HEADLINES

Tennessee Titans News & Rumors

DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Titans

June 7th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Since the Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins, the former All-Pro has been linked to several teams. Visits are now on the veteran wide receiver’s docket. Well, one visit is thus far.

The Titans have secured a meeting with Hopkins, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who notes the visit will take place Sunday (Twitter link). Mike Vrabel spent four seasons in Houston, serving as a Texans assistant ahead of his 2018 move to Nashville. New Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also coached Hopkins with the Texans. Kelly was on Bill O’Brien‘s staff for six of Hopkins’ seven seasons in Houston, spending the final year (2019) as the team’s OC.

Other teams remain in on Hopkins, Pelissero tweets, but the Titans landing the first visit should be considered important here. Tennessee has been in need at the receiver position essentially since trading A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft. The Brown trade — among other factors — preceded a rough season for the Titans’ aerial attack, and the team did not address the position much this offseason. Linked to wideouts during the draft, Tennessee did not select one until Round 7 (Colton Dowell).

At least six other AFC teams — the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens and Texans — have been connected to Hopkins, whom the Cardinals officially released May 31. The Bills and Chiefs discussed Hopkins trade terms with the Cardinals but saw the Ravens’ $15MM Odell Beckham Jr. guarantee alter those respective negotiations. The Pats have come up on multiple occasions, with the O’Brien component not being viewed as a non-starter, while Deshaun Watson has lobbied the Browns to pull the trigger on a reunion. The Cards cutting the 10-year veteran led to a run of rumors, but this visit development represents the most significant piece of Hopkins news since he became a free agent.

Tennessee chose Treylon Burks in Round 1 shortly after trading Brown to Philadelphia, and the team added UCLA slot player Kyle Philips in the 2022 fifth round. Both players missed time due to injury in 2022, with Philips missing the bulk of his rookie season. Both are back and expected to be key contributors — Burks especially — this season, but the Titans do not have much in the way of proven talent at the wideout spots. They added veteran role player Chris Moore and still roster Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Racey McMath. But as of the minicamp sector of the NFL calendar, this is one of the league’s worst receiving groups.

The Titans let Corey Davis walk in free agency two years ago, and Brown set the Eagles’ single-season receiving yardage record last year. Both were instrumental in Ryan Tannehill‘s mid-career resurgence, which helped the Titans move to three straight AFC playoff brackets. Last season’s plan careened off the rails quickly. Tennessee did not see a pass catcher eclipse 550 yards, and the team released its leading receiver from last year — Robert Woods, who has since joined the Texans. No one currently on Tennessee’s roster has totaled more than 500 receiving yards in a season.

Hopkins, who turned 31 on Tuesday, has dropped off the All-Pro tier over the past two years. Injuries and a six-game PED suspension changed Hopkins’ Arizona trajectory. After the Clemson product flirted with a fourth first-team All-Pro nod in 2020 (115 catches, 1,408 yards, six touchdowns), he did not surpass 800 receiving yards in 2021 or ’22. Hopkins missed 15 games over the past two seasons. While productive when available, Hopkins has seen recent absences undoubtedly affect his market.

Although Hopkins mentioned Buffalo and Kansas City as prime landing spots at multiple offseason junctures and named other non-Titans QBs as those he would most like to play with, he is still seeking Beckham-level money. That might be tougher to come by in June. Although the Titans cleared out plenty of cap space by cutting Woods and others before free agency, they hold just less than $8MM. It would not surprise if Hopkins took more visits, but the Titans will see if a match can be made this weekend.

Titans Work Out DL Michael Brockers

June 7th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Thanks to a February Lions release, Michael Brockers has been a free agent for more than three months. The veteran defensive lineman, however, is receiving interest to join what would be a third NFL team.

The Titans brought in the former Rams and Lions defensive lineman for a recent workout, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. A former first-round pick, Brockers has 11 years’ experience. Though, he ended his Lions stay with a run of healthy scratches.

