Titans Mailbag: DB Depth, WR Numbers, Hall of Fame Debate and More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As we await Saturday evening's preseason opener against the 49ers, my mailbox showed you've got plenty of good questions about what;'s going on with the Titans.

So I wanted to dig in and give you another quality read before the game.

It's also a good time to get straight on the sports books and betting on football before the season starts. I like the Saints under 9.5 wins and I've found +100.

On to the best of your questions. As always I feature members the most.

Rob Price To what degree do you think all the DB adds are a result of Dennard being a DB guy. Is it possible the front is suffering at the expense of that?

I’ve been pondering this since the Quandre Diggs signing, Rob. And I like the Diggs move a lot. But the Titans are 3.5 deep at safety and have one full-time edge in Harold Landry while there are some intriguing vets out there to at least have in for a look.

Dennard Wilson said early on, that great coverage doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t get to the quarterback. I know the Jeffery Simmons-T’Vondre Sweat combination is awfully promising. But that Rashad Weaver/ Jaylen Harrell/ Shane Ray as the second guy while Arden Key is out is concerning. (And they were calling Key situational early on.) And after Simmons, Sweat and Sebastian Joseph-Day the Titans are really unproven on the line as well.

I asked Brian Callahan about the emphasis on defensive backs and minimal movement up front.

“That's twofold,” he said. “I mean we felt like there was a chance in free agency and up until this point that there were good secondary players available. That was one of the strengths, I think, of the free agency class for us. We felt like it was an area that we could make an immediate impact on our roster. You're always looking for D-line and edge rushers and those guys. The class wasn't robust for that for us and we felt like the money was best spent with the caliber of players that we've gotten in the secondary.

“So that part's exciting and I do like what we have up front. I think our front is good and you're always looking for more guys that can contribute up front. You'd love to have eight guys you can rotate through and I think we've got some pretty good depth right now, young guys playing well, but that, that's probably the best way to answer the question.”

David Jackson There are rumblings that the Hall of Fame will be adjusting the process and making it harder for people to get in. How do you feel about that? What percentage of all-time players is a good percentage to be in the Hall of Fame?

As one of 50 members of the selection committee, my thinking is that I serve at the pleasure of the Hall. So they set the process and the numbers and we operate under that and I do my small part in the context of that. 

I think the class of 2024 will be the 10th I’m involved with. I’ve objected to only a handful of men who’ve been inducted in that time and I’ve had a few more objections over the timing of entry for some others – I feel many selectors tend to play down the relevance of first-ballot guys. I think it’s quite significant. 

Selector Frank Cooney recently calculated that the 378 members of the Hall of Fame – which include coaches and contributors – amount to 1.2567 percent of the players who have participated in the league in over 100 years. Let's take that further. Of the 378, 60 are coaches and contributors. So I'd use 1.06 percent as the number.

I hear complaints that too many are getting in, and I’m a bit torn. I get to that 1.06 percent number and it sounds small.

Then I considered this season. In Week One, 32 teams with 53-man rosters will feature 1,696 players. If we take 1.06 percent of them, we get 17.98 players. Yes, those guys are playing for multiple years, but do we think we should be watching 18 Hall of Fame players in a season? That does sound like a lot. What do you guys think?

The slot is inside. Boyd lines up inside and works the middle of the field.

Callahan recently raved about how Boyd operates in there.

“He’s got a unique ability to work the middle of the field that I think is a real skill,” he said. “He understands leverages, he understands coverage structure, he knows where the pockets are, he knows how to beat leverage

“There is a savviness to playing inside and he’s got all of that and more. He’s got all the ability to understand. Then he can do some things with a bigger body.”

The Z position is outside, on the side with the tight end and he starts off the line of scrimmage.

Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are automatic as the first five. 

The next bunch under consideration would be Kyle Philips, Mason Kinsey and Jha’Quan Jackson with Kearis Jackson maybe in there. More in next answer.

