Return of the Freak

Jevon Kearse signed with the Titans for a bargain-basement two-year deal. Will he replace the production lost when Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy left for richer pastures? At least you know with LaBoy and Odom that it's not about winning, since they signed with the Cardinals and Bengals, respectively. I looked at the Bell, LaBoy, and Odom deals. If the Titans had signed all three guys to the deals that they signed with other, lesser, teams, the coveted salary cap room would be gone.

Since the salary cap has gone up almost 50% in two years, it's hard to tell whether these deals will be bargains or cap killers in future years. The Titans must have thought that LaBoy and Odom together added up to one defensive end, with Odom as more of a run-stopper and LaBoy as the pass-rush specialist. Together they're going to make about $10 million a year. That's a chunk of change, now or in two years. I liked the idea of keeping Bell. He's probably more of an average starter than a Pro Bowler, which is what the Rams' deal said he was.

The Titans aren't going to make a major free agent splash. They might as well pick up an injury-prone guy like D.J. Hackett since most Titan free agent wideouts end up hurt. If that happens, I think it's nearly a lock that the Titans will take a defensive player with their first pick. A few months ago that was unthinkable, but the Titans picked up Michael Griffin when the analysts screamed for Dwayne Bowe or Robert Meachem.