Titans release offensive tackle Andre Dillard

The Titans announced on Friday that they have released OT Andre Dillard.

The Tennessee Titans have finally made the move everyone was expecting: the team announced on Friday it has released offensive tackle Andre Dillard.

Dillard was signed by the Titans during the 2023 offseason to a three-year, $29 million deal to play left tackle, but the move proved to be disastrous, as Dillard was the worst player at his position in the NFL.

The former Philadelphia Eagle surrendered 12 sacks, tied for the most in the NFL, and 41 pressures. Bear in mind, Dillard only started 10 games after being benched on multiple occasions.

Dillard was due to account for a $10.6 million cap hit in 2024. It appears he was not cut with a post-June 1 designation, which would have saved the Titans more money while also incurring a smaller dead-cap hit.

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With the pre-June 1 cut, the move nets the Titans a savings of $2.8 million while totaling a dead-cap charge of $7.7 million, according to Over the Cap.

Either way, this was a move the Titans needed to make, and while it took longer than expected, they finally got it done.

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Report: Titans expected to keep OT Andre Dillard

The Titans are reportedly expected to keep Andre Dillard in 2024.

Just about everyone on the planet thought the Tennessee Titans would cut left tackle Andre Dillard after a disastrous 2023 campaign, but it appears that may not be the slam dunk we all expected it would be.

In fact, according to Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, the Titans are expected to keep Dillard around for 2024. And, Caplan adds that if Dillard sticks around, the team could hold a competition at right tackle between Jaelyn Duncan and Nicholas Petit-Frere.

While their plan could change, Tennessee is currently expected to retain veteran LT Andre Dillard, league sources said.

Dillard, who signed a three-year, $29 million deal last March, started 10 games last season for the Titans but was benched for some others. It’s worth noting that $6 million of his $9 million base salary for this season becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the new league year, a league source confirmed. The new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

If the Titans stick with Dillard, it would be expected that third-year OT Nicholas Petit-Frere and second-year OT Jaelyn Duncan would compete for the starting RT job. But even so, that wouldn’t preclude Tennessee from drafting a left tackle or adding competition to that position in free agency.

If Dillard is the starting left tackle for Week 1, there might be a mutiny in Tennessee. Keeping him would be much more digestible if the plan is to leave him on the bench as a backup on a reduced salary — and even then I’d have nightmares about the possibility of him getting into an actual game.

After all, he was the worst left tackle in the sport after signing a three-year, $29 million deal, and was so bad that we longed for the days of Dennis Daley.

Just in case you thought there was some hope that Dillard could be fixed by an elite offensive line coach like Bill Callahan, bear in mind that the former first-round pick was once coached by Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who is equally respected around the NFL.

As for the other part of this report, you can’t talk about an in-house battle at right tackle without mentioning Dillon Radunz as a candidate after the former second-round pick finished the 2023 season strong at the position.

Some believe Radunz is best suited to be a guard, and that may very well be true. However, he should be considered the favorite for the right tackle job if the Titans don’t make a big splash at the position in free agency and don’t plan on moving Radunz to guard.

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Titans’ biggest cut candidates for 2024 offseason

A look at some potential cap casualties for the Titans in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans enter the 2024 offseason flush with cap space, but they will have an opportunity to clear more money if they decide to cut some players from last year’s team.

According to Over the Cap, the Titans are sitting with $68.1 million in cap space, the second-most in the NFL behind only the Washington Commanders.

That’s a far cry from last year, when the Titans were strapped for cash, even after cutting some players. That also forced Tennessee to bet on upside with some of their free-agent signings.

But things are very different this year with the Titans having a ton of money to spend. And, as a result, their need to cut players isn’t as dire as it was last year, although the team still figures to part ways with at least a few players.

Here’s a look at the Titans’ biggest cut candidates for the 2024 offseason, and we’ve included a prediction for what will happen with each.

