Five Free Agents On Defense Titans Must Bring Back During Offseason

The Tennessee Titans have several free agents on the defensive side of the ball. Who are the defensive free agents that should be brought back for the 2023 season?

NASHVILLE — With free agency near, the Tennessee Titans are evaluating their players who are set to become free agents soon. There are several defensive free agents worth monitoring closely as Tennessee decides which players they'll want to bring back for the 2023 season.

Salary cap space certainly will be a factor, and the Titans won't have the available funds to re-sign every defensive free agent. It will be interesting to see which direction new general manager Ran Carthon and company decide to go come March 15 when the NFL's period of negotiating officially begins.

Just as I did for the Titans' offensive free agents, let's take a closer look into five specific names who not only contributed well during the 2022 season but, in my mind, also deserve to be brought back for the 2023 season on either short-term or long-term extensions.

DeMarcus Walker, defensive end

Quality defensive line play is hard to come by, which is exactly what defensive end DeMarcus Walker gave to Tennessee in 2022. The 28-year-old Walker, who appeared in all 17 games and made six starts, set career highs in sacks (7), combined tackles (32) and quarterback hits (16).

Walker, who signed a one-year contract worth around 1.18 million last offseason, per Spotrac, could command more given his production from just a season ago. With Tennessee currently sitting at just a little over $12 million in available cap space, I could see them re-signing Walker to a slightly lengthier deal; perhaps in the two-year, $3-4 million range.

Teair Tart, defensive tackle

Teair Tart, like Walker, also set career highs in tackles (34), sacks (2), tackles for loss (5) and quarterback hits (7). While some of the 25-year-old's numbers may not stand out individually, the defensive tackle played a major role in helping Tennessee's defense rank No. 1 in rushing yards allowed per game last season (76.9).

Tart was a dominant run defender, posting a grade on the Pro Football Focus scale of 67.0. His pass rush grade was even better at 75.9, rounding out his overall grade to a career-best 73.1. Tart also recorded 23 stops and 19 hurries as well.

Tart signed a one-year, 895K deal last offseason, per Spotrac. Given his production in 2022, Tart may command more, but I could see Tennessee bringing back the run-stopping defensive tackle on a similar deal this offseason.

David Long Jr., linebacker 

Linebacker David Long is another player that Tennessee should bring back. In 2022, the 25-year-old Long also had a career year, setting new highs in solo tackles (65), tackles for loss (7) and quarterback hits (3). Long also recorded two interceptions, matching his career-high from the 2021 season.

Long also played a crucial role in the Titans having the top-ranked run defense last season, posting a career-best 89.0 run grade on the Pro Football Focus scale. In addition to his high-end grade as a run defender, Long had a pass rush grade of 80.1 and an overall grade of 76.2, both career highs. 

Locking up the talented linebacker long-term likely won't be cheap unless Long Jr. is willing to take a discount to stay with Tennessee. With Long Jr. putting up career numbers, though, I can't see him not wanting to sign a long-term deal this offseason.

It'll be interesting to see how the Titans try and clear more cap space in the coming days/weeks, but re-signing Long Jr. to a 2 to 3-year deal around $6-8 million per year makes the most sense for both parties. 

Terrance Mitchell, cornerback

Signed off the New England Patriots' practice squad early last season, cornerback Terrance Mitchell is an intriguing name the Titans should consider bringing back in 2023.

Despite some notable struggles and ending his season on injured reserves, Tennessee's secondary could use a little help, especially at cornerback. A veteran like Mitchell, who's 30 years old, brings experience to a young secondary, and Tennessee may just be able to sign the experienced cornerback to a one-year, team-friendly deal this offseason.

Dylan Cole, linebacker

Linebacker Dylan Cole is the final player on my list of five. The 28-year-old appeared in 15 games last season for Tennessee and made eight starts. Cole recorded one sack, 38 solo tackles, four tackles for loss and 23 stops in 2022.

Cole is another player that would make sense to bring back on a short-term deal. Even if the veteran linebacker doesn't see as much playing time in 2023, it's still a plus to have experienced players on defense who can come in and play meaningful snaps for the Titans if needed.

Cole signed a one-year deal worth slightly over $1.1 million last offseason, per Spotrac. Similar to Mitchell, Cole's experience as a veteran may play into his contract, but a one-year deal with a pay raise makes the most sense for the Titans.

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