Welcome to the Tennessee Titans 2024 NFL Free Agency Primer presented by Music City Miracles! The Titans can re-sign their own free agents prior to the start of the legal tampering period, which is March 11th.
With complete roster authority at his disposal, general manager Ran Carthon will work with newly hired head coach Brian Callahan to develop the team’s 2024 strategy.
The Titans are expected to have 24 free agents total (19 unrestricted), which includes a number of important role players and starters.
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We’ll examine each free agent in-depth over the coming weeks and offer justifications for the Titans to sign them again or not.
As an addition to our analysis, we’ll provide our ultimate judgment and a forecast.We’re going to be looking at starting cornerback Kristian Fulton today.
Call me Kristian Fulton.
Place: CB
Age as of right now: 25
Reasons for the Titans to sign Fulton again
What a contentious player.
As a second-round selection in the catastrophic 2020 NFL Draft, Fulton occasionally provided the Titans with excellent value.
Fulton is a boundary cornerback capable of starting when he reaches his potential.
Fulton has four interceptions and 25 pass breakups in his four seasons with Tennessee.
He has demonstrated the quickness and agility necessary to cover powerful receivers one-on-one.The Titans desperately need starting corners.
The only top-three cornerback with a contract in place right now is Roger McCreary.
Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed are no longer likely to be available on the free agent market, thus the pool of available cornerbacks is getting smaller every day.
Why it’s best for the Titans to let Fulton go
In 2023, Fulton perhaps had his worst season as a Titan.
Fulton fell short of expectations, frequently giving off the impression that he was a player who was pushing against his assignments and coverage rules.
Fulton received his lowest defensive grade of 46.4 from Pro Football Focus after four seasons.
With 51 targets and 37 receptions, Fulton’s opponent’s quarterback completion percentage was 72.5%.
With those 37 catches, Fulton surrendered 577 receiving yards, or an astounding 15.6 yards per catch.
Of those yards, about 130 came after the catch, and Fulton was also charged with three touchdowns allowed.
Fulton has also had a history of injuries. Fulton has missed 26 of 67 games due to recurrent soft tissue ailments.
The former LSU standout has made 41 appearances in his career, although he has never participated in a full 16-or 17-game season due to injury.
He has missed at least four games each season, including six in 2022 and 2023.Estimated Agreement
Spotrac anticipates that Fulton will agree to a $20 million, three-year contract.
That would pay Fulton $6.7 million a year, which is comparable to the offseason contracts that Avonte Maddox (3/22.5) and Chidobe Awuzie (3/21.7) signed.
Trying to determine what’s fair is made more difficult by injuries and Fulton’s 2023 campaign.
Although Spotrac’s proposed contract seems feasible, it also likely represents the upper limit of Fulton’s market.
If his market doesn’t take off, he could have to accept a prove-it deal that lasts a year.Final judgment
Fulton shouldn’t be re-signed by the Titans.
Fulton was not initially welcomed into the fold by the new front office/coaching staff, and it is obvious that the relationship has reached its end.
The Titans could sign any number of middle-class unrestricted free agency cornerbacks available.
Awuzie, Ronald Darby, Kendall Fuller, and Rock Ya-Sin are a few free-agent cornerbacks connected to the new Titans coaching staff.
Forecast
Fulton and the Titans decide to part ways amicably.
It’s hard to conceive that one of them would be interested in keeping the relationship going. Fulton is not happy about how his time in Tennessee came to an end.
