Free agent acquisition can help stop the bleeding at one Titans position group that has plagued them for years

Wide receiver and right tackle are typically the areas that Titans fans trace their recent roster trauma to. 

Trading A.J. Brown in 2022 to the Eagles for a pick that became Treylon Burks is usually the headliner. Spending first round picks on tackle Isaiah Wilson (2020) and corner Caleb Farley (2021) prior to the Brown debacle also helped stain former GM Jon Robinson's resumé. Nick Suss of the Tennessean identified the position group, however, that has been even more difficult to correct: inside linebacker.

Suss found 38 individual transactions that Tennessee made with 26 different players at the position since November 22.

Linebacker Cody Barton signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Titans this March. The 28-year old represents the kind of sensible, necessary addition that Borgonzi cited at his introductory press conference in January (provided Barton pans out). With six years of pro experience and coming off of a career season in his last stop with the Denver Broncos, Tennessee is relying on Barton to lock down one spot while they continue to churn through suitable options alongside him.

Titans linebacker competition is very wide open

Barton praised each one of his new linebacker teammates that are actively engaged in that roster competition in a recent appearance onf 104.5 The Zone's The Buck Reising Show. 

“The room is full of good young athletes," Barton said. "You know, they're young guys. They're still learning. And, you know, it's actually helped my game too, because while I'm learning the defense, they're helping me learn the defense, and I'm also helping them learn the defense from my perspective, you know, because I've been in some different schemes. It's a lot of back and forth in the room, helping each other. And, you know, as young as they are, you know, they're picking up things quick, and they're, as a whole group, moving, we're all moving the right way.”

Barton was a third-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2019.

With 95 career appearances (43 starts), it would be a win if Barton can import general competence and availability to a position that has lacked it. Last year in Denver, the veteran registered 104 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, five passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Amari Burney, a 2023 six-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, is the Titans next most experienced player in the room currently on the roster with 24 career appearances (1 start). 

Tennessee defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has been giving 2024 seventh-round pick James Williams the most run alongside Barton in the team's offseason program. 

The Titans return for training camp on July 22.