2021 seemed like a go for it year for the Titans. Tennessee beefed up their pass rush to boast the 4th ranked total Defense according to ProFootballReference.com which held them back in 2020. The Titans were forced to use 91 different players on their roster in 2021 (NFL record), which included offensive stars Derrick Henry (9 games), Julio Jones (7 games) and AJ Brown (4 games). The decline of the Offensive Line and Quarterback Ryan Tannehill also didn’t help Tennessee’s offense get back to its 2019-2020 form where they ranked among the top offenses in the league.
After Tannehill threw 3 picks in the team’s 19-16 Divisional round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the team finds itself in a tough situation when it comes to where the money is being dealt on the roster. As of right now, Spotrac.com has the Titans over the NFL cap limit by $6.6 million; here’s how they can fix it to stay competitive in 2022.
The Easy Moves
The first two players that the Titans should immediately move on from would be Cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and Right Tackle Kendall Lamm. Cutting Jenkins would save roughly $6.9 million in cap space after having an underperforming year. Jenkins only recorded 1 INT, 6 Pass breakups and allowed opposing QB’s to record a 100.2 Passer Rating (worst in his career). Lamm is a much easier cut for the Titans, he only played more than 20% of his snaps in two games this season. Cutting Lamm would save nearly $3.2 million which is much needed money for the Titans with his lack of production. Combine the two cuts, and you save roughly $10 million and get out of the negative column in cap space.
The Hard Moves
Tannehill and the Offensive Line was the huge disappointment for this team without a doubt. With Tannehill having a cap hit of $57 million in 2022, cutting him and looking for a replacement at Quarterback just isn’t reasonable. This is where tough decisions have to be made for this organization moving forward. Tennessee’s offensive Line let up the 7th most sacks this season with 47 total sacks. The Titans can save the most money this off-season by cutting Left Tackle Taylor Lewan or Left Guard Rodger Saffold.
Lewan, coming off an ACL tear didn’t have the best season, and with his age (30) he could be cut to save roughly $13 million. Saffold, on the other hand is up in age for an interior lineman (33). He, like Lewan also struggled at times this year, and was in and out of the line-up a lot with injuries. Cutting Saffold would save the Titans $10.5 million in 2022. More than likely, the Titans will cut one and restructure the other. Left Tackle is one of the hardest positions to fill in the NFL, so Lewan in my estimation stays. Saffold on the other hand is as good as gone, the Right Guard just has too many ailing injuries, and will turn 34 in June. He’s simply too old for an interior lineman at that price. This years Draft is loaded with young Offensive Lineman. Look for the Titans to use one, it not two of their first three picks on Offensive Line.
The Maybe’s
If we knew what we know now, the Titans probably wouldn’t have traded for Julio Jones after his underperforming 2021 campaign. He played in only 10 games this year with 434 receiving yards and only 1 TD. With Julio turning 33 and having the worst season of his career, the Titans may look to get rid of the former All Pro in the off season. Prior to June 1st, Julio’s dead cap hit will be at $13.2 million. If Julio is cut after June 1st his dead cap hit would only be $4.8 million and would free up $9.5 million in cap. I think the Julio situation has run its course and the Titans make that move post June 1st. It would be smarter for Tennessee to bite the bullet on the trade, and look to upgrade with a cheap, young draft pick they can develop alongside AJ Brown.
Brett Kern is also on this list even though he is still one of the elite Punters in the league. Kern is coming up on the last year of his deal and is currently the 4th highest paid Punter in the NFL. Cutting Kern would save the Titans $3.2 million in cap space, which is a lot of money for a cap struck team. The veteran Punter will be 36 this month, and has shown signs of injury and decline since the end of the 2019 season. Don’t be surprised if the Titans approach Kern about a restructure which inevitably may lead to his release. Kern may want to make more money on the open market, which would be the reason behind the end of his tenure in Tennessee.
Lastly, don’t be surprised if the Titans go younger at Inside Linebacker. When the Texans released Zach Cunningham, Tennessee was struggling with injuries to Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans and David Long Jr. Cunningham led the league in tackles in 2020, and is known for being an excellent run stopper but can struggle in coverage. With the emergence of David Long Jr as a playmaker, I could see the Titans either drafting his companion or going after a run stopping veteran for cheap. With Cunningham’s release, the Titans would save another $10.5 million in cap going into the 2022 season. With Harold Landry having a career year, Tennessee may elect to resign an in-house product over a mid-season pick-up. Monty Rice, a 2021 3rd round Inside Linebacker out of Georgia shouldn’t be ruled out of this equation either if the Titans elect to release Cunningham.
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