Ran Carthon has made me a believer. I am going to be honest, I didn’t know that much about him when he was hired. I follow the Titans completely, even the front office. However, I don’t follow other teams’ front offices. I was happy we got an outside hire, because I wanted a different mindset brought to the Titans. That’s exactly what Carthon has done.
We will start with the first wave of free agency. We let go of many players, some at starting positions. Some of the more notable players we let go was our starting linebacker David Long Jr., starting right guard Nate Davis, starting wide receiver Robert Woods, starting Kicker Randy Bullock, starting tight end Geoff Swaim, starting edge rusher Bud Dupree, and starting left tackle Dennis Daley. Some others were let go, but these players were full time starters at their positions. Most of these players underperformed at their positions, so for most, not much of a shock they were let go. We didn’t have much cap space so I wasn’t expecting any big signings. However, he was able to make a lot of low risk high reward deals with some promising free agents. We picked up Andre Dillion from the eagles, he is expected to start at left tackle. Daniel Brunskill who is expected to start at right guard. We signed Azeez Al-Shaair who is expected to be starting at inside linebacker. We also signed Sean Murphy-Bunting who is expected to play outside cornerback spot. We signed Arden Key who isn’t expected to be a full time starter, but is expected to make a major impact as a rotational player at edge. So major changes to the roster, but I see all the moves as upgrades from the previous players. Plus, you begin to see a vision of change of moving away from run blocking as a priority, and moving more towards a pass blocking offensive line.
Let’s talk about another big problem this offseason. Jeffery Simmons’ contract needed to be renewed. He is arguably the best defensive linemen the Titans have ever had. In early April it was announced he was signed to a four-year contract extension. The deal is valued at $94 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and includes $66 million guaranteed, including a $24 million signing bonus. A great deal for both sides. At this point I’m pretty happy. Good free agent signings, and resign Big Jeff.
Now we will address the draft. We picked in rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. With our first pick we got Peter Skoronski offensive lineman from Northwestern with an RAS or relative athletic score of 9.28. He is expected to be a starter year one as a left guard. Round 2 we traded up to grab Will Levis, a Quarterback from the University of Kentucky. He was projected as a top 10 pick, so getting him in the second round was amazing! He is expected to be the backup quarterback, but he has more competition in Willis than anyone expected. It is probably the biggest storyline in camp, and will probably carry throughout the preseason. Round 3 we drafted Tyjae Spears, a running back out of Tulane. He has an RAS score of 7.51. He is expected to be the change-up back for Henry. He is also a nice option in the passing game, and could have a shot to return kicks as well. In round 5 we drafted Josh Whyle, a tight end out of Cincinnati. He has an RAS score of 8.98. With Whyle measuring in at at 6’ 7” with a reach of 31.5 inches, and a vertical jump of 33.5 inches. That means he can catch a ball 11.5 feet off the ground. That’s a touchdown target for sure. Round 6 we went with offensive lineman Jaeyln Duncan from Maryland. He has an RAS score of 9.01. He is expected to be depth for the offensive line. Finally, round 7 we picked Colton Dowell, wide receiver out of Tennessee-Martin. He has an RAS score of 9.78, and at 6’ 3” 212 pounds, all while running a 4.42 at his pro day. Looking at the players Ran drafted, you can start to see the new vision coming into focus. He likes high potential, high athletic guys that can contribute early.
After the draft, as a fan, you really don’t expect much news or big moves. Especially when you have used most of your cap space already. However, Ran wasn’t done and made the biggest offseason move by signing DeAndre Hopkins. Which made us actual contenders again. Then we got some bad news. Our starting right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere got hit with a 6 game suspension for gambling while at a team facility. Ran didn’t hesitate to start pulling in options. First was George Fant, which didn’t work out because both parties could come to an agreement with the financials. Chris Hubbard and Justin Murray were brought in for depth or to compete for the starting role with others we have on the roster already. I am excited in a way I haven’t been in a couple years. For that, Ran Carthon gets an A+ from me in what he has made, an exciting offseason for the Titans and their fans.