[RELATED: Titans To Meet With DeAndre Hopkins]

Last season marked a change of pace for Brockers, who had played in at least 14 games in each season from 2013-21. The durable defensive lineman started 16 games for the 2021 Lions, being traded just before the Rams began their Super Bowl LVI march. Brockers did log a start in Super Bowl LIII, however. For his career, the 32-year-old interior D-lineman has made 157 career starts.

Tennessee lost some of its D-line depth this offseason, seeing DeMarcus Walker and Mario Edwards depart in free agency. The Titans did not draft a D-lineman this year, and although they roster one of the game’s best — in the recently extended Jeffery Simmons — and still have veteran Denico Autry under contract, it would not surprise to see the team make a summer addition to its defensive front.

Dating back to the Rams’ St. Louis days, Brockers spent nine seasons as a starter for the Missouri- and California-based franchise. The former No. 14 overall pick arrived two years before Aaron Donald, moving into St. Louis’ starting lineup as a rookie. While Brockers spent the first several years of his career in Jeff Fisher‘s 4-3 scheme, he successfully transitioned to the role of a 3-4 end under Wade Phillips and then Brandon Staley. Once one of the better interior defensive lineman in the game, Brockers did not transition too well to Detroit’s defense. Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the league’s worst D-line regulars in 2021, and the Lions benched him after five starts last season.

Brockers has 29 career sacks and 64 tackles for loss. He posted five sacks and 10 TFLs during his final Rams season (2020). Tennessee has utilized a 3-4 scheme for many years, and while Brockers signed a big-ticket Rams extension back in 2016 and agreed to a three-year, $24MM Lions deal in 2021, the LSU alum is unlikely to be a costly addition for a Titans team that has Hopkins on its radar.

Titans DT Teair Tart Signs RFA Tender

June 5th, 2023 at 12:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Titans will have one of their starting defenders in place in time for the start of minicamp today. Defensive tackle Teair Tart has signed his restricted free agent tender, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).

Tennessee tendered him at the second-round level in March, leaving open the possibility of an offer sheet. As expected, nothing emerged on that front, though, and Tart will remain in the fold for the 2023 season. He will earn $4.3MM this year, but a continuation of his play to date could set himself up for more in the future.

The former UDFA joined the Titans in 2020, and he was used in a rotational capacity right away with a 31% snap share on defense. He took on starting duties the following season, seeing an uptick in usage along the way. His level of play in his second campaign increased expectations for he and the team heading into 2023, and Tart did not disappoint.

The 26-year-old was a full-time starter last season, and he set new career-highs across the board. Tart racked up 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, 12 QB pressures, one fumble recovery, one interception and six pass deflections. Those totals helped result in a new personal mark in terms of PFF evaluation, as well; the Florida International alum earned an overall grade of 73.1, which ranked 22nd among all DTs in the NFL.

Tart is in line to remain a first-teamer alongside Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons on the interior of the Titans’ defensive line. That unit helped Tennessee rank first in the league in run defense last season, and the team has responded by making only a minor depth addition (in the form of Jaleel Johnson) so far in free agency. Tart will look to replicate his success of the past two seasons, knowing a strong performance this season could yield another signficant jump in compensation in 2024.

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

June 2nd, 2023 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The start of June has served as a key NFL financial period for decades. While teams no longer have to wait until after June 1 to make that cost-splitting cut designation, teams pick up the savings from those transactions today. With a handful of teams making post-June 1 cuts this year, here is how each team’s cap space (courtesy of OverTheCap) looks as of Friday:

  1. Chicago Bears: $32.58MM
  2. Carolina Panthers: $27.25MM
  3. Arizona Cardinals: $26.68MM
  4. New York Jets: $24.79MM
  5. Detroit Lions: $23.72MM
  6. Indianapolis Colts: $23.39MM
  7. Dallas Cowboys: $20.48MM
  8. Houston Texans: $16.81MM
  9. Green Bay Packers: $16.57MM
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers: $15.73MM
  11. Cincinnati Bengals: $14.92MM
  12. New Orleans Saints: $14.27MM
  13. New England Patriots: $14.12MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $13.9MM
  15. Cleveland Browns: $13.86MM
  16. Philadelphia Eagles: $13.85MM
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: $12.61MM
  18. Jacksonville Jaguars: $12MM
  19. Washington Commanders: $11.57MM
  20. Baltimore Ravens: $11.54MM
  21. San Francisco 49ers: $10.72MM
  22. Atlanta Falcons: $10.7MM
  23. Denver Broncos: $10.13MM
  24. Minnesota Vikings: $9.75MM
  25. Tennessee Titans: $7.99MM
  26. Seattle Seahawks: $7.94MM
  27. New York Giants: $3.82MM
  28. Las Vegas Raiders: $3.37MM
  29. Los Angeles Rams: $1.49MM
  30. Buffalo Bills: $1.4MM
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: $653K
  32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $402K

The Dolphins gained the most from a post-June 1 cut (Byron Jones) this year, creating $13.6MM in cap space from a deal that will spread out the cornerback’s dead money through 2024. But the Browns (John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) created more than $10MM in space as well.

The Jets’ number is a bit deceiving. They are still working on a restructure with Aaron Rodgers, as the trade acquisition’s cap number — after a Packers restructure — sits at just $1.22MM. In 2024, that number skyrockets to $107.6MM. Rodgers’ cap hit will almost definitely will climb before Week 1, so viewing the Jets along with the other teams north of $20MM in space is not entirely accurate.

Minnesota is moving closer to separating from its $12.6MM-per-year Dalvin Cook contract. The team already created some space by trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns. Cleveland, which is one of the teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins, added Smith and did so with help from its Deshaun Watson restructure. Watson was set to count $54.9MM against the Browns’ 2023 cap. That number is down to $19.1MM, though the Browns’ restructure both ballooned Watson’s mid-2020s cap figures to $63.9MM — which would shatter the NFL record — and added a 2027 void year.

Tampa Bay and Los Angeles sit atop the league in dead money, with the Bucs — largely from their April 2022 Tom Brady restructure — checking in at $75.3MM here. That total comprises nearly 33% of the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The Rams, at more than $74MM, are not far behind. Despite the Bills and Chiefs — the teams most frequently tied to Hopkins — joining the Bucs and Rams near the bottom of the league in cap space, both AFC contenders also sit in the bottom five in dead money.

P Brett Kern Announces Retirement

June 1st, 2023 at 9:07am CST by Sam Robinson

One of this era’s most experienced punters, Brett Kern will wrap his career after 15 seasons. The former Broncos, Titans and Eagles specialist announced Thursday he is retiring.

Best known for his Tennessee tenure, Kern punted in 197 games with the AFC South team. Although Oilers legends Bruce Matthews and Elvin Bethea have that number beat for the franchise, Kern has logged the most games — by a considerable margin — during the organization’s Tennessee period. Punters occupy the top two spots on the Tennessee section of that list, with Kern surpassing the player he replaced (Craig Hentrich).

Kern, 37, finished his 13-year Titans career with three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro honor. The Titans gave promising UDFA Ryan Stonehouse the job out of training camp last year, and while Kern spent most of the season away from the game, he finished his career by helping the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. Kern replaced an injured Arryn Siposs in December for the Eagles, punting in six games. Though, Siposs’ recovery from a December injury ended up booting Kern off Philly’s active roster just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

The Titans acquired Kern in 2009, claiming him a day after the Broncos waived him in-season. Kern signed three Titans extensions, including two deals that paid him at least $3MM per season. The most recent — a $12.65MM deal — came during the 2019 offseason. Despite playing the NFL’s second-lowest-paid regular position (ahead of long snapper), Kern earned more than $29MM during his career.

