Tag: Chris Hubbard

What Titans should do with pending free agents on offense

The Titans have 11 pending free agents on the offensive side of the ball. Here’s our verdict for what they should do with each.

The Tennessee Titans have a grand total of 26 pending free agents to make decisions on this offseason, with 11 of them coming on the offensive side of the ball.

With a new head coach in Brian Callahan, whose philosophy centers around being a more pass-heavy offense, the Titans are expected to transition from a run-heavy unit, especially after the emergence of quarterback Will Levis.

As a result, their priorities on that side of the ball have changed from what they were with Mike Vrabel at the helm, which could have a significant impact on their decision-making with their free agents.

With the start of free agency less than one month away, we’re taking a look at each of Tennessee’s pending free agents on offense to make a determination about who should stay and who should go.

Here’s what we came up with:

12 free agents Giants could target based on coaching hires

These 12 free agents could become free agent targets of the New York Giants based on their offseason coaching and coordinator hires.

The New York Giants significantly overhauled their coaching staff this offseason, changing two of their three coordinators while also switching out a multitude of assistant coaches.

Because of those changes, the team will need to readjust their personnel by way of free agency and the 2024 NFL draft in an effort to match talent with the new schemes.

As a reminder, here are the notable coaching changes:

  • Defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen
  • Special teams coordinator, Michael Ghobrial
  • Running backs coach, Joel Thomas
  • Offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo
  • Tight ends coach, Tim Kelly

These new arrivals create an interesting dynamic headed into free agency. They are intimately familiar with several of the available players and have developed trust with them over the years.

While that doesn’t necessarily mean any or all of them will be signed by the Giants, there is likely to be some crossover.

Here is a look at 12 impending free agents the Giants could target based on the above coaching changes/hires.

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.

Titans place RT Chris Hubbard on IR among 3 moves

The Titans placed right tackle Chris Hubbard on injured reserve on Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans were hit with a massive blow on Saturday afternoon after they officially placed starting right tackle Chris Hubbard on injured reserve with a biceps injury.

The move was expected, as it was initially reported earlier this week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the veteran offensive lineman was expected to miss the rest of the season.

This is a sneaky big loss for the Titans.

Hubbard was arguably the team’s best offensive lineman this season, earning an overall grade of 69.0 after he allowed just four sacks while not accounting for a single penalty, per Pro Football Focus.

Also, according to ESPN analytics, Hubbard ranked inside the top 20 at his position in pass-block win rate (18th), winning approximately 90 percent of his pass-block reps through 11 weeks (139-of-154).

Aside from that news, the Titans will also be elevating defensive lineman Ross Blacklock and linebacker Joe Jones from the practice squad for Week 12. Both of them will head back there at the conclusion of Sunday’s game.

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4 Titans producing high win rates through 10 games

Four Titans players rank inside the top 20 in win rates, but one of them is reportedly out for the season.

While this season has mostly been a disaster for the Tennessee Titans, they have had a few bright spots scattered across their roster.

Rookies Peter Skoronski, Will Levis, and Tyjae Spears have shown flashes of potential greatness and appear to have bright futures ahead of themselves. 

Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins are future Hall of Famers who are still performing at high levels when given adequate opportunities.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jeffery Simmons is still a dominant player who needs more consistency around him, while Harold Landry is slowly getting healthier and more productive with each passing week.

Outside of those seven and the specialists, it’s really slim pickings in Tennessee right now.

The Titans do have a few players on both sides of the ball who are doing well in terms of win rates. Per ESPN Analytics, the Titans have four players who rank inside the top 20 at their respective positions.

Unfortunately, one of them — right tackle Chris Hubbard — is reportedly out for the season after suffering a significant injury in the team’s Week 11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If you take Hubbard away, the Titans still have three active players who made the cut heading into Week 12, so let’s find out who they are and where they rank.

