The best news about the Titans long list of roster needs ahead of important free agency and 2025 NFL Draft rebuild
The Titans have plenty of needs that can be efficiently addressed in free agency
It’s no secret the Tennessee Titans have a lot of needs they must address before the 2025 season begins this fall. Aside from defensive tackle and cornerback, it’s hard to say they could really go forward without making at least one addition at every single position group. They’re in rough shape with who is actually under contract at the moment.
At the top of their list of needs is of course QB. Not far behind are the trenches, where they need a serviceable RT and at least one (preferably two) starting EDGE. Then the next group of needs is debatable. Most people would rank WR 4th on the priority list, but I would argue LB and S are just as much if not more important right now. You can read more about why that is right here. No matter the order, those three are next.
And finally, the next position most people would bring up is RG. While finding a serviceable tackle on that side of the line is far more important and could allow them to make do with who they have at RG (Dillon Radunz most likely), finding an upgrade at that position would be ideal. It would complete the total OL overhaul this team has been undergoing in recent years, from left to right: JC Latham, Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry, upgraded RG, upgraded RT.
So there’s the basic list of glaring needs:
- QB
- EDGE
- RT
- WR
- S
- LB
- RG
It’s a long one! And with a new, more frugal free agency philosophy and only two top-100 draft picks, it can feel like there’s no way they make a significant enough dent in this list to be notably better next season.
Well, nobody is saying it’ll be easy. But the best news about their long list of needs and limited draft capital is that some of these big positions of need are historically very fixable in free agency.
10 of the top-15 (in average annual salary) right guards in the league right now were acquired in free agency. This is the position that, at least recently, is the easiest to fix in March before the draft. It’s not a premium position, and it’s perceived to be the least important of the offensive line.
7 of the top-15 linebackers in the league right now were acquired in free agency, and 2 more were gotten via trade. This is another non-premium position that recent trends have shown a split in philosophy. Some teams tend not to re-sign good linebackers after their rookie contracts, because they’d rather continue to draft and staff the position cheaply. Others are more than content to just sign good linebackers who have developed on other teams who may only now be fully up to speed and reaching their prime in the NFL. It comes at a cost, sure, but it’s one teams are willing to make. So that’s another position that can be meaningfully addressed.
Safety is a similar situation to linebacker, with 6 of the top-15 players in the league right now being acquired in free agency and 2 others via trade. This is another area that, most years, can be dealt with outside of the draft.
As this chart points out, the Titans really have to focus their attention on the draft for the rest of their wish list. Sure, they could bend their own free agency rules on a starting free agent EDGE or RT if the right situation presents itself, and you can find role-playing receivers in March at a reasonable cost sometimes too. But otherwise, their future success at QB, RT, EDGE, and WR will come from good drafting. It’s up to Mike Borgonzi and his crew to make that happen.
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