NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans have to cut $23,687,933 in scheduled 2023 salary by 3 p.m. CT on March 15 to be in compliance with the salary cap.

That number is according to Spotrac and has the Titans in the fourth-worst position in the league, better than only the Saints, Buccaneers and Jaguars.

The official 2023 salary cap number of $224.8 million was given to teams Monday, NFL Network reported.

But the Titans won’t simply need to get to a point where their most expensive 51 players cost less than their adjusted cap number, which includes over $1.8 million in rolled-over money from 2022.

They’ll need room to sign new players in free agency and to sign their draft class.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Greetings and welcome to the weekend. I hope you've got big plans leading up to the Championship Games where I hope we get a couple of tight classics.

I hope you've listened to the podcast, but in case you've not gotten to it yet, I urge you to listen or watch and subscribe, rate and review. Here is it on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts and our new YouTube channel. 

I appreciate the steady flow of questions on Twitter and Facebook and our private Facebook page.

Here is the best of what you sent.

How much of an impact do you see Carthon really having as a GM? Can a talent supplier really revitalize an offense that handicaps itself in points based on its current run heavy centered philosophy? Tell me good news if it’s true.

— Howie The Titan (@howie_thetitan) January 21, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A new podcast episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

And now, you can watch or listen on our new YouTube channel. You can also find that broadcast below. I hope you will subscribe to that as well.

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

Subjects I dive into:

💥 How little we know about what some front office people actually do.

💥 The idea that the Titans will have a pipeline to 49ers personnel because of Ran Carthon.

💥 Priorities not lining up chronologically.

💥 My disruptive neighborhood horn-honking.

💥 Offensive coordinator thoughts.

💥 Pending Hall of Fame voting.

💥 Championship Game rooting interests.

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A snippet:

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With Ran Carthon locked in as the new general manager in Tennessee, eyes now turn to the openings on the coaching staff that were created when Mike Vrabel fired offensive coordinator Todd Downing, offensive line coach Keith Carter, and secondary coach Anthony Midget following the season.

Matt Nagy with Patrick Mahomes/ © Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Reports indicate that the Titans may have found their secondary coach in former Commanders defensive backs coach Chris Harris.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In 2020, the NFL adopted a rule change that stopped teams from accumulating dead ball fouls to drain clock while preserving late-game leads.

Bill Belichick may have first “discovered” the loophole but it was Mike Vrabel’s use of it in a Wild Card win in New England against the Patriots in 2019 that really brought it to the forefront as something that made teams feel it needed to be addressed.

Elijah Mitchell, who analytics helped the 49ers find/ © Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Vrabel saw that as a win and, I believe, as vindication against anyone who would debate that he underuses analytics.

He may not have guys from MIT or Harvard sitting in a booth on game day with binoculars and binders as some teams do, but he and his right-hand man, John Streicher, employ analytics in real-time game decisions and in taking advantage of the rules. Vrabel doesn’t believe requires a big staff. (The following season in a playoff loss Vrabel chose to punt on fourth-and-2 from the Baltimore 40 with 10:06 left in a game the Titans were losing 17-13. No analytics win there.)

Ran Carthon’s background suggests the new GM will put a bigger emphasis on analytics in the front office than there has ever been before. That won’t affect how Mike Vrabel operates, but it should influence some calculations about how the Titans chose players to sign and draft.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A new general manager gets hired off the rhythm of the scouting schedule.

The people in his world don’t have contracts that run on the NFL season schedule and they are not at the end of their work year when the 17-game season ends or their team suffers a playoff loss.

So Ran Carthon joins the Titans and inherits Jon Robinson’s staff at a point where the expectation is, very likely, to get to know who is in place and work with them through a free-agency and draft cycle.

After the draft concludes on April 30 is when front-office executives and scouts generally change jobs.

All of that is nice, in principle.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Maybe you heard Ran Carthon introduce himself Friday afternoon, maybe you didn't.

Either way he gave Titans faithful much to consider as they look optimistically forward to what's next for a franchise coming off a crushing season that ended well short of expectations and got Job Robinson fired with five games left.

Many of you joined me to discuss what he said and what it means and where we think things may go from here for Tennessee with the GM office now occupied.

Mike Vrabel allowed for a change of offensive system in his comments, which was another exciting element to a fresh start day for the Titans.

Rewact the conversation on Facebook, below on YouTube or on Twitter.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The theme wound itself through a press conference that lasted over 50 minutes and it will be a key to whether a Ran Carthon-Mike Vrabel partnership succeeds for the Titans.

The power dynamic between the new GM and the veteran coach is going to be all about collaboration, but Carthon views a chief element of his duties as service to Vrabel.

© George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

“I’ve been with multiple organizations and I’ve seen it done different ways, but the best way I’ve seen it done is when the coach and the GM are in lockstep,” said Carthon, who wore a gray suit, light blue tie and Nikes that matched. “It’s my job, it’s our job as scouts to execute Mike and his coaching staff’s vision. I’m not calling plays on Sunday, I’m not designing plays throughout the week. And so it’s our job to bring the right players in here to execute his vision. …