HOOVER, Ala. -- Greetings from u15 baseball heaven, supposing there is such a thing. A game at historic Rickwood Field is on the schedule, but heavy rains are in the forecast.
As games conflicted with prime podcasting times, we've skipped this week and turned to a mailbag instead.
As always, I encourage you to eat at Edley's BBQ and to sign up using code PAULTN at VIP Play to make some great bets on the NBA Finals, MLB, NFL futures and anything else you can dream up.
The Titans have minicamp next week, so we'll have three practices to delve into. Until then, here's the best of the mail...
Do you think Callahan’s future is more dependent on Teams success or offensive success? If team struggles on defense but is very good on offense, does that make it easier for Dennard Wilson to be the scapegoat and allows Callahan to survive?
— The General (@mac9nj) June 5, 2025
For starters, I think offensive success is team success. It translates to points and time of possession, it means fewer turnovers and less sudden change. While the defense will still have to stop people, offensive improvement will do a lot to ease the pressure on Dennard Wilson’s unit.
I think Brian Callahan’s future is most tied to Cam Ward’s growth curve. If Ward shows some level of steady improvement, the Titans will likely improve as well. But the QB improvement should signal Callahan can do what the Titans hired him to do, and that should be enough to keep him in place if Amy Adams Strunk is on board with the Chad Brinker-Mike Borgonzi patience plan, as they indicate she is.
If the defense struggles, as you put forth in your scenario, I don’t know that there will have to be a scapegoat. It’s hard to envision this team rushing the passer effectively. So while they face a slate of less mobile QBs, given time to pick the Titans apart, I image there are guys they will face who will do so. That list includes Bo Nix, Matthew Stafford, CJ Stroud, Drake Maye, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes.
When the season’s over, if pass rush failure is the root of the team’s defensive issues, it won’t be Wilson’s fault.
Do you think we will see much difference from Callahan as a play caller? How difficult was it for him calling plays when he was limited by QB / O-Line talent?
— DJ Burnside (@DennisJBurnside) June 5, 2025
Well, they adjust the game plans to some new strengths, things they feel confident about with Cam Ward. That certainly includes quick stuff, stuff in the middle of the field. They have a pool of faster receivers with Van Jefferson, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor in the mix. That combined with expected better protection from a better line will expand the envelope.
But the No. 1 thing that may change what he can call is cutting down on penalties and negative plays and getting into better second DNA third downs. The emphasis last year was on the scheme, and they may have gotten away from some of the basics in terms of ball security and discipline, and then Will Levis was super turnover-prone.
So I imagine much of what Callahan will call will still be stuff he had, just stuff they didn’t get to often enough because of how frequently they were in bad downs and distances.
Hypothetically speaking would you trade Jeff for Trey Hendrickson straight up. Seems deal would be good for all sides involved.
— Vincent Jones (@King_jones_88) June 6, 2025
I believe I would.
But trading for older guys is not a direction the Titans are going to go.
Simmons, who will turn 28 July 28th, is under contract through 2027. He’s got a guaranteed base salary of $17.5 million this season, but then only $6.47 million of his $20.17 million base in 2026 is guaranteed and none of his $23 million base in 2027 is.
Moving him now would save $17.5 million and leave behind $4.8 million in dead cap money this year and $9.6 million in 2026.
Hendrickson, who is 30, has 35 sacks in the last two years. He’s in the final year of his deal which calls for a $15.8 million salary -- but he’s worth at least twice that. He projects for an annual average of $30 million and neither side would be on board for a deal without an extension.
Downside base on recent history: Of recent premier pass rushers who’ve crossed 30 -- including Khalil Mack, Calais Campbell, Justin Houston, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller and Chandler Jones -- most had only one double-digit sacks season once they hit that mark.
Of that group, only Campbell had two such seasons, with 14.5 in his age 31 season and 10.5 when he was 32.
💥 Shawn Michael Hatem Paul, we’ve had enough of this quiet, lead by example crap. Do you see Ward being the true alpha that we’ve long needed … and lifting the team up to new heights?
Brian Callahan has made it clear that lead by example is not a satisfactory leadership standard for this team now. So they are looking for more than that from Cam Ward and everyone in who assumes a leadership position.
A guy’s personality is his personality, and Ward is a quiet guy. Maybe that amps up in game settings, I haven’t seen him in those moments at this level. But he can be an alpha without being a showy alpha or having those qualities be super visible.
His temperament is like Marcus Mariota’s at this point, but I expect he brings something more than the Aloha Spirit to the Titans.
💥 Darrell Mayberry, what is the current salary cap situation with the Titans? Could they afford to sign a top player who, for some reason, is traded or cut due to another team’s salary cap issues?
The Titans have $30.16 million in cap space, 11th most per Over the Cap.
Teams’ salary cap issues are generally resolved at this time. The Bills are tight at $1.69 million in space, with the Giants at $3.8 million and the Falcons at $5 million. Every other team has at least $10 million.
I wouldn’t bank on some miracle contributor coming free for the Titans to sign, and they are not going to make any trade that means giving up any significant draft capital.
Favorite lil baby song?
— Daniel Ryan (@Nashtrill) June 6, 2025
So I ripped the whole Lil Baby name considering, per celebheights.com, he’s 5-7½. A baby is little to start with and a little baby is smaller than that and he doesn’t cut it. I suspect Dominique Armani Jones could have done better.
But then, perhaps I didn’t give him enough credit for shooting for an ironic name like Led Zeppelin or Def Leppard. It would have been better though, if he was 6-3.
No one can be surprised that this is not my lane, but out of his top five on Spotify, Pure Cocaine is easily the best.
