Why the Titans should and should not resign their pending free agents.
The Tennessee Titans have several players who play key roles on their roster set to hit Free Agency. Here we make a case for and against each player staying
For the Tennessee Titans the season is officially over. It is now time to shift focus over to the offseason, and the Titans have done just that. The Titans started the offseason off with a bang by firing head coach Mike Mularkey and hiring now head coach Mike Vrabel. The next order of business for the team will be to focus on who to resign or let go in free agency. Below you will see the Titans pending free agents and a case made for keeping them, and also letting them walk.
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Avery Williamson
Why he should be kept:
Williamson is a Tennessee native. He grew up and played high school football in Milan, Tennessee. Milan is about two-hours outside of Nashville. So, Williamson has an incentive to stay close to home and family, and he could certainly give the Titans the home town discount. Williamson is also great against the run. Throughout his career, he has spent a lot of time floating around the top of PFF’s linebackers rankings against the run.
Why he should walk:
Williamson is great against the run, but he has always been a liability in coverage. In today’s pass happy NFL, Williamson is not a guy you want to march onto the field on clear passing downs. The Titans also have some younger, cheaper options behind Williamson in Jayon Brown and Aaron Wallace who could potentially step up and start beside Wesley Woodyard.
DaQuan Jones
Why he should be kept:
Jones was quietly having a career year up until the point he was injured. He recorded 3.5 sacks in 2017. Tony Romo also did his homework on the Titans, and pointed something out that even most Titans fans didn’t notice. The Titans don’t have a lot of depth along their defensive line. Which means the team doesn’t substitute very often, and that makes the big guys tired.
Why he should walk:
After Jones was injured, his back up Austin Johnson stepped in and played solid football in his place. Johnson is a young player, and the Titans have a second round draft pick invested in him from 2016. If that wasn’t enough, this 2018 NFL draft class looks to be deep at the position. Da’Ron Payne, Vita Vea, and Taven Bryan all being worthy of a first-round pick. If you look deeper into this draft you could find solid depth with plenty of upside in players such as; Maurice Hurst, Dontavius Russell, and Trenton Thompson, along with many others.
Eric Decker
Why he should be kept:
Eric Decker was brought onto this team for his veteran leadership skills, and that’s exactly what he has. Aside from fellow veteran Rishard Mathews, all other receivers have less than two years of experience ( Tajae Sharpe was injured all of 2017). His wife Jessie James Decker is a country music singer whose career is centered around Nashville, Decker would be an ideal candidate to take a home-town discount in order to stay closer to family.
Why he should walk:
Decker isn’t getting any younger, and more than likely his play will take a sharp decline sooner, rather than later. It’s also entirely possible that we have already begun to see this with his play in 2017. Decker dropped several key balls. Some of which almost cost the Titans a win against the Cleveland Browns.
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Josh Kline
Why he should be kept:
Chemistry along the offensive line is very important, and Kline has almost two years of starting experience with these guys. One of which the Titans had arguably the best offensive line in the NFL. Also, so many things are changing with this team so the more familiar players and coaches can be together, the better, and the Titans have elected to keep offensive line coach Russ Grimm.
Why he should walk:
The Titans have bookend tackles in Taylor Lewan and Jack Concklin. The interior of the offensive line is the weakest link, specifically the right side. Kline was a undrafted rookie, and this could be the top-of-the-line of his level of play. It’s certainly possibly the Titans look to upgrade the position over the offseason.
Erik Walden
Why he should be kept:
Walden is phenomenal depth for this Titans team! Especially, with the fact Kevin Dodd is looking more and more like a bust everyday. At such a premium position in the NFL having adequate depth is a must if you want to go anywhere.
Why he should walk:
Walden isn’t getting any younger at 32 years old. The Titans could elect to get younger at the position in the draft with players such as; Uchenna Nwosu, Harold Landry, Marcus Davenport, Ogbonnia Okronkwo, or Sam Hubbard.
Rest of the Titans pending Free Agents
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