The NFL Offseason So Far: Lots of New Faces for Titans, AFC South Rivals; Division Champ Texans Look Improved

The free-agent market is still open. The NFL Draft is April 25-27. The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans have been trading haymakers with their significant player acquisitions.

NASHVILLE — Three weeks into a busy NFL offseason, it's clear that there will be plenty of new faces at Tennessee Titans games this fall with their AFC South rivals.

The All-Star cast so far includes:
- Pro Bowlers (Houston receiver Stefon Diggs and pass-rusher Danielle Hunter);
- old friends (ex-Titans Denico Autry and Azeez Al-Shaair);
- and new friends (Tennessee's Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, and L'Jarius Sneed among others).

And even though NFL free agency is ongoing and the NFL Draft is still to come, it's also clear that the division champion Texans on paper are better than last year.

Houston and Tennessee in particular have been trading haymakers with significant player acquisitions since free agency began March 13.

The Texans are building a better team to complement their offensive and defensive rookies of the year, quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge defender Will Anderson. The Titans are rebuilding, addressing roster weaknesses that placed them near the bottom of the league in both offense and defense.

Here are the new players signed so far by the Titans and their AFC South rivals.

Jacksonville Jaguars

ADDITIONS
Quarterback Mac Jones
Wide receiver Gabe Davis
Wide receiver Devin Duvernay
Tight end Josiah Deguara
Safety Darnell Savage
Defensive tackle Arik Armstead
Linebacker Trevis Gipson
Cornerback Ronald Darby
Center Mitch Morse
Kicker Joey Slye

ANALYSIS
Armstead, a reliable defensive tackle for nine seasons with San Francisco, is expected to reinforce the interior defensive line that was top 10 at stopping run but struggled to pressure quarterbacks. Armstead posted a pass rush win rate of 13.4% last season, or 10th in the league at his position.

Gabe Davis was an occasional home run threat with Buffalo, but the track record suggests his production won't match the departed Calvin Ridley.

The Jags released Darious Williams, last year's sixth-ranked cornerback for pass coverage, in order to create salary cap space. His replacement, journeyman Ronald Darby, enjoyed a solid 2023 season with Baltimore, but the Ravens also led the NFL in quarterback sacks. He'll likely play more on an island in Jacksonville.

Indianapolis Colts

ADDITIONS
Quarterback Joe Flacco
Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis

ANALYSIS
Nothing to see here yet. These two signings barely move the needle. Instead, general manager Chris Ballard has so far re-signed nine Colts whose contracts had expired — notably wide receiver Michael Pittman and cornerback Kenny Moore II. But Indy also needs more help at those positions.

Houston Texans

ADDITIONS
Running back Joe Mixon
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs
Edge defender Danielle Hunter
Edge defender Denico Autry
Defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr.
Defensive lineman Tim Settle Jr.
Defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair
Linebacker Del'Shawn Phillips
Cornerback Myles Bryant
Cornerback CJ Henderson
Cornerback Jeff Okudah
Cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Cornerback Mike Ford
Punter Tommy Townsend

ANALYSIS
The Texans are pushing all their chips to the middle of the table while Stroud is on his rookie contract. The offense has added four-time Pro Bowl receiver Diggs and every-down running back Joe Mixon. The defense lost excellent pass rusher Jonathan Greenard but added an even better one in four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter. For good measure, the Texans also scooped up the Titans' two best defenders — leading tackler Al-Shaair and sack leader Autry. At this point in time, Houston is the division favorite.

Tennessee Titans

ADDITIONS
Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley
Running back Tony Pollard
Center Lloyd Cushenberry
Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.
Offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
Defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day

ANALYSIS
Based on 2023 performance metrics, the Titans have improved at center, wide receiver, and cornerback. In Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, and incumbent Roger McCreary, Tennessee arguably has one of the best sets of cornerbacks in the league. Ridley pairs with DeAndre Hopkins to give second-year quarterback Will Levis a two 1,000-yard receivers as targets. This good news must be tempered with needs at left tackle, which perhaps will be addressed with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, and defensive line.

Stay tuned for more player movement. The NFL Draft is April 25-27 and Titans general manager Ran Carthon has managed his budget to sign more free agents.

Related Titans stories

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• L'JARIUS SNEED'S ATTITUDE: The Titans new cornerback said, "I'm a helluva player, I love my game, I'm not afraid to lose, but I'm gonna win every rep." CLICK HERE
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