As the Tennessee Titans announced their first group of cuts, one player who was expected to be part of that group, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, was noticeably absent from it.
That raised some eyebrows at the time and led to speculation the Titans might take another route, but it was confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Dupree would indeed be cut.
The reason the Titans weren’t able to make the release official along with the others is the fact that Dupree’s contract has a guarantee that forces Tennessee to wait until March 15, the start of the new league year.
Upon learning of Dupree’s expected cut, the question then became: would the Titans use the post-June 1 designation and wait for the savings, which would have been more? Or, would they release him pre-June 1, which would save less but enable the team to use the money right away?
Cutting Dupree pre-June 1 saves the Titans $9.35 million, while a post-June 1 cut would net a savings of $15.75 million, a significant difference of $6.4 million.
Well, we have our answer to that, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that not only was the salary guarantee the reason he hadn’t been cut yet, but that Dupree would indeed get the boot pre-June 1.
And that’s a significant fact in all this.
Had the Titans cut Dupree with a post-June 1 designation, the money saved wouldn’t have been available until then, which would be counter to what a team that is retooling needs — and that’s especially true in an offseason in which Tennessee needs every penny.
While nothing can be ruled out, the fact that the Titans opted to make the cut pre-June 1 and have that money at their disposal in time for free agency this year can definitely be taken as a sign that the team isn’t blowing it up.
Once the move is made official, it will save the Titans $9.35 million. Adding those savings to Tennessee’s current cap space situation gives the team around $23 million to work with ahead of free agency.
Some in the national media are already under the assumption that the Titans are in the midst of a rebuild, but it’s important to point out that every cut the Titans have made was expected and likely would have been made no matter the outcome of last season, Dupree included.
Sure, there were rumors that the Titans were shopping Derrick Henry at the NFL Combine, which would be a sign of a rebuild, but there was also a report stating they weren’t shopping him.
Even if you take the Henry rumor completely seriously, there are different ways to interpret it, ranging from the Titans planning on trading one of the best players in franchise history, to Ran Carthon simply doing his due diligence. Chances are, the latter took place.
What we can say for certain is that the Titans opted to save less in order to have more now, which, as of this writing, is the best sign thus far that Tennessee isn’t tearing it all down.
UPDATE
This article was published before the Titans released center Ben Jones, which looks like a move a rebuilding team would make considering he was their best offensive lineman in 2022, and really, for multiple years.
However, just like with Dupree, Jones is a pre-June 1 cut, which aids a retool because, again, the team can use the savings right away as opposed to waiting until June 2 and recouping more money.
Maybe the pre-June 1 decision is the Titans doing Jones a favor by letting him out of a rebuild, while also giving him a chance to sign with a team quicker.
It’s also possible this is simply a cost-cutting measure and a move the Titans are making with a cheaper replacement in mind, like Aaron Brewer.
I don’t think anyone can say definitively what this move signifies for sure, but it does muddy the rebuild or retool waters at least a bit.