Kern led the NFL with 49.7 yards per punt in 2017 and finished four other seasons north of 47 years per boot. Following his three-year Pro Bowl run, Kern placed a career-high 59.5% of his punts inside the 20-yard line in 2020. He placed a career-high 39 punts inside the 20 in 2018.

Titans Sign Round 1 OL Peter Skoronski

May 30th, 2023 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans now have their top 2023 draft choice under contract. No. 11 overall pick Peter Skoronski signed his four-year rookie pact (feat. the fifth-year option) Tuesday.

Skoronski is the 18th first-round pick from this year’s class to sign. The Titans will can keep the Northwestern product under contract through 2027 by extending it via the option in May 2026, but we are obviously a ways away from that decision. For now, the Titans will need to determine where Skoronski will play.

Viewed by most NFL evaluators as a guard, Skoronski nevertheless went off the board ahead of tackle Broderick Jones. The Bears passed on the Chicago-area product by taking Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright at No. 10, however. Skoronski suited up as a Northwestern tackle but drew pre-draft scrutiny due to his arm length. Ex-Wildcats teammate Rashawn Slater fell victim to criticism that his 33-inch arms were too short for him to be a successful NFL tackle. Lo and behold, Skoronski’s arm length is reportedly almost an inch shorter.

Still, Skoronski only played tackle at Northwestern, starting all three seasons before declaring for the draft after his junior year. He earned first-team All-Big Ten acclaim as a sophomore and junior, after landing on the conference’s second team in 2020. While Skoronski and Slater were technically teammates, Slater opting out of the 2020 season provided a clear runway for Skoronski to become the top Wildcats tackle.

The Titans’ offseason moves would point to Skoronski playing guard. They gave ex-Eagles first-rounder-turned-backup Andre Dillard a three-year, $29MM deal. Dillard stands to team with 2022 right tackle starter Nicholas Petit-Frere. The Titans signed ex-49ers guard Daniel Brunskill and retained 2022 guard starter Aaron Brewer, but the latter is on track to replace Ben Jones at center. This opens the door for Skoronski to work opposite Brunskill at guard.

The Titans have been using Peter Skoronski — the grandson of 1960s Packers left tackle Bob Skoronski — at both guard and tackle early in his offseason run. Where he lines up in training camp will obviously be a better indicator of the organization’s plans. Skoronski’s agreement leaves only second-rounder Will Levis as the only unsigned Titans draftee.

Titans, DT Jaleel Johnson Agree To Deal

May 30th, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Adam La Rose

The Titans have made a depth addition to their defensive front. Tennessee has agreed to a deal with veteran defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the Vikings, seeing a larger workload with each passing season. His best year in the pass rushing department came in 2019, when he registered 3.5 sacks in a rotational role. That earned him added playing time the following year, one in which he started all 16 games and logged a snap share of 61%.

Johnson has bounced around the league since then, however. He signed with the Texans in 2021, the most recent campaign in which he remained with one franchise for the full season. The former fourth-rounder made 12 appearances in Houston, but no starts, while seeing the field for 40% of defensive snaps. He followed that up by signing with the Saints last April; despite the being his second contract with New Orleans, though, he never saw any game time with them.

The Iowa alum split his time between the Falcons and Texans in 2022, making 15 tackles in nine combined appearances. Johnson will look to earn a more consistent workload in Tennessee, and in doing so set himself up for another contract next offseason while helping his new team remain dominant in its run defense.

The Titans led the league in yards allowed per game on the ground in 2022 (76.8). Much of that success came from their defensive front, a unit which is led by two-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons. The 6-3, 316-pound Johnson will seek a role allowing him to see time alongside Simmons as a nose tackle. Tennessee’s other options in that capacity include the likes of Teair Tart, Naquan Jones and Tyler Shelvin. Johnson will aim to carve out at least some rotational playing time amongst them on what should once again be a strong Titans D-line.

