The Tennessee Titans’ long-anticipated signing of running back Tony Pollard on the first day of the so-called “legal tampering” period last week sent a clear signal.
Not only was Derrick Henry’s time as a Titan coming to an end – he agreed to a deal with Baltimore (you can hear Titans’ fans collective groan) a day later – but the Titans were truly moving in a different direction, as promised when Brian Callahan became head coach.
While Pollard rushed for 1,000 yards last season, he also caught 55 passes for his old team, the Dallas Cowboys. His arrival gives the Titans a different type of one-two punch with Tyjae Spears than what Titans have been used to over the years at the running back position.
Still, whether it was some in the fan base mourning the loss of Henry to the Ravens or just healthy skepticism with a “we’ll see” attitude, the change in approach didn’t fully hit home for folks in Nashville until the Titans pulled a stunner Wednesday.
That surprise was the agreeing to a four-year, $92 million deal with wide receiver Calvin Ridley, probably the best free agent receiver on the market.
When the franchise tag and last-minute deals took the other star receivers like Mike Evans of Tampa Bay, Michael Pittman of Indianapolis and Tee Higgins of Cincinnati off the market, it was assumed that the Titans would have to find receiver help in the draft and that free agency was only going to yield a supplemental receiver at best.
But in a stealthy move – seemingly no one had the Titans in the Ridley hunt – general manager Ran Carthon was able to pluck the top available receiver remaining and bring him to Tennessee to pair with DeAndre Hopkins.
The arrival of Ridley won’t fix everything that ails the Titans’ roster, but it is a good start toward molding the team in Callahan’s image of being a pass-focused type offense for arguably the first time since the run-and-shoot days of the Houston Oilers. Even when both Steve McNair and Ryan Tannehill had the keys to the offense, the team’s DNA was still rooted in the run game.
Clearly, the focus of Carthon, Callahan and his staff is adding weapons for second-year quarterback.
Ridley, in his introductory press conference, showed some of the same type of swagger that A.J. Brown had in his run with the Titans. Paired with Hopkins, that can be a good thing for the Titans and Levis.
“I’m a good player. I’m the type of player who deserves this contract,” Ridley said. “I’m going to say that. I’m a player that you want in the building, someone who’s going to work for your organization.”
Ridley had 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for AFC South rival Jacksonville last season. He indicated that those numbers are not nearly satisfactory in his mind, as he was coming off missing almost two full seasons due to personal issues in 2021 and a league-mandated gambling suspension in 2022.
“I sat out two seasons. Yeah, it wasn’t the best season for me personally. I’m not proud of that at all. I wish I could just throw it away, but that’s what I have. That’s what I had,” Ridley said.
“Two seasons out, I gave them (Jacksonville) 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. I didn’t miss a practice. I didn’t miss a game. I didn’t come late to nothing. I respected them and everybody in the building.
“I look at it as a win for me, personally, when I have to think about it like that. If I don’t, I’m going to think I’m a failure when I did pretty decent with two years off, I did pretty decent. I look at it as that,” he added.
“From now on, I look at it as I’m only going up, because my work ethic is really good. I’m going to put the work in to be good, and I think I’m only going up from here. Two years off and I’ve got one year behind me now, and I’m ready to take off.”
The Titans knew they had to be active in the free agent market and, while Ridley is their biggest splash, there are other holes that have been filled quite nicely.
Within the first hour of the market opening, the Titans plucked free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry away from Denver to solve a major problem on the interior of the offensive line. The Titans had played undersized Aaron Brewer there last season, and now they have a taller, heavier Cushenberry manning the middle.
Chidobi Awuzie and Kenneth Murray figure to add to a defense that also has holes to fill.
Free agency money won’t fix everything that ails the Titans, but it does give a look at where Callahan and Carthon want to take this team – and the Titans haven’t gone in that direction in a long, long time.