The Tennessee Titans entered the offseason strapped for cash but have found creative ways to add to the roster while still fitting within their constraints.
As John Glennon points out, the Titans have inked six free agents in offensive linemen Daniel Brunskill and Andre Dillard, edge rusher Arden Key, linebackers Luke Gifford and Azeez Al-Shaair and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, all of whom have a total cap hit of $13.3 million in 2023.
The Titans achieved this in part by tacking on void years to the contracts of Dillard, Key, Murphy-Bunting and Al-Shaair, who combined account for a 2023 cap hit of $9.57 million.
Updating #Titans 2023 cap hits for 6 free-agent signings:
Key — $2.88 million
Dillard — $2.56
Al-Shaair — $2.24
Brunskill — $1.99
Murphy-Bunting — $1.89
Gifford — $1.74
Total — $13.3 million. Solid work for a team that didn't have a ton of cap room available. https://t.co/bLpmfy7Gju— John Glennon (@glennonsports) March 26, 2023
To put that into perspective, the Titans saved $9.35 million by cutting Bud Dupree alone, which pretty much covers the cost of those four players, including the one who is set to help replace him.
With all those moves added, and with the second-round tenders of Teair Tart and Aaron Brewer ($4.3 million) factored in, the Titans are sitting with $7.1 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.
Of course, Brewer and Tart are not locked in yet because both are restricted free agents and can still negotiate with any team. If one or both gets poached away, that money gets added to the pile.
Tennessee has more to do in free agency, and with the team’s draft pool set to cost at least $6.5 million, per Spotrac, it’s clear general manager Ran Carthon has to free up more money.
How he goes about that will be very interesting to watch.
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