Tennessee Titans 2010 Team Needs

As part of our 2010 NFL Draft coverage, I will be breaking down positional needs for all 32 teams, starting in reverse alphabetical order. Next up are the Tennessee Titans. Check out other team needs by clicking here.

1. Defensive End
It’s unlikely that the Titans will bring back Kyle Vanden Bosch (who is injury prone and in decline) and Jevon Kearse (also in decline) next season, making the defensive end spot opposite William Hayes a top priority. There’s a very slim chance that the team will be able to woo free agent Julius Peppers to Tennessee, so the Titans might use the No. 16 spot in the first round to take a DE prospect like South Florida’s Jason Pierre-Paul.

2. Cornerback
Nick Harper will be 36 in September, is coming off shoulder surgery and struggled mightily in coverage in 2009. He’s also a free agent and there’s little to no chance that the Titans will re-sign him for next season. That means the cornerback spot opposite Cortland Finnegan is a major hole, although the Titans are in a tough spot at No. 16 in the first round because Florida’s Joe Haden will likely be off the board and Florida State’s Patrick Robinson would be a reach there. They could sign on a free agent like Leigh Bodden (Patriots), although that all depends on how much Bud Adams is willing to spend this offeason.

3. Linebacker
The Titans appear ready to move on from veteran linebackers Keith Bulluck and David Thornton and now have to determine whether or not Gerald McRath and Colin Allred are starters. If the team does view the pair as solid replacements for Bulluck and Thornton, then the Titans can concentrate on other positions, such as the defensive line, cornerback and backup running back. If not, then outside linebacker becomes one of the biggest needs of the offseason, especially from a depth perspective.

If the Titans don’t re-sign Kevin Mawae this offseason, then center also becomes a need for next season.


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Decade Debate: 10 Worst NFL Free Agent Signings

There’s nothing worse for an organization then when it sinks a ton of money into a player that was supposed to turn around a franchise and instead he turns out to be a Grade A bust. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here is a list of the 10 worst NFL free agent signings of the past decade. Whether it was because of performance, injury or the player’s attitude (or a combination of the lot), these signings just didn’t pan out.

10. Chuck Smith, Panthers, 2000/LeCharles Bentley, Browns, 2006

These players are listed together because they both fell victim to the same curse at separate times during the decade. After finishing as the Falcons’ all-time leader in sacks at 58.5, Smith signed a lucrative five-year, $21 million deal with the Panthers. But after playing just two games for Carolina, a knee injury cost him the rest of the season, as well as his career. If only Bentley were fortunate enough to play two games. After signing a six-year, $36 million deal that included $12.5 million in guaranteed money, Bentley ruptured a patellar tendon on his first day of training game, which led to a series of staph infections that almost led to doctors having to amputate his leg. The Browns essentially paid him $16 million for zero games and while injuries are to blame for both of these players’ misfortunes, they were nevertheless busted free agent signings for their respective teams.

9. Edgerrin James, Cardinals, 2006

The Cardinals opened up their wallet for James, who was coming off two consecutive Pro Bowl seasons with the Colts. But after shelling out a four-year, $30 million contract and committing $11.5 million in bonuses to the 28-year old back, James failed to rush for 4.0 YPC in each of his three seasons in Arizona. In his final year in the desert, James lost his starting job to Tim Hightower and managed only 514 yards on 133 carries with three touchdowns. Outside of a decent (and that’s putting it generously) effort in the postseason last year, James was a huge disappointment in Arizona.

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