In our latest offseason preview for the Tennessee Titans, we’re taking a look at the team’s situation at both cornerback and safety with free agency rapidly approaching
The defensive backs group wasn’t immune to the plethora of injuries the Titans suffered in 2022, with starters like Kristian Fulton (six games) and Amani Hooker (eight games) both missing time due to injury.
The Titans didn’t get anything out of Elijah Molden and Caleb Farley as a result of injury, also. Farley in particular wasn’t good in his limited opportunities, either.
Roger McCreary found himself in a significant role in Year 1 after beating out Farley for the starting job, and while he no doubt flashed, the rookie saw his fair share of struggles, also.
The rock, of course, was safety Kevin Byard, who played at a high level despite players dropping like flies around him.
The result of all that was the Titans finishing with the worst pass defense in the NFL in 2022. The good news is, there is nowhere to go but up for Tennessee’s group of defensive backs.
Now, a look at who’s under contract, who’s a pending free agent, and what the Titans might do at both positions this offseason.
Who's under contract?
S Kevin Byard: $19.6 million cap hit
S Amani Hooker: $8.8 million cap hit
CB Kristian Fulton: $1.6 million cap hit
CB Roger McCreary: $2.08 million cap hit
CB Elijah Molden: $1.3 million cap hit
CB Tre Avery: $870,000 cap hit
CB Caleb Farley: $3.68 million cap hit
CB Chris Jackson: $940,000 cap hit
CB Josh Thompson: $870,000 cap hit
CB Shyheim Carter (futures): $750,000 cap hit
The Titans have no shortage of injury concerns with this group, as Fulton, Molden, Hooker and Farley have all missed significant time during their careers.
Hooker signed an extension prior to 2022, but has now missed 13 games the past two seasons. Another injury-riddled campaign could make him a cut candidate in 2024.
Fulton, who is no doubt a difference-maker when healthy, is in a similar boat, although he’s in the final year of his deal. The LSU product has yet to play a full season and was named by head coach Mike Vrabel as a repeat offender when it comes to soft-tissue injuries.
Molden managed to stay healthy in Year 1 and flashed his potential, but 2022 was a much different story, as a nagging groin injury sidelined him for all but two contests.
Then there’s Farley, who has been plagued by injury over two years. Even when on the field, the Virginia Tech product has been woefully disappointing.
Of this group, McCreary has the brightest future, but there’s no question he has a lot of improving to do, also.
Avery was one of the bigger surprises in 2022. After going undrafted, the Rutgers product landed in Nashville, where he struggled early in the season before playing better than expected down the stretch.
Byard carries the largest cap hit of the defensive backs by far. He should be a candidate to be restructured or extended in order to lower that cap hit.
Who's a pending free agent?
CB Lonnie Johnson: $1.2 million cap hit in 2022
CB Terrance Mitchell: $995,556 cap hit in 2022
DB Joshua Kalu: $965,000 cap hit in 2022
S Andrew Adams: $795,556 cap hit in 2022
S A.J. Moore: $2.5 million cap hit in 2022
Both Moore and Adams suffered serious injuries in 2022, so I don’t think re-signing them will be on the table. Mitchell was brutal in coverage, so I don’t think he’s back, either.
While Johnson is a big “meh” and could be brought back to compete for a roster spot, Kalu is someone the Titans should be interested in bringing back thanks to his knowledge of the system, versatility to play both safety and slot, and special teams prowess.
What the Titans will do
While there are question marks all over the defensive backs group, I don’t envision the Titans doing much here, as they’re pretty much locked-in with multiple guys.
Fulton, McCreary, Byard and Hooker will return to starting roles, with Molden operating out of the slot and Avery serving as a main backup.
Tennessee shouldn’t be expecting anything out of Farley and he may very well be relegated to special teams duty only in 2023.
While it might get talked about if he continues to have issues, I don’t think Farley gets cut if he struggles in training camp, as it would cost more to do that than it would to keep him. Farley is set to account for $3.6 million in 2023 but carries a dead-cap hit of $7.9 million.
With Fulton in the final year of his deal, Farley not working out and Hooker a potential cut candidate in 2024, the Titans should explore taking a defensive back at some point in the draft (likely in the middle rounds).
In free agency, don’t expect much to happen other than depth moves, and I wouldn’t expect anything in the trade market, either, unless the Titans decide to go with a rebuild instead of a retool, in which case they will sell off parts.
Check out our other offseason previews
