Six potential landing spots for Charvarius Ward in free agency
By Matt Conner
Tennessee Titans
This is the curveball team on the list.
The Titans aren’t normally connected with any cornerbacks this offseason given the level of youth and options already in-house for the team. Caleb Farley was a top draft pick only a year ago and that comes after another recent top pick for Kristian Fulton. Together, they should anchor the boundaries for the Titans with Elijah Molden in the middle as a dynamic young core. Too bad it didn’t play out that way last year.
Farley came into the league with back problems, sat a few games with a shoulder injury, and then missed the rest of the season after Week 6 with a torn ACL. Fulton, who missed every game but 6 in his rookie season in 2020, missed.3 more last year with injury, and while he showed improvement in his second year, he’s also not proven to be a lockdown option just yet. Add in the easily release-able (is that a word) Janoris Jenkins who is going to be 34 this fall and you have holes in the overall plan.
If Mike Vrabel and company don’t want to cross their fingers anymore in the secondary, they have the flexibility to create the requisite cap space and surprise everyone with a play for Ward. Remember, no team plays more man coverage in the NFL than the Titans, which means Ward would be a nice addition to a unit that would breathe easy knowing he’s never played less than 13 games a year. Replacing Jenkins with Ward would be a major boost on a young defense that could keep this team competitive in the AFC for years.
The Titans have other needs and, on paper, they look fine in the secondary, but Murphy’s Law applies here and GM Jon Robinson would be smart to see what it would take to bring Ward in.