Grading The Signings: Evaluating eight contracts the Titans handed out on chaotic Day 1 of free agency

Instant grades for each of the new Titans players added by GM Mike Borgonzi on Monday.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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NFL free agency kicked off on Monday, and the Titans wasted no time diving into things. They handed out eight total contracts by the mid-afternoon, and made a handful of shockingly splashy plays for their guys. We have all offseason to break these players down in detail, but let’s start with an initial grade for each signing:

LS Morgan Cox: 1 year deal

Grade: A+++

Mr. Cox is a Tennessee Titans institution. He’s entering year 17 in the NFL and his age 40 season. He’s as steady as they come. Let him play until he can’t bend over any longer.

QB Mitch Trubisky: 2 year deal

Grade: A

The Titans found a backup QB first thing on Monday, and I like this signing a lot. This team is in an ascending position to warrant wanting a backup QB who can keep you afloat in a pinch. Trubisky is just that. More on what this means for Will Levis right here.

TE Daniel Bellinger: 3 years/$24 million

Grade: B-

I like Bellinger the player, who will slot into this Daboll offense he is familiar with quite nicely. And I like how he allows Gunnar Helm to take the mantle of TE1 for Tennessee, becoming the top receiving option with Chig Okonkwo’s departure. What I don’t love is the price tag of $8 million AAV over three years. Bellinger is useful, but is his archetype really that difficult to find? Perhaps his athletic upside and the league-wide desire to sign tight ends capable of being plus blockers are what set this price so high.

WR Wan’Dale Robinson: 4 years/$70 million

Grade: C+

I hadn’t really thought about it like this until I laid it all out in this article, but the Robinson signing ended up being technically my least favorite of the day. Do I hate the move? No. But I fundamentally think it’s usually the kind of move that proves to be a bad idea. I’d say that I simply understand the move. The Titans are betting on him being an exception to the rule that history has taught us when it comes to expensive receivers in free agency. Click here to read about those reasons why.

DL John Franklin-Myers: 3 years/$63 million

Grade: A-

John Franklin-Myers may have taken some people by surprise when he came in at $21 million AAV, but nobody who was paying attention was surprised to see him land in Tennessee. This move was telegraphed weeks ago on social media, and multiple times more since then. The minus on this grade is merely for having so much money tied up in interior DL now, with Simmons currently sitting at 8th highest paid in the league (needing a reworked contract still) and JFM now coming it at tied for 15th. But this move turns a strength into a super strength, and Simmons paired with JFM is going to be a serious problem. There were eight defensive tackles to record a pressure rate of at least 10% and a stop rate of at least 5% in 2025: These were two of them.

CB Cor’Dale Flott: 3 years/$45 million

Grade: B

Connor Hughes of SNY in New York detailed online how Flott was a done deal to return to the Giants until the Titans sent a Hail Mary, having head coach Robert Saleh call Flott to describe his role in this defense. His sales pitch reportedly sealed the deal. It’s a bit of an overpay, but Flott is a proven good starter. That’s the nature of free agency!

CB Alontae Taylor: 3 years/$60 million

Grade: B-

I did not see this price point coming for Taylor! My sweet grandmother—a legend in the Coffee County, Tennessee community if you ask me—texted me to make sure I knew that Taylor grew up and played high school ball at Coffee County high school. She ended her message with “I’m not sure if he’s worth $60 million!” And as it turns out, Nonie, I agree! I am also not sure of that! Taylor was my top target for this team on the veteran free agent market, and apparently he was the Titans’ too. There’s no doubt he’s a good starter, but is he worth $20 million APY? We will see!

C Austin Schlottman: 2 year deal

Grade: Pass

One big position of need the Titans didn’t address today was starting center. My understanding is that they got priced out of the top center options (such as Linderbaum, who got an eye-watering $27 million AAV) and are now pivoting to a competition at that spot. Schlottman gets a passing grade as a worthy competitor throughout the summer. Related: I am buying more stock than I already owned in Jackson Slater…

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