Which Titans Free Agents Remain Un-Signed And Why
Jonnu Smith settled on a new team seemingly moments after the NFL’s current free-agent signing period opened. Corey Davis quickly moved on. The same was true of Adoreé Jackson after he was released.
Not every one of the Tennessee Titans whose contracts ended or were terminated last month are clear about the next steps of their NFL careers. There is no deadline to agree to contracts and it is common for players to go through most or all of the offseason before an opportunity arises.
Here is a look at the most notable members of the 2020 Titans who still are not under contract for 2021:
• Kenny Vaccaro, SS: Three years ago, he was a free agent after his rookie contract with the New Orleans Saints expired, and he waited until after the start of training camp before he signed with Tennessee. He filled an unexpected opening created when Johnathan Cyprien sustained a season-ending knee injury. That worked out well for Vaccaro, 30, and probably gives him patience and a sense of comfort that the right opportunity will present itself in the meantime. Plus, with his experience (109 starts) and professionalism, teams can expect he will fit in quickly to whatever they do on defense.
• Dennis Kelly, T: He is 31 years old and has been primarily a backup seven of his eight seasons in the league. Although he started all 16 games at right tackle in 2020, he barely practiced over the second half of the schedule because of a knee issue. Those two things will keep teams from racing to sign him. Plus, it did not help that the Titans released him a day before the contract year started, well after the legal tampering period had begun and others already had focused their attention on (or agreed to deals with) others.
• Stephen Gostkowski, K: He made a bunch of clutch kicks in 2020 but hardly was the picture of consistency. He missed a career-high eight field goals and connected on just shy of 70 percent of his attempts, easily the lowest success rate of his career. Also, he averaged 62.1 yards on kickoffs, another career-low. Most likely, his best option will be as an emergency replacement for a team (or maybe multiple teams) with legitimate playoff aspirations that has a kicker get injured and needs someone proven to fill-in.
• Jack Crawford, DL: He signed with Tennessee at the end of last season’s first wave of free agency. He is 32 years old, which is why he almost certainly will have to wait until after the draft this time. For a team that wants to select a defensive lineman but fails to do so, Crawford will be a quality option given his durability (16 games played in five of the last six seasons) and the versatility he showed last season, his first with Tennessee.
• Will Compton, ILB: He has been a plug-and-play veteran for the last two years, during which he has spent time with three different franchises and has expressed a certain comfort with that role. At 31 years old, he is realistic about his physical limitations and place in the league. He also has built a reputation as a guy who is a good pro, which is why his phone will ring eventually, even if it is not until after the start of the regular season.
• MyCole Pruitt, TE: Like Crawford, he will be an immediate option for teams that come out of the draft with holes in the tight end depth chart, and that includes the possibility that he could return to Tennessee. Pruitt, 29, is seen primarily as a blocking tight end but in three seasons with the Titans he caught 20 passes, four of which were for touchdowns. He also was used at times as a fullback, and that kind of versatility means he will be on a roster well before the start of training camp.
• D’Onta Foreman, RB: During his first three years in the NFL, he earned a reputation as a guy who was not always in shape and who was prone to injuries. He helped himself somewhat in limited duty with Tennessee (six games, 95 rushing yards) but was unavailable for the final four games. He is a big back (6-1, 236) who had a dynamic college career, and he is only 25 years old. So, it is not likely that he has been written off as a bust, but he also is not likely anyone’s first choice to have sign on the dotted line at this time of year.