Titans offseason preview at OT: Pending free agents, biggest needs

In our latest offseason preview for the Titans, we take a look at the team’s offensive tackle situation

The Tennessee Titans are staring down the barrel of an offensive line rebuild in 2024 after the team was absolutely putrid in that area last season.

The Titans surrendered a total of 64 sacks in 2023, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. It was also the third consecutive season in which Tennessee finished top seven in that category.

The weakest link was no doubt at left tackle, where the Titans saw veteran Andre Dillard give up 12 sacks and rookie Jaelyn Duncan surrender nine. Dillard’s 12 were tied for the most in the league, and Duncan was ranked fourth.

The right side wasn’t as bad thanks to Chris Hubbard and a late surge by Dillon Radunz, but both had their issues, also.

While left tackle is the biggest gaping hole upfront for the Titans, right tackle is also a question mark going into 2024. We’ll take a look at both spots in our latest offseason preview for Tennessee.

Draft analyst explains why 2024 is a good year to rebuild O-line

With the Titans set to rebuild their offensive line, one analyst says this is the perfect year to do so through the draft.

It’s no secret that the Tennessee Titans’ offensive line struggled mightily in the 2023 season.

Titans quarterbacks were sacked 64 times, which was 15 more than the year prior and tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. Only the Carolina Panthers (65), Washington Commanders (65), and New York Giants (85) allowed more.

Added, the Titans allowed the second-highest sack rate (11.5%) in the league, with the Giants (14.1%) being the only team to sport a worse mark.

After the regular season’s conclusion, Pro Football Network ranked the Titans’ offensive line dead-last in the league, noting Andre Dillard’s first season in Nashville being a significant letdown after signing a lucrative three-year, $29 million contract in the offseason.

According to Pro Football Focus, the former Philadelphia Eagle was responsible for 12 sacks allowed.

It certainly did not help that the Titans were rotating Dillard and rookie tackle Jaelyn Duncan, providing no consistency for anyone. Still, both players left a lot to be desired.

Peter Skoronski, the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, was perhaps the lone bright spot along the Titans’ offensive line, but there is no question that the position needs to be addressed this offseason.

Thankfully, the Titans hold the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft, where they should have a plethora of options to grab a player they can plug in immediately.

While not an ideal position to be in, the Titans find themselves in the perfect year to be rebuilding their offensive line through the draft, as NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes this year provides plenty of options throughout the draft for Tennessee to advance its rebuild.

If picks one through six are filled out by offensive skill players, Tennessee could have their crack at Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, arguably the best offensive tackle prospect in the entire draft. 

Alt played in 12 games for the Irish last season, allowing just one sack and two quarterback hurries, according to PFF. The junior was given a 90.7 grade for his 2023 season. Alt played all three years at Notre Dame at the left tackle position, allowing just four sacks during that stretch.

Other options that the Titans can consider with the No. 7 overall pick should Alt be taken by one of the teams within the top six:

  • Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
  • Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
  • Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

Should the Titans wish to address the guard position in the second round with the 38th overall pick, some names to keep close tabs on include:

  • Graham Barton, G, Duke
  • Cooper Beebe, G, Kansas State
  • Kingsley Suamataia, G, BYU

And, if this draft is as deep at offensive line as Jeremiah states, Tennessee might be able to find some gems after their first two picks, although they’re lacking a third-round selection.

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Grading Titans’ most notable 2023 free-agent signings after the season

Grades for the Titans’ most notable 2023 free-agent acquisitions following the season.

Ran Carthon was left in a bit of a sticky situation when he accepted the Tennessee Titans’ general manager job last January.

The previous regime, headed by former general manager Jon Robinson, left Carthon with minimal cap space and suboptimal dead-cap figures to work around.

Despite this, Carthon managed to have a pretty active first free agency. The vision was clear: acquire high-level athletes and former top picks who had yet to fulfill their potential.

With one season in the books, we can now start to delve into how those signings performed. Let’s break it down.

