The Titans' free-agent safety options go beyond Justin Simmons after Marcus Maye signs with Dolphins
The Tennessee Titans are looking toward making the final touches to what is a vastly improved roster strung together through numerous offseason moves by general manager Ran Carthon. Carthon has done well to fill in the many cracks the Titans had across both sides of the football in 2023. Though the free agency pool has […]
The Tennessee Titans are looking toward making the final touches to what is a vastly improved roster strung together through numerous offseason moves by general manager Ran Carthon.
Carthon has done well to fill in the many cracks the Titans had across both sides of the football in 2023. Though the free agency pool has dried up, there is still a good chance the Titans make a push to address its need at the safety position.
On Monday, the Miami Dolphins signed free safety Marcus Maye. The Titans had previously met with Maye earlier in the offseason, which narrows the team's search for a starting option in the defensive backfield.
Though Maye is no longer an option, Titans fans shouldn't be too concerned as his availability and production has been in a decline since 2020. There are still a handful of viable options in free agency for Tennessee to explore, including four-time All-Pro Justin Simmons.
Let's take a look at the Titans' remaining options at safety.
Justin Simmons
Simmons needs no introduction. He's been one of the NFL's premier safeties over the last five seasons. Simmons led the league with six interceptions in 2022, and remained productive in 2023 by recording three interceptions to pair with eight passes defensed.
Simmons (30) won't come cheap, but the Titans would be happy to pay for value. According to Over The Cap, Tennessee currently has $24.4 million in salary cap space which is more than enough to land the talented Simmons. It's important to note that Simmons also met with the Titans earlier in the offseason, but obviously left without a deal being finalized.
Eddie Jackson
Jackson (30) falls behind Simmons as the second-best free safety option remaining on the market. While he was extremely productive in his early years with the Chicago Bears, Jackson' career has been negatively impacted due to a Lisfranc injury he suffered at the end of the 2022 season.
Jackson was named to the NFL's first-team All-Pro in 2018 and has ball skills that would fit in any defensive scheme. However, Jackson has missed 10 games over the last two seasons and tallied just one interception in 12 games in 2023.
Jamal Adams
It feels like an eternity ago when Adams made three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Adams' career has been derailed by injuries playing in just 10 games over his last two seasons.
Though Titans safety Amani Hooker can play both safety spots, Adams does not possess adequate coverage skills to validate his likely price tag. Adams is just 28 years old, but his best days are clearly behind him. The Titans shouldn't entertain this option.
Quandre Diggs
Although he's 31 years old, his best football isn't too far behind him. In fact, Diggs was named to three straight Pro Bowls from 2020-2022 when he collected 14 interceptions in that time frame.
Diggs started all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2023 totaling a whopping 95 tackles with one interception and five passes defensed. He hasn't missed a single game over the last four seasons making him one heck of a consolation prize if Tennessee loses out on Simmons.
Honorable Mentions: Micah Hyde, Tracy Walker, Jayron Kearse, Adrian Amos
Hyde comes with significant health issues missing a total of 18 games in his last two seasons due to a series of back problems. Like Hyde, Kearse and Amos are on the wrong side of 30 years old and don't provide a significant enough improvement over Molden to validate the likely cost for their services.
Walker is 29 years old, but started in just six of his 17 games last season. The Titans would benefit from adding a ball-hawking safety and Walker's three career interceptions over six seasons doesn't align with Tennessee's needs.
