Titans Best (and Worst) Free Agent Signings in the Last Decade

With free agency almost upon the NFL once more, the annual player-signing scramble is about to attack teams at every level, especially those with dire needs or in a rebuilding phase. The Tennessee Titans, of course, are defined by both of those things.

While this year's cycle rages on the fumes of rumor, undoubtedly set to explode once the flood actually begins next week, we can take a look back at Tennessee's history of moves in free agency; more specifically, those made over the last decade.

Among a bevy of so-so signings, two on either side of the line glare as both the best and the worst that Tennessee has managed this side of 2015. Like all good stories, we'll start from the bottom.

Worst: Calvin Ridley, Sylvester Williams

First off, it's best to get a potential overreaction out of the way in the form of Calvin Ridley. Perhaps his contract (four years, $92 million) plays the biggest part in this placement, but Ridley performing on-par with his rookie cohorts this past season makes his high-pay inclusion essentially pointless.

On the other hand, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams spent one season with the Titans in 2017. After being released following a no-sack, near-invisible season, Williams' retrospectively soft three-year, $16.5 million deal dissipated with him.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Both players represent hot-button grabs that, in short time, made the Titans look hasty for their consideration. One of them just so happens to remain on the roster.

Best: Brian Orakpo, Logan Ryan

It's unfortunate that the two best examples in this regard are from years and coaches gone by, but the Titans can still look back and celebrate these heavy-hitting free agency wins with pride.

With 26 sacks and six forced fumbles in his four-year (2015-2018) tenure in Tennessee, linebacker Brian Orakpo is the poster child for exactly the sort of defensive signing any team is after on the open market. His longevity is almost as, if not more impressive than his standout defensive statistics.

In a similar vein, safety Logan Ryan's time in Nashville was a relative pitstop, but the impact he had on the franchise can't be understated. Not only was his 4.5-sack, four-interception season in 2019 a considerable late-career highlight, but his game-sealing pick-six from Tom Brady that won the Titans a playoff game in that same season is an unforgettable memory.

This offseason, which will certainly take a defensive angle to some extent under Robert Saleh, Tennessee would be wise to reflect on what worked about these aforementioned signings. Of course, the same can be said in the opposite manner for those that didn't, and aren't, panning out.

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