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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Titans injury updates: Treylon Burks, Sean Murphy-Bunting, more

Some Titans injury updates ahead of their Week 12 game against the Panthers.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the 2023 Tennessee Titans, who currently sport a 3-7 record and are on the fast track to a lost season, Tennessee is also dealing with some injuries.

The Titans’ offensive line suffered a big blow on Monday night when it was reported that right tackle Chris Hubbard would likely miss the rest of the season due to a biceps injury.

Hubbard, who reportedly plans on playing next season as he prepares to turn 33, was a pleasant surprise for Tennessee overall after winning the job out of training camp, basically by default.

With Hubbard on the shelf, the Titans are likely to deploy rookie Jaelyn Duncan at right tackle after he played well in a small sample size versus Jacksonville.

The Titans should do their best to give that job to Duncan the rest of the way, barring his being an absolute disaster. Tennessee has to see what it has in its younger players before a 2024 offseason in which the Titans are likely to make massive changes on both sides of the ball.

On Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel provided injury updates on some of Tennessee’s wounded. Here’s what he had to say about offensive tackle Andre Dillard, wide receiver Treylon Burks and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting.

Report: Titans’ Chris Hubbard expected to miss rest of season

Titans RT Chris Hubbard is reportedly expected to miss the rest of the season.

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly expected to be without starting right tackle Chris Hubbard for the rest of the season after he suffered an injury during the Week 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Hubbard suffered a biceps injury that is likely to cost him the rest of the 2023 campaign. The exact injury was not revealed.

Hubbard was signed by the Titans during training camp with the team in need of more depth, but he was thrust into a starting role once the team cut Jamarco Jones.

The 32-year-old went on to play better than expected, although his play had dropped off a bit since the start of the season.

Rookie Jaelyn Duncan was deployed once Hubbard exited Sunday’s contest early and went on to have a strong showing after he didn’t allow a sack or pressure in 12 pass-blocking snaps.

He also posted the second-highest pass protection grade on the team, per Pro Football Focus.

Head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier in the day that Duncan would see more reps at tackle in practice this week, putting him on track to start.

And that’s the move that makes the most sense, as the Titans need to see what they have in Duncan before an offseason in which a lot of work needs to be done to the offensive line.

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Titans have 3 players with top 20 win rates

Three Titans currently rank inside the top 20 in win rates going into Week 10.

We already covered the Tennessee Titans’ win rates as a team going into Week 10 in a previous article, so now it’s time to look at which players are individually getting the job done.

According to ESPN Analytics, only three Titans players rank inside the top 20 at their respective positions in at least one of the four major categories listed below.

  • Pass-rush win rate (PRWR)
  • Run-stop win rate (RSWR)
  • Pass-block win rate (PBWR)
  • Run-block win rate (RBWR)

The Titans have one edge rusher who ranks inside the top eight in pass-rush win rate amd one defensive tackle who ranks inside the top 15. In addition, they have one offensive tackle who ranks inside the top 20 in pass-block win rate.

Tennessee failed to have a single interior offensive lineman listed in either blocking category, along with no defender who ranks amongst the best run-stoppers in the league.

Now, let’s go ahead and find out which three players made the cut.

Titans injury updates: Treylon Burks, Chris Hubbard, Roger McCreary, more

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel provided injury updates on a handful of players on Tuesday.

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel met with the media on Tuesday and gave some injury updates on several players.

The biggest story of the day, however, was the Titans naming rookie signal-caller Will Levis the starter over veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which was the expected decision.

On the injury front, when asked about Tannehill’s status for Week 10, Vrabel did not say whether or not he would be ready to go. If Tannehill can’t play, Malik Willis will serve as the backup to Levis.

One player we did not get an update on was offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, who exited the Week 9 contest early due to a shoulder injury. A report from Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky on Monday stated that NPF would likely miss the remainder of the season, as the injury will require surgery.

Now, a look at the updates from Vrabel on cornerback Roger McCreary, right tackle Chris Hubbard, wide receiver Treylon Burks and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting.

In addition, a report on the status of offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill.