The Titans have reached agreement with free agent guard Josh Kline, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Its a four-year, $26MM deal which contains $12MM guaranteed and can max out at $27MM.
Tennessee claimed Kline off waivers prior to the 2016 campaign, and he proceeded to start 30 games for the club over the next two seasons. Kline, who spent the first three years of his career in New England, graded as the NFL’s No. 22 guard among 77 qualifiers in 2017, per Pro Football Focus.
In terms of annual salary, Kline’s $6.5MM won’t reset the market, but it does tie him for the 12th-highest-total among right guards. He’s now alongside the likes of J.R. Sweezy and just behind Jeff Allen — both players signed their free agent deals two offseasons ago.
As a unit, the Titans’ offensive line took a step backward last year, as they slipped from fifth to 23rd in adjusted line yards. Kline will now be re-signed, but fellow starting guard Quinton Spain is a restricted free agent. Tennessee used an original round tender on Spain, so it won’t reap any draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere on an un-matched offer sheet.
Kline had been scheduled to join a free agent guard class that also includes Andrew Norwell, Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Matt Slauson, Zach Fulton, and Senio Kelemete, among others. PFR’s Zach Links recently ranked Kline as the fourth-best option among free agent interior lineman, behind Norwell (who has already landed a massive deal with the Jaguars), Sitton, and Mewhort.
Congrats to him, a guy that has busted his bust since Kent State to make it in the NFL.