New Tyler Linderbaum, Connor McGovern developments headline the Titans’ hunt for a top free agent center for Cam Ward

The Titans are hunting a starting center in free agency. They have options, but they have plenty of competition too.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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When Tennessee Titans GM Mike Borgonzi decided to cut bait with C Lloyd Cushenberry in the middle of Combine week, he created a new and significant need on his already porous roster. This is a front office that has always talked a big game when it comes to building from the trenches out, and it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is.

Not only does this offense need somebody physically capable of operating from the center of the OL, but they needs somebody with the smarts to be the quarterback of the unit and get protections set correctly so that Cam Ward doesn’t get killed back there. The mental side of OL play, center in particular, is too often overlooked by those of us on the outside looking in. This is a big part of the reason why the Titans are looking for a veteran solution this spring, and they have the money to theoretically take their pick of the litter. But they have a pretty robust market of competition to try to beat out.

Titans hunting a top free agent center in crowded market

In my Titans Combine Intel Notebook, which you can read in it’s entirety here, I talked about how I was expecting the Titans to go after a veteran starter at center based on what I’d heard in Indianapolis. Paul Kuharsky reported in even stronger language the same thing this week, so between the two of us, you can rest assured this is their plan.

Tennessee leads the NFL in cap space heading into free agency, which kicks off in earnest next week. The top center on the market is Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, whose likelihood to return to Baltimore has seemingly waned as the weeks have passed. He was one of the players at the beginning of the offseason I was largely dismissing as an option because of how good and young he is. The word on the street weeks ago was that the Ravens expected to bring him back as their top priority on a market-setting deal.

But the closer you get to the open market starting bell, the more the writing is on the wall about a player planning to at least peruse their options. And as Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic has reported, multiple teams around the league are ready to “present [Tyler] Linderbaum with a blank check.” Zrebiec has also said that if Linderbaum reaches the open market next Wednesday, he feels as good as gone.

Linderbaum’s market is expected to come in north of $20 million AAV, which the Titans can afford. I’m personally a proponent of overpaying (as one must do in free agency) on non-premium positions of particular impact to your team. Center is one of those spots for this team. But if they want him, especially if Tennessee has to pay the “suck tax” to get good players to come to a bad team, their offer may have to be closer to 25 a year than 20.

Bills C Connor McGovern is second on the list of veteran options in my opinion, and he’s made it relatively clear that he expects to be somewhere else this fall. His market is expected to come in just under Linderbaum’s and just under the $20M AAV mark, though supply and demand could certainly inflate it beyond what we’re currently expecting.

Either seasoned vet would be a very strong option for the Titans as the finishing piece of the offensive line, pending RG and what I think is the likely return of Kevin Zeitler. One thing to note here is that while both options are solid, these two players are extremely different. Linderbaum is small and a weapon in the run game, and McGovern is a huge pass protecting machine. Which the Titans choose to pursue strongest will be telling about the identity they want to embody.

How’s this for a conspiracy theory headline: Titans choice at center in free agency provides MASSIVE Jeremiyah Love draft clue. All joking aside, the narrative head of steam that the top running back in the draft has right now could get another boost if the Titans make moves in free agency that support a strong run game.

The center market is an interesting one this year. The Titans have a big need and the most money, but they’re far from the only team looking to buy. And they’re certainly not the best team in the market. A shocking bit of news came out on Tuesday in Chicago, when C Drew Dalman decided to retire at age 27.

The Bears were quick to begin hunting for their next guy, bringing in former Commanders C Tyler Biadasz for a visit. Biadasz was a stunning release from Combine week, so the Commanders and Bears are both in this market.

So too are the Bills and Ravens, assuming they lose their starters to free agency. Needless to say, if the Titans want the pick of the litter, they’re going to have to flex their financial muscles. For Cam Ward, it will be worth it.

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