Cash of the Titans

The Super Bowl is over and the NFL off season is set to begin. With many huge names potentially becoming available, the Tennessee Titans have a lot of shopping to do. The Titans will have between 30 and 42 million dollars in cap space(depending on if the NFL raises the cap) to add pieces to a broken puzzle.
The biggest need for the Titans is at Quarterback. They have a couple of directions they can go here but free agency is not likely one of them with names like Brian Hoyer and Mark Sanchez at the top of the free agent list. Zach Mettenberger showed signs of being a capable quarterback but is far from establishing himself as a franchise player. Tennessee could also use their #2 overall pick on Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, but the team doesn’t seem set on either at the moment. Of course there are other quality signal callers to be had in later rounds like Brett Hundley and Brice Petty in the draft class but none figure to make immediate impacts. So expect the quarterback situation to remain unsettled going into next season.
Another glaring weakness is at corner opposite. Jason McCourty played well enough to remain a starter but Coty Sensabaugh and Blidi Wreh-Wilson left much to be desired. While this isn’t a particularly strong corner class, there could be hidden gems to be had. However if the Titans want an immediate upgrade at the position, free agency will be the way to go. The Patriots have a decision to make with Darrelle Revis but even if he hits the open market, I don’t expect the Titans to outbid others for his services. Brandon Flowers, Kareem Jackson, and Byron Maxwell are impact corners that the Titans can target with Maxwell presumingly being the least expensive at around $6 million or more per season. Patriots safety Devin McCourty has plenty of NFL experience playing corner, but he looks poised for a huge contract(potentially exceeding the $8 million range) that the Titans historically would not match, unless he wants to take a little less to play with his brother, Jason, in Nashville.
The Titans also need help getting after opposing quarterbacks. Derrick Morgan and Jurrell Casey had decent seasons in the sack department, but the team still lacks a true threat to offensive lines and quarterbacks. This is a deep class in terms of guys who can create chaos for opposing signal callers. Leonard Williams, Randy Gregory, Shane Ray, Dante Fowler, Vic Beasley and Shaq Thompson all have the ability to be drafted in the top 15 come July but only Williams, Ray, and Gregory make sense at #2. The free agent market for pass rushers could be rich as well headlined by Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Justin Houston. If there is a position that the Titans are likely to overspend on this is it. But if the Titans want to go a slightly cheaper route, guys like Jason Worilds, Jerry Hughes, Brian Orakpo, Pernell McPhee, and Greg Hardy(assuming his legal issues get resolved) could come at slight discounts considering the talent in the market.
The Titans have invested in Justin Hunter and Dexter McCluster to be play makers for the team and they have yet to live up to expectations. No matter who is the quarterback in Nashville next season the Titans need a wide receiver to take pressure off of Kendall Wright and Delanie Walker with Nate Washington likely gone. The Titans could address the issue by taking Amare Cooper with their first round pick. If not, there is a ton of talent to be had via free agency. Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and Randall Cobb headline the receiver group but all 3 are likely to resign with their current teams. But players like Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith, Michael Crabtree, and Cecil Shorts could all be instant upgrades at the position for around the $6 to $8 million range.
The Titans know that they have to upgrade a lot of positions if this team wants to make any noise in 2015. They have the cap space and the picks, its just a matter of making the right choices.