The Tennessee Titans are one of the more intriguing organizations in the entire NFL these days as the AFC South franchise has become a perennial playoff team over the course of the last handful of seasons or so. However, the last two seasons have been especially entertaining and unique for Tennessee as the Titans notably reached the AFC Championship Game back in 2019-20 before winning the team's first AFC South title since 2008-09 this past season.
An offensive juggernaut, the Titans employ a bevy of uber-talented players in quarterback Ryan Tannehill, wide receiver A.J. Brown and, of course, the league's back-to-back rushing leader and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in running back Derrick Henry. Unfortunately for the Titans offense, a unit that also features quite the impressive offensive line, the team's defense simply couldn't keep up in 2020-21.
Despite winning a division title immediately after an appearance in the AFC Championship Game, the Titans quickly became one of the strangest teams in the league due to its offensive success and lack thereof on defense. Because the Titans were so sub-par on defense in 2020-21, the Tennessee offense had to carry the workload and then some as the team's front office will no doubt have its hands full this upcoming offseason. Obviously, the Titans need to address a slew of needs on the defensive side of the football, but the team also has more than a few notable pending free agents on offense—the unit that made the surging AFC South franchise so successful in 2020-21.
Because the Titans will need to make some serious adjustments up and down its roster, general manager Jon Robinson will need both available salary-cap space and massive flexibility to properly utilize every resource made available to him. In order to bring in new talent in addition to potentially retaining players that may ultimately be on the move, the Titans are going to have to make some tough decisions along the way.
WR Adam Humphries
With that in mind, veteran slot receiver Adam Humphries could eventually be let go this offseason.
When healthy, Humphries has no doubt been productive for the Titans while notably signing a lucrative free-agent contract with Tennessee ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. Before arriving in the Music City, Humphries became a standout pass-catcher for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers en route to turning such production into a multi-year contract with an up-and-coming Titans team. Unfortunately for both Humphries and the Titans, the seasoned wideout has had a very hard time staying on the field during his playing days down in Nashville.
The 27-year-old Humphries has appeared in just 19 of a possible 32 regular-season games for the Titans across the last two seasons. During his four seasons with the Buccaneers, he appeared in at least 13 regular-season games every year and even appeared in all 16 regular-season games twice—his final two years with Tampa Bay. With his durability only recently being called into question, Humphries has now strung together back-to-back seasons where he has been unable to stay healthy due to pretty significant injuries. Concussions and lower-leg trouble have been the root causes of his repeated absences, which obviously cause even more concern moving forward due to the nature of the setbacks.
Over the course of his 19 regular-season appearances for the Titans, 12 in 2019-20 and another seven in 2020-21, Humphries has recorded 60 receptions, 602 yards and four touchdowns on a total of 82 targets. Scoring a single-season career-high five touchdowns in what would become his final season as a member of the Buccaneers, Humphries definitely still possesses the ability the produce at a high level—especially on third downs and in other crucial situations—but the risk may not be worth the reward for the Titans past the 2020-21 campaign.
Because of his inability to remain on the field and at full health, Humphries could become one of the early causalities for the aforementioned Robinson and the Titans as a result of the upcoming offseason. Even with the likes of fellow wide receiver Corey Davis and tight ends Jonnu Smith, MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser also in line to become free agents this time around, Humphries' time in Tennessee might not be able to be salvaged at this point. If the Titans can retain more than one player in this quartet in addition to finding some additional talent outside the organization whether it be at wide receiver or tight end, the chances of Humphries sticking around into the fall will start to decrease significantly.
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