2024 NFL Draft: Final compensatory pick projections for the Eagles

Philadelphia will receive a third-round compensatory pick and three fifth-round compensatory picks, according to Nick Korte of OverTheCap after losing Javon Hargrave, Isaac Seumalo, Andre Dillard and T.J. Edwards in free agency.

The Eagles made several critical signings during the 2023 NFL free agency process, with all of the additions being one-year deals.

Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman watched ten contributors leave on the open market.

Thanks to his shrewd maneuvering and roster building, the Eagles are in line for four valuable compensatory picks in 2024, according to Nick Korte of Over The Cap.

The Birds were slated to have six picks in the 2024 NFL draft, but thanks to the compensatory formula, they’ll have 10.

1 Eagles’ own pick
2 Eagles’ own pick
2 From Saints
3 Projected compensatory pick
5 From Vikings (can become fourth-round pick if conditions are met)
5 From Buccaneers
5 Projected compensatory pick
5 Projected compensatory pick
6 Eagles’ own pick, or the Titans’ sixth-round pick, whichever is better
6 Projected compensatory pick

Here’s an early look at the four compensatory picks and how Philadelphia landed the extra assets.

Titans’ biggest disappointments from the 2023 season

The Titans had no shortage of disappointments in 2023. Here are six players who fit the bill the most.

During what was a frustrating 6-11 campaign, the Tennessee Titans had no shortage of disappointments, from individual players to entire position groups.

That fact shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as we always knew this past season was going to be a roll of the dice for the Titans.

After all, the team was strapped for cash during the offseason and had to bet on upside at several positions, both with players already on the roster and free-agent signings.

Sometimes that works out — and in the case of some players on this past year’s team, it did — but when it doesn’t, things can get ugly.

In what is our latest look back at the 2023 season, we’re going to go over the team’s six most disappointing players.

6 biggest questions for Titans going into Week 12

The six biggest questions for the Titans going into their Week 12 game against the Panthers.

The Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers will square off in Week 12 in a game between two teams who have been among the most inept in the NFL.

Tennessee sports a 3-7 record and has lost five of its last six games, with all of those losses coming away from Nissan Stadium. Thankfully, this one is in Nashville, where the Titans are 3-0 this season.

Meanwhile, the Panthers have the league’s worst record at 1-9, with their only victory coming in Week 8 against the Houston Texans.

This game will also feature two young quarterbacks who were drafted in 2023 in Will Levis and Bryce Young. Both players have been victims of protection issues, but Levis has shown some flashes while Young’s year remains a major disappointment.

With the Titans being a hot mess right now, there are no shortage of questions going into Week 12. We’ve sorted through the garbage to provide the six biggest going into this contest.

Titans moving Dillon Radunz to RT, considering Andre Dillard for LT

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said Andre Dillard is being considered for left tackle in Week 12.

With veteran Chris Hubbard reportedly out for the season, it was thought the Tennessee Titans would have some combination of rookie Jaelyn Duncan and Dillon Radunz at the two tackle spots in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, but the team is apparently considering a third option.

When speaking before the team’s walkthrough on Tuesday, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed Radunz would work at right tackle and the team would give both Duncan and Andre Dillard a look at left tackle in practice.

Dillard, who was ruled out last week due to a concussion, returned to the practice field on Tuesday and is expected to be ready to roll for Sunday, according to Vrabel.

There are multiple reasons why going back to Dillard would be frustrating.

For starters, he’s been the team’s worst offensive lineman this season, which is saying a lot considering how bad the entire unit has been.

Furthermore, the Titans could be deploying someone who is highly unlikely to be on the team next year in place of a younger player who at least has a chance to factor into Tennessee’s long-term plans.

Duncan saw 25 snaps in Week 11 after Hubbard left early and he didn’t allow a pressure or sack in 12 pass-blocking snaps. Sure, a small sample size, but that’s enough to garner him a longer look, especially considering the alternative.

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