The Tennessee Titans had one of the most magical seasons in recent memory. The AFC had a down year, and a Titans team that had Football Outsiders’ 13th-best DVOA rating ended up capturing the top seed in the conference. There’s a good chance Mike Vrabel wins Coach of the Year, and he’d be deserving considering the Titans used the most players ever in an NFL season. But winning the conference while losing Derrick Henry for nine games could have been enough to give Vrabel the award. How does the Titans’ offseason look regarding pending free agents, team needs, and draft picks?
Tennessee Titans 2022 Offseason Preview
After four seasons with the Titans, Vrabel has never finished worse than 9-7. In fairness, he didn’t take over a dumpster fire team. The 2017 Titans also finished with nine wins. His teams may feel a bit backward in their construction, but the results are inarguable from a win/loss perspective.
The Titans won’t have much money for moves in the offseason without serious restructures. The good news is they’re probably able to have a relatively quiet offseason while bringing most of their important pieces back.
The Titans have $10.7 million in projected cap space
Source: Spotrac (as of Jan. 21)
Ryan Tannehill understandably takes up the biggest slice of the pie with a $38.6 million cap hit for 2022, totaling 18.29% of the cap. Unfortunately, their second-largest cap hit was a bit of a dud. Bud Dupree will cost them $19.2 million in 2022. After a disappointing first season in Tennessee, he’ll need his production to skyrocket if he’s to get into Smashville’s (it’s a hokey thing) good graces.
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Kevin Byard, Derrick Henry, Taylor Lewan, Julio Jones, and Rodger Saffold will all account for at least 5% of Tennessee’s total cap. Aside from Dupree, the Titans have distributed their wealth well between veteran contributors.
Titans’ pending free agents
Ben Jones has been a rock at center for the Titans, but he’ll be 33 years old in July. The hope has to be he’ll take a bit of a “the hill is nigh” discount to keep him around until he rolls over and starts tumbling down it.
What looked like a possible issue at linebacker with Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans both being out of contract turned into a bit of a blessing. Both have been effectively benched in favor of David Long Jr. and Zach Cunningham (who will cost $10 million against the cap in 2022). Yet, they could also cut Cunningham with no dead money, which would make linebacker a dire need.
Harold Landry is their big-ticket item for the 2022 NFL offseason. With a market value of $17.6 million according to Spotrac, the Titans will need to move money around to retain him moving forward. However, his contract most likely will have a negligible first-year cap hit, allowing the Titans more freedom in free agency.
Titans’ team needs
Let’s start there. Brown and Evans are both free agents. They could conceivably consider cutting Cunningham to collect cash. The Titans’ team needs are very clear as we approach the free-agency window.
Titans’ top five needs in the 2022 NFL offseason
- Linebacker
- Wide receiver
- Tight end
- Center
- Nose tackle
Titans 2022 NFL Draft picks
The Titans don’t have a ton of draft capital, so it’s a good thing they also don’t have many team needs. They used their second-round pick on Jones, and the Carolina Panthers own their seventh-round pick. Here’s how the Titans’ 2022 NFL Draft picks stand according to the current draft order:
- Round 1
- Round 3
- Round 4 x2
- Round 5
- Round 6
Tennessee Titans 2022 Offseason Preview: Pending free agents, team needs, draft picks, and more - Pro Football Network
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