After making his first six free-agent signings as the Tennessee Titans’ general manager, it’s pretty clear that Ran Carthon is looking for young, promising (and relatively cheap) players who haven’t exactly gotten a full chance to shine in the past for whatever reason.
And that’s something he admitted to recently while down at the NFL owners meetings, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“I think the overarching view of the guys that we all brought in is every guy has starter-level ability, they just haven’t had the opportunity to be full-time starters,” Carthon said.
“If you kind of think about it, it’s kind of how Vrabes’ career started. He was a third-round pick in Pittsburgh, never started in Pittsburgh, then got his opportunity in New England and, obviously, the rest is the rest and how he became the great player that he became. So, each of these guys have logged starts here and there but they’ve never been full-time starters. And they’re guys we believe in that can become starters in our league,” he added.
One of the players who fits into the “untapped potential” department is Andre Dillard, who is expected to man left tackle for Tennessee in 2023.
“Andre is, I guess for a lack of a better way to put it, is untapped potential,” Carthon explained. “This was a guy, former first-round pick, really athletic and he just continues to get better. He just needed an opportunity.”
From the NFL owners meetings: #Titans GM Ran Carthon on OL Andre Dillard, and the team’s acquisitions in free agency.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) March 26, 2023
As expected, Carthon said the Titans will start Dillard off at left tackle and see how things go, but he also noted the 27-year-old’s versatility to play guard, which could come in handy if Tennessee drafts a left tackle at No. 11.
“We’d like to start him off at left tackle and have him there first, and see how it goes,” he said. “But he’s another guy that’s played guard, and I think the big thing is having versatility.”
Most assume that the Titans’ signings of guys who Carthon is familiar with were the result of his relationships with said players; however, Carthon said these players were already targets of the team prior to his arrival.
“I’ll be honest with you: I can’t take the credit,” Carthon admitted. “My relationships with these guys help, but I came into a situation where the free agency board and meetings were set, so I was just the new addition and all these guys that you named, they were already listed as guys to talk about in the room, so that’s a testament to (Director of Pro Scouting) Brian Gardner, (Assistant Director of Pro Scouting) Kevin Turks, (pro scout) Brandon Taylor and all those guys in the (Titans) pro department, and (Pro Scouting Coordinator) Rob Riederer – those guys did a really good job of piecing that UFA (unrestricted free agent) board together, and again I get to step into the room and hear their perspective, along with the coaches, and use my relationships to try and help get these guys in the building.”
