NFL free agency grades: How did each team do?

Tennessee Titans

Whereas the Houston Texans had an active free agency to their own detriment, the Tennessee Titans spent their efforts retaining the two stars who helped them make a surprise AFC Championship Game appearance against eventual Super Bowl winners Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

After inking Ryan Tannehill to a four-year deal worth $118 million with $62 million guaranteed, the Titans boldly franchised running back Derrick Henry.

It would be easy to criticize both moves but totally unfair. Henry and Tannehill were critical to the Titans surprise season, and they had to keep them both. If they let either one of them go, they would be in a position where they were replacing their two best players, instead of building on a team which wasn’t far off from appearing in the Super Bowl.

The Tannehill contract is a risk, but he’s always been a decent quarterback who was plagued by high coaching turnover and an incompetent organization in Miami. If a team wants to keep a quarterback coming off an amazing statistical season and an AFC Championship Game, they will have to pay a premium price.

Tennessee had to make Jurrell Casey something of a cap casualty by dumping his salary to the Denver Broncos, but they were going to have to move on from him at some point. The pass rush should still be fine, as Vic Beasley is exactly the kind of edge defender who can have a big season on a “prove-it” deal.

Still, the Titans could have done more to beef up their roster, even if the Tannehill gamble was unavoidable.

Grade: C