I don’t know that Harold Landry is really as good as the folks who say the Tennessee Titans defense won’t be the same without him think he is. I also don’t know that Landry is as replaceable as the folks who say ‘let him walk’ think he is either. As is the case with a ton of my football takes, I feel the answer is somewhere in the middle. Regardless, the Titans made news yesterday evening when it broke that they were locking down their thoroughbred do-it-all guy to a five year, $87.5M deal.
The @Titans have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with OLB @HaroldLandry.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) March 9, 2022
STORY https://t.co/DeSxQKA6Y7 pic.twitter.com/cofs6KU6ml
Just as the sky was beginning to fall, no less! The Titans lost out on Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. They didn’t use the franchise tag on Landry. We went from ‘in JRob we trust‘ to the absolute rock bottom of franchise history in a matter of hours. But, that’s neither here nor there – I have to remember that this isn’t about Titans fans…it’s about Landry…and I need to resist the urge to go down that rabbit hole again.
My philosophy on Landry was pretty conflicted. On one hand, the defensive front was easily the strength of the 2021 Titans team, and I generally agreed that it would be fruitful to do everything they could to keep that unit intact. On the other hand, they have some big time decisions to make with other contracts – namely this season….and namely Ben Jones. But, also with a stable of guys from a stellar 2019 draft class that are going to be commanding a hefty pay day soon enough. Signing him to a big deal now didn’t seem very prudent in the long run, but then again, this is a team with a Super Bowl window that is still wide open. They’re in ‘win now’ mode.
It’s a lot of money. I believe the appropriate term for it is “HOOWEE” – that’s a lot of money. But, if you’re going to break the bank for a guy, why not a guy like Landry? This guy has been a fucking machine for the Titans. He’s coming off of a 12-sack season, but I don’t think you can boil Landry down to a pure pass rusher. This coaching staff puts him in a lot of different situations (hold your “there goes Landry dropping into coverage again” jokes until the end) – he is an effective pass rusher, but I’d call him more of a pressurer and maybe even a container. They drop him back and trust him in coverage. They play him off the ball. Whatever he’s asked to do, he does it, he does it well, and he does it in a way that has earned the adoration of the team. Landry is an iron man.
As for the other expiring contracts, and the ones set to expire soon, we’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out. But, this was a move about 2022. Did I just type up over 600 words just to say “we’ll see?” Maybe. I guess I did. Oh well….it sure as hell looks like Landry is going to be a career Titan. I’m happy for the guy, as he’s a key cog in this vastly improved defense and is being treated as such.
If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to The Unofficial Titans Podcast on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!
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, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
