The Titans are signing former Saints guard Tim Lelito, according to his agents at Element Sports Group (Twitter link). Terms of the deal are not yet known. The Lions were among the teams with interest in the lineman.
Heading into Wednesday, I had Lelito ranked as the third-best interior lineman still available. The 27-year-old (28 in June) appeared in all 16 games last season and has only missed one regular season contest in his four years with New Orleans. He graded out No. 49 guard in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him a solid mark for his pass blocking with a less impressive score on running plays.
The Titans project to start Quinton Spain and Josh Kline at the guard positions and they’re hoping for a repeat of their 2016 production. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Spain as the NFL’s 18th best guard while Kline placed 26th. Lelito might not start, but he’ll at least see a good amount of snaps as a rotational piece. Guards Sebastian Tretola and Josue Matias are also on the bench.
With Lelito gone, Niners free agent Andrew Tiller stands as our top-ranked guard.
Good depth signing after losing Schwenke.