We knew Derrick Henry's time with the Titans was over.

It became official Monday when multiple reports said the team had a deal with Tony Pollard, the former Cowboys running back. ESPN reports it's a three-year $24 million contract, though initial contract reports are always unreliable and the most favorable version possible for the player.

We need to see the structure and find out how much is guaranteed.

Still, I'm surprised the Titans would grab a five-year veteran to pair with Tyjae Spears so quickly given the rate of success teams are having with low picks and low-ranking veterans.

Pollard's 4.0 yards per carry were a career-low in 2023 though his 55 catches were a career-best for the 26-year-old, 6-foot, 209 back. They will have two backs who can be factors in the passing game.

Remember what Brian Callahan recently said about the position:

The Titans had immediate interest in Denver unrestricted free-agent center Lloyd Cushenberry and landed him with a deal PFF reports wil pay him $30 million in his first two years, most ever for a center.

Cushenberry should serve as a stabilizing force on an offensive line that needs a great deal of work.

The 26-year-old was a third-round pick out of LSU by the Broncos in 2020 and has started 57 of a possible 66 games in his four NFL seasons. He's listed as 6-foot-4, 319 pounds. 

"Just now reaching his prime, he has a nice combination of power and mobility," former Titans scout Blake Bedingfield recently wrote about Cushenberry in a free agency preview for this site. "A big upgrade over (Aaron) Brewer in both the run and pass game. Would bring size and experience in his prime years."

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

The Titans have so many holes to fill that they won’t be able to accomplish that in one off-season of free agency and a draft.

This rebuild should have started last year when most of us saw a roster with too many weak areas to effectively compete.

The 2024 draft is not strong overall, but it does have some position groups the Titans need that have good depth.

Free agency is not a place to get elite players, but it can fill holes on your roster with veteran players to ease the transition to your drafted rookies. 

With new head coach Brian Callahan on board, the team must improve the receiving position to give second-year quarterback Will Levis weapons to reach his full potential.

On defense, the team has very few productive returning starters outside of Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry, Amani Hooker and Roger McCreary.

First, I believe the Titans should resign Azeez Al-Shaair, Terrell Edmunds, Aaron Brewer, Chris Hubbard (whose injury rehab may linger into the season) and Nick Folk. They’ve already taken care of Morgan Cox. None of these deals should be long-term or competitive salary options. Only Al-Shaair should have a starting salary attached to it, the other positional players are considered backup options.   

The Titans need to come out of free agency with enough starting caliber players and depth so that they can focus on the best player available during the upcoming draft. 

Wide Receiver

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Arm length we’ve discussed.

Peter Skoronski’s 32¼-inch arms were a big topic last year as the Titans spent the 11^th overall pick in the draft on him. An All-America tackle at Northwestern, they automatically slotted him at left guard, that arm length at least part of the reason why.

Hand size we’ve not discussed.

But now for one of the top prospects who could be under consideration for the Titans at No. 7, Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu, it could be a question as his 8.5-inch hands are the smallest ever measured for an offensive tackle, per mockdraftable. (For comparison's sake, Skoronski has 10-inch hands.)

The average hand size for over 4,500 offensive tackles since 1999 is 9.589. Le’Raven Clark was 11 7/8 in 2016. Seven tackles have measured with 9-inch hands, most recently Darnell Wright in last year.

I went to the three left tackles who’ve manned the spot for the majority of the team’s time in Tennessee – Brad Hopkins, Michael Roos and Taylor Lewan – as well as Hall of Fame center Kevin Mawae for their opinions on how much hand size matters for Fashanu.

By ZACH LYONS, Stacking the Inbox

The Tennessee Titans are heading into free agency with a lot of money to spend and a lot of positions of need to fill. The same goes for a lot of NFL teams and when the tampering period starts and deals start to be announced, it can be really hard to keep up with. There’s good news though! Much like my obsession with the combine, I have a very unhealthy love for all things free agency.

I love it so much, that I have done two webinars so far at StackingTheInbox.com where I teach classes on it. That’s not all I offer, this year I am sharing with PaulKuharsky.com paid subscribers my second annual Titans Offseason Tracker. Last year I created two separate tools for StackingTheInbox.com subscribers: NFL Free Agency Tool and Titans Salary Cap Tracker. This year, I am combining all of that into one tool. It makes it easy for you and me to have all the information you need at your fingertips.

This tool has 750+ pending free agents on it, and the list will continue to grow as we see teams make cap-saving cuts. On top of that, it will keep track of all Titans-related Transactions and the salary cap.

Want access to it? Well, you have to subscribe to either PaulKuharsky.com or StackingTheInbox.com to get it! Already a PK subscriber? Then let me show you what it can do!

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

Despite many of the headliners from the 2024 draft class choosing to skip the on-field testing portion of the NFL combine, including projected first overall pick Caleb Williams as well as fellow top-five prospects Marvin Harrison Jr., Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers, the made-for-TV scouting event still managed to produce plenty of excitement.

Of course, the biggest headline from the weekend was Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy breaking the 40-yard dash record with a 4.21-second run, narrowly edging John Ross’ 4.22 mark from 2017.

OFFICIAL: 4.21

XAVIER WORTHY HOLDS THE NEW 40-YARD DASH RECORD pic.twitter.com/IrXf3WyemB

— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024

However, that was far from the only takeaway. We’ll hit on the biggest storylines from a Titans’ perspective below as well as a few general draft thoughts that I’ve been stewing over recently.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As free agency nears we’re talking a lot about players the Titans we hope the team will pursue.

It seems an appropriate time to talk about players I think it would be wise for them to stay away from.

Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie will be two seasons removed from his torn ACL, so if Brian Callahan, who’s very familiar with him, and Dennard Wilson like him I’m on board with a signing like that.

But for a team that has had crushing injury problems for three seasons running, one easy way to avoid injuries is to stay away from guys with injury histories.

Past performance is a big indicator of future performance and while it’s not hard line, I buy that when it comes to injury concerns.

So, a list of free agents to avoid:

By ZACH LYONS, Stacking the Inbox

If you’re like most normal people, you did not sit on your couch, or in front of a TV, and watch the combine in its entirety. I do not blame you. It was the right choice. However, just because you shouldn’t have to sit and watch the “Underwear Olympics,” doesn’t mean you should discount the importance of the event.

That’s why you have a nerd like me. My name is Zach Lyons, and I am addicted to the combine. I love everything about it. The pressers, the social posts about formal meetings, and yes, the athletic feats. Luckily for you, I enjoy it so much that I collect all of the data for you and give you a one-stop shop for all things combine.

While this is the first year you, a paid subscriber to PaulKuharsky.com, gets access to the fruits of my addiction. It is my third year in a row compiling all this. In just a moment I am going to introduce you to my combine tool. After I take you on a tour of the tool, I am going to give you a few prospects that you should get familiar with, Because I surmise the Titans will be doing their due diligence on them as the process goes on.

The Combine Tool