By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — The Titans will be in the market for at least one and possibly two wide receivers this off-season, and they will also be looking for new faces in the defensive backfield. The revamp began last week as three players were cut, including one who’d previously been thought to have been a significant upgrade at the time, and another who ended up starting five games last season before getting injured. Adam Humphries had enjoyed good years as a slot receiver with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was mostly a disappointment during his two seasons for the Titans. He ended up appearing in only 19 regular season games, and just seven in 2020 due to an injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Humphries did catch the game winner against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, but had only four touchdown catches during his tine with Tennessee. While there is a chance he could be re-signed at a lower price tag, chances are his days with the Titans are over. The same is the case with defensive backs Chris Milton and Breon Borders. Borders made the jump from practice squad to starter for five games at the cornerback spot opposite Malcolm Butler before being sidelined by an injury.
The Titans did add some depth to the defensive line by signing Jullian Taylor. A former seventh-round pick in 2018 from Temple University, Taylor played 12 games for the San Francisco 49ers the past three years, totaling 16 tackles. But none of these moves represent the major decisions that the Titans still must make, most notably whether to franchise or re-sign wide receiver Corey Smith and tight end Jonnu Smith. At press time no decision had been announced in either case, nor of that in terms of several other key free agents. What the Titans do or don’t do over the next few weeks will be the determining factor in whether they can continue building off last year’s 11-win, AFC title season or if they fall back into the pack.
