Thursday, February 21, 2013
The Titans' FA shopping list
By Tim Kavanagh
The Tennessee Titans have not been big players in free agency in recent seasons -- their "big deal" of 2012 was for DE Kamerion Wimbley, whose pact was dwarfed considerably by those doled out to Mario Williams and Peyton Manning, two rumored targets. However, we could see a shift in strategy this offseason, as HC Mike Munchak has already been mentioned as being on the hot seat several months before the season actually kicks off.
"I would think we definitely would be," Munchak responded when asked if they'd be active during the three-day negotiating window prior to the start of free agency, per ESPN AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky. "The hard part is you do a lot of homework right now, and then some of these guys sign with their teams in the last 48-hours or they get franchised. But I think there are people we are identifying we are interested in that could help us. It's just a matter of who's available. And again, the hard part is we could want them real bad, but five other teams may want them also."
Amongst the free agents that could help the Titans immediately, in Kuharsky's opinion, are Bills G Andy Levitre, Bengals DE Michael Johnson and Falcons S William Moore. Johnson and Moore are potential franchise taggees, but no such move has been rumored concerning Levitre.
Paul Kuharsky
Titans expect to act early in free agency"The vibe is they want a free agent class like they got in 2006, when safety Chris Hope, linebacker David Thornton and center Kevin Mawae added a strong dose of veteran leadership and did a lot to change the team's culture. This is just Ruston Webster's second year as the team's general manager. If he gets out there early and is in the mix for quality veterans who don't qualify as discounts, a lot of Titans followers might feel a lot better about where the team is heading. If he doesn't, there will be a lot of lamenting. They need more than the draft and second-tier free agency can provide."
