Are the Tennessee Titans Grooming Elijah Molden to Replace Kevin Byard?

The Tennessee Titans have been working on transitioning third-year defensive back Elijah Molden to safety. Molden will certainly help with the weak depth at the position, but is the plan for Molden to replace Kevin Byard?

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have begun their summer practices and one of the biggest storylines coming out of the first few days has been Elijah Molden and his potential transition to safety. While this has been seen as just additional depth, Kevin Byard's absence from camp could mean a bigger role at safety for Molden in the future.

Elijah Molden heads into his third year in the NFL after having an up-and-down first two seasons. Molden's first year was a big hit. He played as the team's early-down nickel corner and showed not only physicality in the run game, but a playmaking streak as well. 

However, Molden had an injury-riddled second season and only played in two games. The Titans have since added Roger McCreary in the 2022 NFL draft and Sean Murphy-Bunting in 2023 free agency who both can play that nickel role. At the same time, the Titans are very thin at safety after Byard and Amani Hooker. 

While it could simply be a way to add some depth to the safety position, we can look closer and see that Molden's transition to safety and Byard's absence could be tied together. Byard has not shown up to practice yet. Mike Vrabel acknowledged he is not worried about Byard's fitness or lack of attendance, but it is hard to ignore all the noise around Byard this offseason.

Byard was asked for a pay cut earlier in the offseason and he declined. Also, the Titans only have about $11 million in cap space with their top-three draft picks still unsigned and set to count for about $6.5 million in salary. Byard is set to have a $19.6 million cap hit this year.

The Titans need to carve out some more cap space before the season and while that could be done a multitude of ways, it could be a trade of Byard that makes sense if the team feels confident in Molden taking that spot.

A trade or release of Byard would save the Titans $14 million in cap room if executed after June 1. A trade in particular would also help the Titans restock the cupboards in the 2024 NFL draft where they only have five draft picks. It may not help the team win, but it could help with flexibility for the future.

This gets us back to this weird place the Titans are in as a team. It would make sense for them to dive into a quick rebuild and trade some veteran players for future assets. Maybe they want to try one more season with their expensive vets, but if that was the path they intended to go, they didn't make the roster good enough to really get the most juice out of that squeeze. 

It probably isn't likely that Byard is dealt, but with his absence at OTAs, the financial and roster situation, and the news on Molden, one can't help but connect the dots.

Titans Related Stories

• Molden to Safety: The Tennessee Titans have bigger issues on the roster, but one position that has been under-discussed is safety. Based on today's practice, it could be third-year corner Elijah Molden who fills the depth need. CLICK HERE

• Titans OTAs Storylines: The Tennessee Titans started their first week of organized team activities this week and some things stood out more than others. Here are the three biggest storylines from Tuesday's practice. CLICK HERE

• Not Panic Time for Byard: The Tennessee Titans kicked off offseason practices for the whole team this weekend and while many of the top players are in attendance, star safety Kevin Byard was not. CLICK HERE