Even if the Tennessee Titans decide to take a pass-rusher in the 2020 NFL Draft, general manager Jon Robinson must look to the free-agent market also to ensure he upgrades the team’s biggest area of need right away.
Because of the demand for pass-rushers around the league, it’s going to cost the Titans a pretty penny if they’re going to add an impact player in free agency.
Here’s a list of five pass-rushers the Titans could target on the open market this offseason. This list will exclude pass-rushers like the Ravens’ Matt Judon, the Bucs’ Shaquil Barrett, the Steelers’ Bud Dupree and the Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue, as all are reportedly set to get franchise tagged.
Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney is the big fish in the sea of available pass-rushers this offseason despite totaling just three sacks in 2019. When you look a bit further back, Clowney totaled 18.5 sacks in the two years prior, so this is more than just about his production from last season.
There is a natural connection between Clowney and the Titans, also. Head coach Mike Vrabel was the Houston Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2017, which just so happens to be the season in which Clowney totaled a career-high 9.5 sacks.
The Titans can offer Clowney money, familiarity and a chance to win now, which is something the star pass-rusher has made clear is important to him when considering where he’ll play in 2020.
As it stands right now, the Seattle Seahawks are trying to re-sign Clowney, but won’t franchise tag him after promising not to do so when they acquired him from the Houston Texans last season.
If no deal is reached, Clowney should be firmly in Tennessee’s sights in free agency.