By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — After a disappointing season punctuated by a dismal second half, the Tennessee Titans entered the off season with several key questions to be answered.
As the 2023 NFL draft on April 27th approaches, the Titans have released some veterans and signed some others.
But three big questions remained unanswered as of press time.
The first concerns the status of veteran QB Ryan Tannehill. He is in the final year of his contract, and rumors abound that the Titans plan to cut him and draft a QB. They have already moved on from Josh Dobbs. But so far there has been no comment from Titans management on either Tannehill’s status or who they are targeting in the draft. Unless they plan to make some trades and try to improve their draft position (currently 11th), the top two projected QBs will be long gone.
The second question is the contract status of star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. He is arguably the best at his position in the AFC, and clearly the best in the division.
After last year’s fiasco with A.J. Brown, no one wants to see the team mess around with Simmons.
The third question revolves around free safety Kevin Byard, also among the best at his position.
The Titans have asked him to accept a pay cut in the final year of his contract. Thus far, he has refused.
Any or all these questions may or may not be resolved by draft day. But how they are answered will play a big role in the immediate and long term future of the franchise, while also saying a lot about the leadership style and decisions of new general manager Ran Carthon.
