I don’t envy the Tennessee Titans brass this offseason. Just a year ago, this roster looked like it was in pretty good shape without a whole hell of a lot of desperate needs. All it needed was a few pieces here and there, and the train that took this franchise to the AFC Championship was going to just keep on rolling. That’s not the case in 2021, as this team has several tough decisions to make on impending free agents and quite a few areas of need…and they don’t have a whole lot of cash to play with at the moment. One of those free agents to be is tight end Jonnu Smith. With the deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag approaching tomorrow, Smith’s name has been tossed around the internet as a potential candidate to be franchised.
I can certainly understand the desire to run this offense back in 2021. This was a historic unit in 2020, as it was one of the best offenses in the entire NFL. Smith was poised for a breakout season – many writers (myself included) pointed to his skill set, athleticism, and development as reasons why Smith looked like he was ready to become one of the best tight ends in football. But, he finished 2021 with 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns. The eight touchdowns were nice, and they were tied with Jimmy Graham for 4th among tight ends. The fact that he scored eight times on 41 receptions is impressive. But, those numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping (448 yards is good for 101st in the NFL in receiving yards, 20th among tight ends).
The Titans know what they have in Smith, though. People are going to use his lack of elite-level production to debate where the guy should land and how much he should be paid, but you have to look at the context behind his numbers. That’s what the Titans decision-makers know – what this guy is capable of, what he was responsible for, and whether or not he successfully executed upon what he was asked to do. Those are things that we don’t necessarily see in a stat line.
The Titans were down to their third string left tackle in 2020. They had to shuffle that unit several times, and to help out, Smith was used a lot more in blocking than he was in the passing game. And, he helped out tremendously. Smith played 779 snaps in 2020 – on 444 of those, he was asked to block…that’s about 57% of his snap count being spent on blocking downs. Pro Football Focus graded him 6th on offense for the Titans, and 12th among tight ends in the NFL in 2020. So, it’s lazy just to say “he’s not worth a big price tag because he only caught 41 balls and produced 448 yards” or “he’s not used in the passing game.” The situation dictated that. It’s not an indictment of Smith’s ability or potential.
So, assuming you’re not going to be able to sign ALL of your major free agents (and I really don’t see how the Titans can – they’re going to lose someone), how do you factor in the franchise tag? When does that become a legitimate option? What is the importance of continuity on offense? Do you go all out to keep Smith -and- Corey Davis for stability’s sake? Of the options, Smith definitely plays the most cost-effective position. According to Over The Cap, the franchise tag for tight ends is going to cost teams about $10M in 2021 (compared to what it would cost for a wide receiver or linebacker).
Does Smith deserve to be paid like one of the best tight ends in football? I really don’t think it’s a reach to say so. Look – this might be a hot take for some of y’all….but I don’t think the state of the position is exactly what it was in recent years. You’ve got Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, and when he’s healthy, George Kittle…..and then the tight end position falls off a cliff. Having watched Smith for his entire career, I have no issues with anyone saying Smith is already easily a top 10 tight end in the league. But, the question is whether or not the Titans can pay him like one of the best tight ends in football…and whether or not that would be prudent to do so, for that matter.
It’s not as easy as “just franchise him so he doesn’t go anywhere,” as so many say on social media. The question here is whether or not Smith is so valuable to the Titans offense that it warrants a pay day larger than what the market would likely dictate, and less to spend on other areas of need. It would be nice to keep Smith, sure – I think he’s still capable of becoming one of the best all-around tight ends in the league. But, if he’s franchised, that’s going to be expensive, in relative terms, when money is already going to be tight. Given the depth that the Titans have at tight end right now, I think I’d be willing to roll the dice and simply not use the franchise tag at all this year – to quote Lil Dicky, “save dat money.”
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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