Tennessee Titans: The 3 Biggest Reasons Why the Titans Should Re-Sign Harold Landry
Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry is due to hit free agency in March. The team shouldn't let that happen. Instead, the Titans need to re-sign Landry to a long-term extension. Here are the three biggest reasons why. 1. You can't break up that fierce defensive front. It took four years of Mike Vrabel being […]
Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry is due to hit free agency in March. The team shouldn't let that happen.
Instead, the Titans need to re-sign Landry to a long-term extension. Here are the three biggest reasons why.
1. You can't break up that fierce defensive front.
It took four years of Mike Vrabel being the Titans' head coach for the team to have a potent pass-rush.
It was anemic in 2018, average-at-best in 2019 and completely disastrous in 2020.
The unit turned the tide in 2021, though, thanks to some savvy free agency moves by general manager Jon Robinson and great coaching from defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
The Titans grouped new additions Bud Dupree and Denico Autry with Landry and an improved Jeffery Simmons. The results were pretty great.
All season, Tennessee's front made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, never more so than in its nine-sack performance against Cincinnati in the playoffs.
After climbing so far uphill to get to that point, the Titans can't voluntarily fall back down by choosing to let Landry go.
The chances of them finding a capable replacement to avoid a significant production downtick is slim.
2. They can afford it.
Before COVID-19 cut the NFL's revenue, the salary cap was basically a myth. Pretty soon, that will again be the case, as the cap is expected to rise significantly ahead of the 2023 season.
That's why having a new Landry contract on the books won't be a major burden for the Titans.
READ MORE:What a Harold Landry contract extension could look like
Additionally, as the Titans continue to evolve as a team, money tied up in certain positions will naturally move to others.
Just a year ago, the Titans' secondary was incredibly expensive. They were paying big money to Kevin Byard, Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler.
Now, with Ryan and Butler gone, Tennessee's secondary is relatively cheap and filled with young players on rookie deals.
The same could soon be true of the Titans' offensive line, where either Taylor Lewan or Rodger Saffold will almost certainly be released before free agency.
3. They won't find a capable replacement.
Landry wears a lot of hats for the Titans.
He rushes from several positions along the team's defensive front. He also, occasionally, begins plays as an off-ball linebacker and rushes from there.
The Titans also play Landry in coverage and use that strategy to confuse quarterbacks.
In addition to Landry's versatility, his conditioning is unbelievable. No Titans player has played more snaps since he entered the league in 2018 aside from Byard.
Regardless of whether they look in free agency or the draft, the Titans aren't going to find someone to replace those snaps and that versatility.
There isn't going to be a new Harold Landry available to them. They need to keep the real thing.
Cover image: USA Today/Steve Roberts
