Titans interested in addition at safety

When speaking to the media, head coach Brian Callahan said (via Jim Wyatt of the team’s website) that Tennessee is engaged in conversations about bringing in a safety. 

The team traded away former All-Pro Kevin Byard midway through the 2023 season, creating a notable vacancy in the secondary. Terrell Edmunds was part of the return in the Byard swap, but he remains unsigned well after the draft.

Tennessee also saw K’Von Wallace — who started seven games for the team last year — sign with Seattle in free agency. Amani Hooker remains in place as a full-time starter after he inked a three-year extension in September 2022. 

Elijah Molden logged nearly 200 snaps in the slot last season, but his primary usage came as a safety. The pending free agent is joined by the likes of L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary and Chidobe Awuzie in the Titans secondary.

The team could use at least a depth addition at the safety spot, though. The likes of Matthew Jackson and Shyheim Carter are in place after they were used on special teams during their respective rookie seasons. 

Tennessee invested a Day 3 pick (seventh-rounder James Williams) in the back end during this year’s draft, but a third-phase role should be the expectation in his case as well.

Much like their running back counterparts in recent years, veteran safeties around the league saw their market take a nosedive this offseason. 

Several accomplished (albeit aging) producers were let go or not retained, and a number of them are still unsigned at this point. 

Longtime Broncos ballhawk Justin Simmons headlines the group of available options. Marcus Maye, Micah Hyde and former Seahawks Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs are other potential targets for the Titans and other teams seeking a late-offseason addition.

Tennessee is near the top of the league in terms of cap space with over $30M in available funds. Signing the rest of the team’s rookie class will lower that figure slightly, but plenty of room will remain to make at least one notable addition. 

Given the state of the safety market, any signing will likely not come with a hefty price tag, so it will be interesting to see if a deal with one of the top options is worked out soon.