Each NFL Franchise’s Richest QB Contract

May 29th, 2023 at 9:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The quarterback market has moved again this offseason. A year after Aaron Rodgers raised the average annual value bar past $50MM, Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson did so on long-term extensions. Overall, four teams have authorized the most lucrative QB deal in their respective histories this offseason. Two more — the Bengals and Chargers — are in talks about record-setting extensions as well.

On that note, here is the richest quarterback contract each team has authorized. Although teams like the Jets and Lions have acquired big-ticket contracts via trade, only teams’ extensions or free agency agreements will qualify here.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Jay Cutler, January 2014. Seven years, $126.7MM. $38MM fully guaranteed

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Carson Palmer, December 2005. Six years, $97MM. $30.8MM fully guaranteed

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

In trading this contract to the Jets in April, the Packers restructured the deal. Rodgers’ exit will still tag the Pack with $40.3MM in 2023 dead money.

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Carr’s second Raiders deal — agreed to in April 2022 — was worth $40.5MM per year. The full guarantee, thanks to the February escape hatch the team built into the contract, checked in lower than Carr’s initial Raiders extension.

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Cousins’ 2020 extension checked in with a higher AAV ($33MM) but did not approach his initial Minnesota pact for guarantees.

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Chad Pennington, September 2004. Seven years, $64MM. $23MM guaranteed.

The Jets have signed three quarterbacks to deals involving more guaranteed money, but each of those contracts — for Mark Sanchez (2009), Sam Darnold (2018) and Zach Wilson (2021) — was a rookie pact.

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Titans Satisfied With WR Group?

May 28th, 2023 at 8:07pm CST by Ely Allen

In a recent interview, newly appointed Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly responded in the affirmative when asked if the team currently had enough to work with at the wide receiver position, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. Many have regarded the team’s wide receiving corps as a weakness, but while not a guarantee that the team will stand pat at the position, Kelly seems to be satisfied with what he currently has to work with.

After releasing last season’s leading receiver, Robert Woods, Tennessee returns last year’s first-round pick Treylon Burks (444 receiving yards in 2022), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (397), Kyle Philips (78), Racey McMath (40), Mason Kinsey (3), and Reggie Roberson (0). The team also added former Ravens and Texans wideout Chris Moore in free agency back in April after a bit of a breakout season in Houston that saw him reach career highs in starts (7), catches (48), and receiving yards (548).

The team signed five rookie pass catchers, as well. The Titans drafted Tennessee-Martin wide receiver Colton Dowell in the seventh-round and added Oregon State’s Tre’Shaun Harrison, Georgia’s Kearis Jackson, Maryland’s Jacob Copeland, and Baylor’s Gavin Holmes in undrafted free agency after the draft. Dowell earned his draft slot after racking up over 1,000 receiving yards for the Skyhawks in 2022. Harrison posted career highs in receptions (52), receiving yards (604), and touchdowns (4) last year in his third season with the Beavers after transferring from Florida State. Copeland’s best season came when he was in Gainesville and caught 41 balls for 642 yards and four touchdowns. He failed to improve upon that performance in a grad transfer season with the Terrapins. Jackson never quite lived up to the billing of his high recruiting ranking. His strongest season came in 2020 when he caught 36 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns. Holmes was a bit of a deep ball threat for the Bears last year, catching 27 balls for 521 yards and four touchdowns.

It’s fair to say that the room lacks established star power and experience. Moore, Burks, and Westbrook-Ikhine are the obvious leaders of the group with no changes moving forward. It helps to return star running back Derrick Henry as the focus of the offense and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, who finished second on the team last season with 450 receiving yards. Otherwise, it’s not easy to be as confident as Kelly in what quarterback Ryan Tannehill has to work with in 2023.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/25/23

May 25th, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Ben Levine

One mid-round draft pick signing to pass along:

Tennessee Titans

Spears had a breakout 2022 campaign at Tulane, finishing with 1,837 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. That performance led to him being selected by the Titans in the third round of the draft, and he should get some reps as a rookie behind Derrick Henry. Spears will compete with Hassan Haskins for that RB2 spot on the depth chart.

Load More Posts