Titans Slammed for Risky Signing

The Tennessee Titans took an interesting swing on the free agency market.

Nov 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) looks on during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans made their fair share of moves on the free agency market to kick off the new league year.

Among those moves was the signing to bring in former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Joens on a one-year, $10 million deal, effectively adding another contributor to the Titans' front seven on a short-term, somewhat lucrative deal.

It was a move that flew a bit under the radar compared to some of the Titans' other decisions, one among those being the move to sign Dan Moore to a four-year, $82 million deal, yet some around the league still weren't the biggest fans of Tennessee's Jones' signing.

Among the critics to question the Titans' signing was ESPN analyst Seth Walder, who graded the Jones signing as a "C" for Tennessee –– largely due to the large $10 million value dealt following the former Seahawks' shaky campaign.

"After breaking out with a 16% pass rush win rate at defensive tackle in 2022, Jones' pass-rushing efficiency dropped mightily to 8% in 2023," Walder wrote. "Seattle then mostly had Jones on the edge this past season. That didn't work, either, as he registered an 11% pass rush win rate from the edge, which is well below average. His run stop win rates have mostly been just below average at both spots over the past few seasons."

Jones had a bit of a down campaign during his second season in Seattle. He was active for all 17 games, starting in seven, to log 28 combined tackles, 7 TFLs, and four sacks.

While still a decent contributor to a solid Seahawks defensive front, there's a case to be made the Titans could've spent that money elsewhere, even if the contract is just for one year.

"I'm all for one-year deals because they limit risk, but this one doesn't do it for me," Walder continued. "When looking at Jones' career, that 2022 season seems like a blip. It's not the worst risk because he's only 28 and because the Titans have a lot of money to spend and it has to go somewhere... But if I were Tennessee, I would rather have spent more money on a bigger-ticket edge rush or defensive tackle (especially edge, considering deals for that position have been affordable) than sign Jones to this contract."

The best-case scenario for the Titans would be to return back to his 2023 form seen with the Denver Broncos. Then, Jones started in all 13 games he was active for to log a career-high in sacks (7.0) and TFLs (9), along with 47 combined tackles.

It remains to be seen if the new Titans addition can reach back to that level, but if he can, Jones can not only factor in as a worthwhile playmaker in Tennessee's front seven, but prove the doubters wrong surrounding his $10 million deal.

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