If there’s one move the Tennessee Titans have been universally lauded for early on in free agency, it’s the signing of former Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Arden Key.
The 26-year-old was one of the bigger standouts on defense for the Jaguars in 2022, and the Titans had a front-row seat to just how good he was, with Key tallying 10 pressures and one of his 4.5 sacks against Tennessee.
Tennessee has received nothing but positive grades from analysts for the move. NFL analyst Greg Cosell also heaped praise on the signing, calling Key a “really valuable piece”.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar also weighed-in recently, saying Key is one of the “best bargains” in free agency thus far, with his three-year, $21 million deal that includes $13 million guaranteed and a max value of $24 million.
Here’s what Farrar had to say.
The Titans went with the retro-fit plan to replace Walker, signing Arden Key to a similar deal (three years, $21 million with $13 million guaranteed), and hoping for similar production. Key is a different type of player — at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he lives on the edge — but the production projects well. Key did very little in his first three NFL seasons with the Raiders, found the holy grail with the 49ers in 2021, and took it to Jacksonville in 2022.
Last season for a radically improved Jaguars defense, Key had five sacks and a career-high 51 total pressures, and the Titans probably had this Week 14 sack in mind when they zeroed in on Key. Here, Key ran a stunt with Travon Walker, made left tackle Dennis Daley’s life miserable, and then made Ryan Tannehill’s day even worse.
As Farrar notes, the Titans gave Key pretty much the same contract as DeMarcus Walker got from the Bears, which in and of itself is a win.
Key is two years younger and has a better history of production over the last two years than Walker, who has been a career backup and logged one good season before collecting his pay day, which I was happy to see for him.
But Key gives the Titans more options, and he has the potential to be a long-term starter. I also think he can really thrive in Tennessee’s system in a key role with all the talent projected to be around him.
