Titans Top Free Agent is a Surprising Name

The Tennessee Titans have a big in-house free agent to take care of on special teams.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 17, 2025

Dec 29, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Justin Hardee Sr. (26) heads to the locker room for half time against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

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Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are on the path towards building a Super Bowl team, and it isn't just about finding the right quarterback and the star players to build around him.

Sometimes it's about the positions that don't get the love or recognition, but still have a heap of importance when things are all said and done.

ESPN insider Turron Davenport named Titans special teamer Justin Hardee Sr. as a top free agent that the team should prioritize this offseason.

"Tennessee's special teams were really bad for most of the season. The worst performance came in Week 8 when the Titans allowed a 72-yard kickoff return by Khalil Dorsey, a 64-yard punt return and a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown both by Kalif Raymond. Hardee was signed two days later," Davenport writes.

"The unit gradually improved as they adopted Hardee's "hunt by any means necessary" mindset. Hardee is exclusively a special teams player, but he has been among the best over his eight-year career. New special teams coordinator John Fassel would benefit from having Hardee back for another season."

Hardee, who turned 31 this month, has been in the NFL since he went undrafted out of Illinois in the 2017 NFL Draft. He bounced around the league with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets before landing with the Cleveland Browns ahead of the 2024 season.

He didn't make the Browns' initial 53-man roster, so he joined their practice squad. The Carolina Panthers picked him up for a cup of coffee in the middle of the season before he joined the Titans. He played nine games for Tennessee this season, recording three tackles for the team.

If the Titans were to lose Hardee, it may not have a huge effect, but Tennessee should still value him as a reliable veteran on special teams, and those aren't as easy to come by as one may think.

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Published Feb 17, 2025

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.