PHOENIX – In his introductory press conference and again when he spoke to the press at the scouting combine, Ran Carthon answered a question about the Titans' potential success as a run-based offense with an answer about the Golden State Warriors.

Everyone likes fast-break football, was the gist of what he said, but it’s not the way to win late in the season.

I brought this up with Carthon at the NFL annual meeting because the Warriors are the NBA’s defending champions and have won four of the league’s last eight titles and because I think most would agree the NFL’s version of the Warriors are the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champs who also won in 2019.

PHOENIX – With City Council and Sports Authority approval of the Titans' new stadium expected before the end of April, the franchise and Metro Nashville can put a ceremonial shovel in the ground this summer.

But actual construction on the $2.1 billion covered stadium will not start until the early offseason in 2024 and the window for having the new venue ready for the 2026 NFL season has passed.

The Titans now expect to begin play there in 2027, PaulKuharsky.com has learned at the NFL annual meeting.

[Unlocked]

PHOENIX – The competition committee is bringing forth eight of the 17 rule changes that will be discussed at the NFL annual meeting here at the Arizona Biltmore, but one of the committee’s members doesn’t have a strong feeling for any particular change so much as he has a theme.

Mike Vrabel wants to see more officiating consistency.

It’s something he hit on in October of last year after an especially difficult week for NFL officiating. He replied all to a weekly email memo with videos from the officiating department.

PHOENIX – At the NFL’s annual meeting on Monday, Mike Vrabel didn’t sound like a coach who’s on the verge of moving on from three of his most important and highest-paid players.

But as has increasingly become the case since his old GM orchestrated a trade of A.J. Brown not too long after the coach ensured the star receiver would be around for the length of his tenure as Titans coach, Vrabel left himself some wiggle room when talking about the futures of Ryan Tannehill, Kevin Byard and Derrick Henry.

Asked if Tannehill would be his quarterback in September when the season starts, Vrabel sounded convicted but clearly referenced the case of Brown.

[Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- We're told, generally, that money doesn't solve everything and that the rich have issues just like the rest of us. I think that's the same when it comes to NFL teams with more money to spend.

In this week's edition of the podcast, I look at the situation coming for the Titans in a year, when they would currently have $140 million against the expected salary cap. I don't think it will wind up being the miracle solution to all the team's personnel problems that people might imagine.

The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and YouTube, which is below.

Whichever platform you prefer, please subscribe, rate and review.

Other subjects I dive into:

💥 How the best players are increasingly likely to move in trades than free agency.
💥 The Falcons with an example of the kind of thing the Titans can do next year. 
💥 A player who's mastered the guarantee game.
💥 The Titans' attitude regarding the backup quarterback spot.
💥 How Dennis Daley found another job.
 

Please keep the feedback coming. The podcast is just the front door to PaulKuharsky.com. If you like what you hear or see here, you'd really love the rest of the site. Come join the fun.

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- One week into his first free agency window, new Titans GM Ran Carthon has plugged some holes and reunited with some old friends from his time in San Francisco. There are a few common themes that have begun to emerge among the six new additions that we know of to this point.

• LT Andre Dillard – 3 years, $29 million with $10 million fully guaranteed
• EDGE Arden Key – 3 years, $21 million with $11.6 million fully guaranteed
• OG Daniel Brunskill – 2 years, $5.5 million with $1.5 million fully guaranteed
• LB Azeez Al-Shaair – 1 year, $5 million with $4.25 million fully guaranteed
• CB Sean Murphy-Bunting – 1 year, “up to” $5 million, no detailed info on guarantees
• LB Luke Gifford – 2 years, $4 million with $1 million fully guaranteed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Five of the Titans' six new acquisitions have spoken and now we've spoken about them as we gathered for a chat that topped any conversation on any airwaves or online forum that had previously been held.

Thanks for coming armed with all your questions about what unfolded to this point with Ran Carthon's approach and all that the Titans have left to do and how they might approach it. We covered some good ideas about how they should move forward.

What's the state of the roster now? How's the draft been impacted? What might we still see in free agency? We hit all that and more.

To rewatch, please head below or to the private Facebook page.

And if you're not part of things yet, then get on board.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When Cincinnati fielded an 80 percent new offensive line to start the 2022 season, things started out poorly.

In the Bengals' first two games in their follow-up to an AFC Championship season, they gave up 13 sacks and lost to Pittsburgh and at Dallas.

Ultimately a revamped line helped cut regular-season sacks by 11 but still allowed 44, and yards per rushing attempt dropped from 4.0 to 3.8.

The Titans are undergoing an offensive line overhaul. It could be as big as the Bengals’ was, but it might be just three of five starters rather than four.