Titans Rely on Youth at Cornerback Heading into NFL Free Agency

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans cornerback group is about as young as it could be. Comprised of all players on their rookie contract, the Titans will need these young corners to develop as quickly as possible or the pass defense could end up as poor as it was in 2022.

Whether the Titans choose to add a corner in free agency or the NFL Draft will be an interesting question until it is answered. The Titans don’t have a ton of cap space to make an acquisition on defense with all the needs on offense and with all the young corners they currently have, adding one in the draft doesn’t provide the experience the group truly needs.

Whether an addition is made or not, the Titans will be staring at a group of corners that must improve and play better if they hope to reclaim the AFC South crown. Let’s take a look at what the Titans have under contract right now at the position.

Under Contract

Kristian Fulton - $1.6 Million Cap Hit

Fulton has had moments of brilliance for the Titans. There have been games where Fulton has looked like a lockdown, number one cornerback. However, those moments are far too rare for Titans’ fans to truly consider Fulton on that level as a player. Fulton is entering his fourth season and has yet to play in more than 13 games in a single year. Fulton played only six games as a rookie, 13 games in 2021 and only 11 games last season. He needs to stay healthy to be able to take a step forward and with a contract on the line, Fulton will need to do so to secure his financial future as well.

Caleb Farley - $3.6 Million Cap Hit

At this point you have to feel bad for Farley. Injuries in college have led to injuries in the NFL. Farley tore his ACL in his rookie season in 2021 and then followed that up with a back procedure that ended his 2022 season early. Farley came into the NFL as a guy who needed a lot of playing time to develop at the corner position. He has gotten anything but that. Farley is going into year three of his career and while it would be nice to see him live up to his selection in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, at this point it is hard to expect anything from Farley.

Elijah Molden - $1.3 Million Cap Hit

Molden had a really nice rookie season. He played in 16 games and created two turnovers while giving the Titans a physical nickel corner they could use on early downs. Sadly, Molden never got a chance to build on that rookie season. He injured his groin prior to the 2022 season and was never healthy. Molden played in two games in 2022 before going back to injured reserve and finishing the season there. This will be a common theme in the article, but Molden will need to stay healthy in year three for him to get back to the promise he had after his rookie season.

Roger McCreary - $2 Million Cap Hit

McCreary was thrust into a starting role as a rookie in 2022. While he had some expected rookie ups and downs, McCreary did one thing that was hard to find from the Titans’ corners in 2022, he played all 17 games. As is the case with most rookies, McCreary was thrown at a ton, but held his own. He had 84 tackles as a rookie and added an interception with eight passes defended. McCreary should be a solid starter for the Titans going forward.

Tre Avery - $870k Cap Hit

Avery was one of the surprises of the 2022 Titans’ season. An undrafted free agent out of Rutgers, Avery was able to come in and get three starts due to all the injuries. Avery played in 14 games and showed some signs he could be contributing piece for years to come. While Avery has a long way to go to be considered for a starting role, he got off to a great start for an undrafted rookie.

Chris Jackson - $940k Cap Hit

Chris Jackson has found a way to stick with the Titans for three seasons despite some very poor play. Mostly retaining a roster spot for special teams purposes, Jackson has shown he is no where near capable of being on the field on defense. The Titans clearly like Jackson in the building to keep him around this long, but odds are Jackson is on the outside looking in when it comes to a roster spot or the Titans are in serious trouble in the secondary.

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