With the majority of coverage over the past few weeks centered on the 2025 NFL draft, it's easy to lose track of the fact that free agency is ongoing and teams are constantly adding to their rosters. This is also a good time to reflect on what the teams have done.
The Tennessee Titans have been busy and appear to have solidified one of their most glaring weaknesses: Offensive line.
The team signed Dean Moore, Kevin Zeitler, and Blake Hance during this makeover and could look to add some more depth during the draft. They have also added depth to the edge, safety, and retooled their linebacking corps.
One of those moves caught the eye of Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, and not in a good way, as he ranks one of their signings as one of the worst of the offseason.
1. Dan Moore
Contract Terms: Four years, $82 million, $50 million guaranteed
Adding offensive line help in free agency can be a dangerous proposition. There are essentially two types of linemen who hit the open market—aging veterans and middling talents who almost always wind up being overpaid.
Offensive tackle Dan Moore definitely fits into that latter category.
There has been no shortage of criticism of Moore’s deal after the Tennessee Titans gave the 26-year-old over $20 million a season. For his part, Moore told Jim Wyatt of the team’s website that he intends to prove all the doubters wrong.
"Obviously, I want to exceed expectations," Moore said. "But it's not only about proving the team right, it's about proving myself right. I feel like my expectations will always be higher than anyone else's are for me. I feel like by meeting my expectations, I'll exceed the team's expectations. So, not only do I want to prove them right, I want to prove them damn right, where (they're thinking), 'We got our guy. He didn't just do what we needed him to do, he did that and more.' That is the consensus I want in the organization."
The problem is that nothing in Moore’s career to date indicates he’s a $20 million a year tackle. Per Pro Football Focus, last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Moore allowed a whopping 12 sacks in 1,111 snaps while grading outside the top 45 players at his position.
Moore is an average (at best) tackle who is now a top-10 player at the position in terms of average annual salary.
That’s not the kind of move that’s going to get the Titans out of the AFC South basement.
The signing of Moore has been met with mixed opinions from analysts throughout the offseason and will be debated for some time. But looking at this from a Titans-focused perspective may be different than viewing it from the outside. But calling it the worst free agent signing in the NFL might be a stretch.
Moore is a tremendous upgrade from Nicholas Petit-Frere or any other player slotted into the right tackle position for the Titans in 2024, and his presence, in addition to Zeitler, will help stabilize a young and underperforming unit.
