Tennessee Titans free agency 2020: Top 5 targets

This one is very interesting. We know that the Titans used a top-10 pick to draft right tackle Jack Conklin out of Michigan State in the 2016 NFL Draft. Tennessee had drafted another excellent offensive tackle in the first round out of rival school Michigan two years prior in Taylor Lewan. However, unlike Lewan, Conklin was not extended the fifth-year option for 2020.

So Conklin may have very well played his last game for the Titans. After being an All-Pro as a rookie in 2016, Conklin had comparably two down years for the Titans in 2017 and ’18. It was a questionable decision to not extend Conklin the fifth-year option when the Titans could have. Now they are paying a price for it. He might come back, but he’s only their third-most important target.

From an offensive standpoint, Tennessee is at its best when it can play smash-mouth football and dictate terms in the trenches along the offensive line. One would think that Conklin playing up to his potential would give the Titans a top-five offensive line in football, much like it was in 2016 and again in 2019. However, he’s not getting franchise tagged and will need a new deal to stay.

The reason Conklin isn’t getting tagged is two-fold. One, that will cost the Titans $14.9 million to keep him for 2020. He’s a good offensive tackle, but not an elite right tackle to be paid at that level. The other reason he’s not getting tagged is Tennessee still needs to find a way to bring back both Derrick Henry at running back and Ryan Tannehill at quarterback in free agency. It’s so hard.