NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Greetings. It’s been a while since we chatted in this way, so I am happy to be dipping back into the mail.

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Courtesy Titans/ Alison McNabb

Thanks for the questions. You can hit me any time on Twitter, at the public Facebook page or at the members-only Facebook page, where you get priority. 

I don’t think cut-down day serves as much of a salary cap deadline in that teams will have to have managed their finances and know what they can afford before that. Cap costs shift from the most expensive 51 players to the full roster of 53 when the team trims the roster to 53. That's usually well accounted for long before then.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The fears about the Titans’ failure to add much at receiver and tight end have another component we haven’t really delved into yet.

After losing Corey Davis, who accounted for 21 percent of the team’s receptions in 2020, and Jonnu Smith, who accounted for 13 percent, the Titans added free agent Josh Reynolds and didn’t draft a pass-catcher until fourth-rounder Dez Fitzpatrick.

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Even if A.J. Brown, facing tougher coverage, does more, can Anthony Firkser build on his 12 percent and Reynolds and Fitzpatrick replace what’s lost even if guys with smaller parts contribute more?

It’s asking a lot.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As of now, the Titans have seven new players in their top 12 on defense.

That includes three new corners at the two outside positions and the nickel and Amani Hooker elevated from a sub-package dime defensive back to starting strong safety. 

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Caleb Farley courtesy Tennessee Titans

That makes Kevin Byard the one holdover in the secondary. (He spoke with me about the high turnover before the draft. 

Janoris Jenkins will be in his 10th year, Kristian Fulton in his second, Caleb Farley and Elijah Molden in their first. Kevin Johnson, another free-agent addition, will rank fifth at best if everyone is healthy and is also new.

There is a lot of work to be done for those guys to get to know each other and grow together as a group.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Do the Titans have a process problem, a people problem or both?

Perhaps they would have selected Rashad Weaver in the fourth round, 135th overall, even if they knew he’d been involved in bar incident that came to light two days later with an assault charge in Pittsburgh.

But they revealed in a statement later that afternoon that they basically learned with the rest of us, perhaps through a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. RobinsonCombine19

There were some other NFL teams who were aware that something was up. I’ve become familiar with five teams' pre-draft views of Weaver, and three knew something was up.

A year removed from their bust with first-rounder Isaiah Wilson, the Titans needed to be air-tight and were not. The timing of Weaver’s trouble would have made learning about it difficult. But a good scouting department needs to handle such difficult details.

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PK FB banner USENASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans added eight new players in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Let's gather and chat about them. 

We will kick off at 7:15 CT and also dive into what's going on with Rashad Weaver, the fourth-rounder who is facing an assault charge in Pittsburgh for an alleged incident On April 18 that it is unclear if the Titans knew about.

Head below for the YouTube stream or to the private Facebook page.

Streamyard will funnel me questions and I will also monitor what you post here.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In their Monday afternoon statement, the Titans said they learned that morning about an April 18th allegation against fourth-round pick Rashad Weaver that resulted in a misdemeanor assault charge.

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Courtesy Pitt athletics

Weaver is charged with one count of simple assault in Pittsburgh’s magisterial district court, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is due in Municipal Court for a hearing on Oct. 5.

Here is a basic narrative of what happened that I obtained from Pittsburgh police:

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Below is my updated take on the Titans’ depth chart.

While the spacing may not make clear where the team can still use depth, the names do.

I can't pretend to know the quality of some of the bottom-tier free agents the team has filled things out with. And they may not even have a great sense of where many of the college free agents they've added, per reports from around the country, stand in relation to each other and other depth pieces at this point.
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Just because they have seven names at tight end hardly means they have three 53-man roster caliber players at the position.

The offensive tackle depth is good, but the interior line depth is suspect just as it is on the defensive line.

Some of these reserve offensive tackles have to be guard-capable. Mike Vrabel has talked about Ty Sambrailo being able to shift inside.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans didn’t do a great deal to help their offense for 2021 in the draft.

Significant contributions are rare for rookies drafted in the fourth round or later. Maybe fourth-round receiver Dez Fitzpatrick or inexperienced LSU sixth-rounder Racey McMath surprise.

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Dillon Radunz, courtesy North Dakota State

But with the two major periods of player acquisition over, it’s clear while the Titans may slide some on offense they should be a lot better on defense, where we can expect six new starters.

And if they score 40 less often, well that would be fine if they chop down that average of 27 points allowed per game.

The themes I see in the eight-man class:

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