Robert Draper What if any favoritism is Jha'Quan Jackson likely to be shown in the battle for WR6/PR vs. Kyle Philips & Mason Kinsey owing to the fact that Jackson is the only 2024 draft WR and there's a need for both youth & speed in the WR room? Philips & Kinsey may have other attributes, but not those.

Great question Robert. While Brian Callahan and his staff did not have real on-field experience with Kyle Philips and Mason Kinsey when Jha’Quan Jackson was drafted, the draft choice amounted to a level of judgment regarding the two veteran receivers.

If the staff loved what they saw on film from those two guys, they wouldn’t have needed a slot receiver/ return guy in the draft. They clearly saw need and value with Jackson at pick 182 and went and got him (and later a whole different type of slot in Boyd).

So I think there has to be an advantage for Jackson.

Philips is a fantastic practice player, particularly in camp, who has not translated to games (where he seemed misused) and has blown multiple opportunities as a punt returner. He says he has a clean slate there and I am sure he’s got better coaching, but that he couldn’t figure things out in the past is a big concern.

Kinsey has been around for three years on teams with far worse receiver rooms and he’s been active for a grand total of nine games, with 13 punt returns, two targets and two catches. Has he gotten better in those three years? Sure. Has there now been four classes worth of receivers for the Titans to do better? Also yes. I don’t see how he’s a real threat to an NFL defense unless Callahan’s scheme unlocks something major. And under what circumstances would he ever get an offensive snap given who's ahead of him?

Shaun Ferguson I had high hopes for Gray is he a non factor in year one and could Brownlee play his way into some cb4 snaps this year ?

Jarvis Brownlee is just excellent right now. But what are CB4 snaps? Hail Mary defense? Sure, he could be out there for those and he’s excellent injury insurance. But he shouldn’t get ahead of the three guys in front of him if they are healthy and the Titans intend to play a lot of three-safety stuff incorporating Jamal Adams, or maybe Elijah Molden.

So there isn’t a lot of room for him. He’ll get a lot of special teams work and be at the ready.

Cedric Gray is an absolute non-factor right now. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve and a light can’t come on for him. They don’t have to make a year’s determination for him today or at the end of camp.

Nick Grace Maybe I missed it, but what will tailgating/parking look like while the new stadium is being constructed? Is there a new designated spot? tbh, I haven't been down to explore the site to see exactly what is off limits yet. 

Well, all the lots that were on the east side of the stadium are gone, closed off as part of the contruction site. They found some spaces around that were awarded by lottery to season ticket-holders who had spots. So there will be some tailgates, but nothing like there was. (I did this piece on the end of tailgating as people knew it at the end of last season.) Season ticket holders got the option of paying for downtown spots within a 20-minute walk if they wanted them, mostly downtown in decks.

Things will be a mess Saturday night and the Titans are encouraging people to plan ahead by visiting this site to understand how best to get there.

Haris Hadzimuratovic You said there is no benefit to cutting Farley, but isn't his roster spot worth something, too? You could be getting another edge body in there, for example. Hard to imagine he's the highest-upside player for that spot.

I meant now. Another edge body could replace the worst edge body on the roster. They have numbers by position. And he's hurt, so he can't be cut hurt.

There is no way he should be on the 53. I haven’t expected him on this year’s 53 since pretty early last year. 

You know who else didn't seem to see it coming? Saahdiq Charles. Looks, it's a bad development for sure. But guys lose their fire and step out.

It's one guy. We remember how many guys quit under Mike Vrabel? Rishard Matthews. Kevin Dodd. Ty Sambrailo. Vic Beasley. Kevin Johnson never even came to camp. And those are just off the top of my head.

There is a honeymoon period going on for sure if you take things in total: Chidobe Awuzie strained his calf on Day One, DeAndre Hopkins is out hurt and Charles quit. Put those three in a two-week span for Vrabel and he would be getting killed.