of deal. Morris is a durable back who has three 1,000 yard seasons in four years. His numbers have fallen the past two seasons, but that isn’t entirely his fault. He’s a sturdy reliable runner, who has yet to miss a single game in four seasons. His best production came in a zone read/read-option style of offense that the Titans may look to incorporate some of that given Mariota’s strengths. Long term one of the Titans young backs might emerge, but they should still look to bring in a veteran rusher to take the pressure off Mariota.

As for the other offensive pieces I was looking to fill needs with value plays. Having a cheap veteran QB to help with Mariota and Mettenberger makes sense. Some other ones will probably look for more open starting positions or at least more money. Gradkowski should be pretty cheap, and he brings plenty of experience. Celek has continued to show himself to be a good receiving TE and he’s an effective blocker. He would make a nice option to pair with Walker in this offense.

Defense Signings:

CB Tracy Porter- 3 years $12.5 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $3.18 million
DT Jarvis Jenkins- 3 years $14 million, 2016 Cap Hit- $3.5 million

Without knowing what kind of defense the Titans are running it is tough to predict exactly who they could target in Free Agency. In general though defense additions are likely to be of a lesser importance since Tennessee looks to have a pretty good defensive core. The two signings here of Porter and Jenkins represent two versatile players who could add production at two key areas for this team. While both are multi-year deals, similar to Morris they figure to be somewhat of year-to-year type of deals, with small future guarantees.

Overall:

This is an ambitious plan, but one that I think makes a lot of sense. With the Titans having the top pick in the draft they can generate their free agency plan based on where they plan on going in the draft. In this situation of being very OL focused the Titans wouldn’t be targeting a top LT like Larmey Tunsil or Ronnie Stanley, and instead they could focus on DL Joey Bosa or maybe even trading back. Of course a lot will also depend on who actually makes it to free agency. If for some reason OL is thin in FA the Titans could focus more on defense in free agency and plan on drafting a top OT in the draft.