It doesn’t seem like the Tennessee Titans are going to be hanging any “offseason champs” banners up inside Nissan Stadium any time soon. They haven’t exactly made the big (read: expensive) splash signing to date, but their strategy seems apparent, and I have to say….I like it. They are signing guys to shorter, cheaper deals, but they’re picking dudes who offer versatility and upside. Take yesterday’s news that the Titans had agreed to terms with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick from the 2019 class, Sean Murphy-Bunting, for example.
Sean Murphy-Bunting, the newest Tennessee Titan! pic.twitter.com/PW4TTgKPAS
— SoBros Network (@SoBrosNetwork) March 20, 2023
I know it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for SMB with the Bucs due to injuries and a position battle against Jamel Dean that he lost when he was hurt, and then won back when Dean was hurt. There have been some consistency issues there, but he’s coming off of his best season yet from a coverage standpoint (PFF thinks so anyway), and he’s not too far removed from a helluva postseason run to a Super Bowl championship a few years ago. Most importantly, he’s scheme versatile in that he plays well in zone or man. And, it’s a true one-year “prove it” deal. There’s not a ton of money involved, and I have no doubt that he’ll have ample opportunity to show the Titans what he’s made of.
They needed some juice in that cornerback room, too. Caleb Farley hasn’t panned out. There’s a good corner in Roger McCreary, but he definitely hit a rookie wall by the end of 2022. And, I have no idea what the future holds for Kristian Fulton. Months ago, Mike Vrabel named him alongside David Long Jr. as guys that could stand to train their bodies to better handle soft tissue injuries. And, folks…Long is a Miami Dolphin now. There are questions surrounding the cornerbacks much like there were questions at other areas of the roster. They addressed those questions by adding Andre Dillard, Daniel Brunskill, Arden Key, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Luke Gifford (and of course, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine too).
While it’s frustrating a certain sect of Titans fans to not see them spend the big money, it’s a stroke of brilliance if you ask me. Now, you have affordable contracts, and you have guys that can, at worst, provide solid and valuable depth that the team didn’t have a season ago (and it’s triggering me just to think about). At best, you have guys that can be nice starters for you. All of the guys they’ve signed so far have tremendous upside. This strategy enables the Titans to approach the draft in ‘best player available’ mode, and that is how you find the cornerstone guys that are going to usher in a new era for your franchise.
I like the addition of Sean Murphy-Bunting. Hell, I like all of the additions so far. It’s like concrete before you add the cement. You have to have a bunch of rocks to build the foundation on, but you don’t have a real bonding agent until you pour the cement in. These free agent signings are the gravel, and in the draft, they’ll get the cement paste. I should also add that I have no fucking clue how to mix concrete and have absolutely no way to verify whether or not this analogy is going to land the way I pictured it would in my head. You guys get my point, though…I think?
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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, #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.
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