The Titans needed help on defense so the pick of Jones in the 2nd round makes perfect sense.  Jones has nice size at 6′5″, 272 pounds and he runs a 4.78 40.  Jones played in 45 games (36 starts) at Eastern Michigan and he made 174 tackles, 50 tackles for a loss, had 14 sacks, batted down 3 passes and he forced 3 fumbles.  Jones played inside at tackle last season and it kept his sack total down.  Look for Jones to work into the rotation at defensive end but he could be a starter soon for the Titans.

You would think that the Titans would have learned their lesson last season when they took Chris Henry way too early based on his workout times.  But they didn’t and they took Johnson despite having better running backs still on the board.  Johnson is 5′10″, 198 pounds and he runs a 4.32 40!  Johnson still has the look of a third down back as he doesn’t run hard when he goes up the middle.  Johnson played in 47 games (36 starts) at East Carolina and he carried the ball 624 times for 2,982 yards (4.8 ypc) with 32 TD runs.  He also has caught 125 passes for 1,296 yards (10.4 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Picking Johnson was a big reach for the Titans.

This trade is a classic case of addition by subtraction.  No one disputes that Pac Man Jones is a game altering talent but he just wasn’t worth the hassle in the long run.  The Titans will receive a 4th round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft for Jones.  They will get an additional pick in 2009 if Jones is reinstated and plays this season for the Cowboys.  If Jones stays suspended in 2008 the Titans will fork over a 2009 4th round pick to the Cowboys.  Jones has played in 30 games (28 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 115 tackles, has 1 sack, has defensed 18 passes and he has intercepted 4 passes including one that he returned for a TD.  Jones has also returned 63 kickoffs for 1,648 yards (26.2 avg) and 63 punts for 712 yards (11.3 avg) with 4 TD returns on punts.  Even if Jones is reinstated and plays well the Titans won’t miss him because of all of the off field garbage that they have had to put up with from him.

The Titans selected a lot of workout warriors who were not polished football players and it showed on the field.  S/CB Michael Griffin was a solid first round pick by the Titans.  He played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Titans last season and he made 54 tackles, forced 1 fumble, defensed 7 passes and intercepted 3 passes.  Griffin also returned 18 kickoffs for 422 yards (23.4 avg).  RB Chris Henry was outstanding at the Combine last season but he was never a good player in college.  He also was suspended for 4 games last season for violating the substance abuse policy by the NFL.  Henry played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Titans last season and he carried the ball 31 times for 119 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 6 passes for 53 yards (8.8 avg).  Henry also returned 13 kickoffs for 272 yards (20.9 avg).  Henry projects to be nothing more than a backup in the future.  3rd round pick, (WR) Paul Williams was essentially a “redshirt” last season as he never made it to the field.  C/G Leroy Harris was the first of two 4th round picks of the Titans.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) last season for the Titans and he could be a starter in the near future for the Titans.  WR Chris Davis was the other 4th round pick that the Titans made last April.  He played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Titans last season and he carried the ball 2 times for 19 yards (9.5 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 38 yards (7.6 avg).  Davis also helped out on special teams as he returned 2 kickoffs for 37 yards (18.5 avg) and 31 punts for 293 yards (9.5 avg).  5th rounder (DT) Antonio Johnson and 6th rounder (DE) Jacob Ford both missed their rookie seasons to injury.  6th rounders Joel Filani (WR) and CB Ryan Smith were both cut in Training Camp last season.  The final pick the Titans made was OG/OT Mike Otto and he spent his rookie season on the practice squad.

GRADE FOR THE 2007 SEASON:  D

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C-

The Tennessee Titans have signed linebacker Josh Stamer.  Stamer played in all 16 games for the Bills last season and he made 10 tackles and defensed a pass.  Stamer has now played in 70 games in his NFL career and he has made 65 tackles, defensed 3 passes and he has picked off one pass.  Stamer will be a special teams player and a backup at linebacker so signing him helps the depth of the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans have signed 6′4″, 257 pound Dwayne Blakley.  Blakley played in 12 games for the Falcons last season and he caught 7 passes for 48 yards (6.9 avg).  He has now played in 59 games in his NFL career and he has caught 21 passes for 189 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Blakley is a good run blocker and that should help out the Titans this season.

The Tennessee Titans have signed CB/KR Chris Carr.  Carr played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he made 28 tackles, defensed 1 pass and forced 2 fumbles.  He has played in 48 games in his NFL career and he has now made 54 tackles, defensed 4 passes, has 1 interception (which he returned 100 yards for a TD), forced 2 fumbles and recovered 2 fumbles.  He will likely be nothing more than a nickel or dime back on defense.

The real reason that the Titans signed Carr was to return kicks.  Carr returned 59 kickoffs for 1,327 yards (22.5 avg) last season for the Raiders.  Carr has now returned 201 kickoffs in his NFL career for 4,841 yards (24.1 avg).  Carr also returned 8 punts for 52 yards (6.5 avg) last season for the Raiders.  He has now returned 77 punts for 454 yards (5.9 avg) in his NFL career.   

The Titans have brought back old friend Justin McCareins back into the fold with a 1-year, $1 million dollar contract.  The 29-year old WR played in 16 games for the Jets last season and he caught 19 passes for 232 yards (12.2 avg).  He has now played in 100 games in his NFL career and he has caught 210 passes for 3,264 yards (15.5 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  He should be able to help out the Titans receiving corps which has been awful for quite some time now.

The Titans have signed 26-year old guard Jake Scott to a 4-year, $19.5 million dollar contract.  Scott started all 16 games for the Colts last season.  His signing is good for a couple of reasons:  1.) He’s much better than anyone the Titans currently have at guard and 2.) It hurts the Colts.  Scott has been very durable and solid as a player for the Colts as he has played in 60 games (57 starts) in his 4-year NFL career.

The Tennessee Titans have signed DE Jevon Kearse to a 2-year, $6 million dollar contract to return to the team he had his best years of his NFL career with.  Kearse played in 14 games for the Eagles last season and he made 12 tackles and made 3.5 sacks.  Kearse has now played in 111 games in his NFL career and he has made 278 tackles, defensed 34 passes, has 69.5 sacks, forced 25 fumbles and intercepted a pass.  This was a good gamble for the Titans as Kearse will likely be inspired to play again for head coach Jeff Fisher and the Titans.