In a recent article covering some of the buzz from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, the Tennessee Titans were named as a team to watch for a pair of pending free agents, one at safety and one at wide receiver.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes the Titans could be a fit for free-agent safety C.J. Gardner Johnson, which does make sense considering the team’s need for a starter to pair with Amani Hooker.
Fowler cites Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson as a connection to Gardner-Johnson after he was the safety’s defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.
A C.J. Gardner-Johnson reunion in Philadelphia is on my radar. The Eagles realized they missed the talented safety in the secondary. Tennessee makes sense for him, too. Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is a big fan of Gardner-Johnson from their Philly days.
Gardner-Johnson missed the vast majority of the 2023 campaign due to a torn pectoral muscle but was able to return for the final game of the regular season and playoffs.
The 26-year-old is young enough to be a long-term solution for the Titans and he offers versatility thanks to his experience playing as a single-high safety, in the box and out of the slot. He won’t be too expensive, either.
All that said, how much the Titans prioritize signing a starting-caliber safety in free agency will be determined by how the team views 2021 third-round pick Elijah Molden, who is a candidate to start alongside Hooker.
Fowler also mentioned the Titans as a possibility for wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who he considers a sleeper free agent that is getting buzz.
The Chicago wideout is much better than his 2023 stat line of 31 catches for 414 yards and 5 TDs suggests. The Chiefs or Titans could be players here.
The former fifth-round pick has one 1,000-yard season under his belt but hasn’t surpassed more than 631 yards in any of his other three seasons. He posted a career-low 414 yards in 2023.
It’s important to note, though, that he wasn’t exactly catching passes from elite throwers, with his list of quarterbacks headlined by guys like Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields.
Mooney does have a connection to the Titans, as his wide receivers coach from the last two campaigns, Tyke Tolbert, has the same role in Tennessee.
The Tulane product would be a good depth signing for the Titans, especially because of his ability to be a deep threat, but I don’t think he checks the box of the surefire No. 2 Tennessee needs behind DeAndre Hopkins.
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