Grading Ran Carthon’s first Titans Offseason *PREMATURELY*
Ran Carthon just finished his first offseason as Titans GM…
The Titans shocked the world last December with the firing of now-former GM Jon Robinson. Many questioned the move at the time, as firing a pretty successful GM halfway through the season is not something you see every day. Ryan Cowden served as GM for the rest of the 2022 season, but he didn’t get to keep the job after the season. That’s because 49ers director of player personnel Ran Carthon was given the job by Owner Amy Adams Strunk back in March. Carthon was a highly respected executive around the league before landing a much-deserved GM job. With Ran’s first offseason as Titans’ GM in the books, let’s rate all the major moves he made, prematurely!!
FREE AGENCY
The Titans were very cap strangled during 2023 Free Agency, but I thought Ran Carthon did a pretty good job. My favorite signing and maybe even move he made all offseason was the signing of Arden Key. Three years, $21 million looks like a steal so far for Ten as Key was dominant throughout training camp and should be a monster on the Titans’ deep defensive line. Carthon also did an adequate job of improving a Titans’ O-Line that was one of the worst in the NFL last season. Adding Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill on decent contracts was a big win in my books for Carthon. Finally, the additions of Azeez Al-Shaair and Sean Murphy Bunting on one-year, cheap contracts were smart and masterful. Both players will be impactful starters on a Titans’ defense that should be one of the better units in the league. My only problem with Carthon’s free agency was letting David Long go, who got a very cheap deal with the Dolphins. Five and a half million dollars for Long was a steal for Miami, and Tennessee definitely should’ve paid him that. Otherwise, Carthon did a satisfactory job during free agency with the money he had to spend…
GRADE: B+
NFL DRAFT
Carthon and the Titans had been in rumors for weeks as a team that could trade up in the first round for a QB. Many Titans fans wanted that scenario to play out, but Tennessee stayed put at 11 and selected Northwestern G/T Peter Skoronski. Though the pick was boring, it was the absolute right pick for the Titans. Offensive Line was still one of the top needs entering the draft, and Carthon got the best one in the class without giving up any assets. Then in the second round, Carthon was able to snag his guy: Kentucky QB Will Levis. The infamous Levis draft slide came to an end when the Titans traded up for the former Wildcat at the start of day two. Levis has dealt with some injuries in training camp and hasn’t been able to get on the field too much. 2023 will be a figure-out, development year for the 24-year-old QB. Tyjae Spears was the Titans’ third-round pick, and he has looked great so far. Spears looked explosive and shifty during the preseason and will be a nice change of pace back for Tennessee. This is the first time in a long time that a Titans’ backup RB has impressed me this much! Josh Whyle, Jaelyn Duncan, and Colton Dowell were the Titans' late-round selections, and all three looked inconsistent in training camp and the preseason, though it is way too early to judge. Carthon also did a good job in the UDFA market, as he picked up guys like Kearis Jackson and Caleb Murphy, who both made the 53-man roster. Overall, Carthon did a decent job in the draft, but it wasn’t perfect. Once again, this is incredibly premature!!
GRADE: B
Deandre Hopkins
The Hopkins signing happened in July and was the biggest move the Titans made all offseason, so it deserves its own category. The Titans’ WR room was awful before the arrival of Hopkins, but now when all are healthy, it doesn’t look bad. Hopkins’ contract is also very low risk for Tennessee, as it is only two years, and a lot of the contract isn’t fully guaranteed. Ran did a fabulous job on the language of the contract. We have to see DHop play to decide if this deal was worth it, but for right now, it was a terrific move by Ran and the Titans…
GRADE: A
Overall, Ran did a great job this offseason of building back up a Titans’ team that was disappointing in 2022. He had little assets to work with, but he squeezed every drop of juice the Titans had to use. These grades are premature, as the season hasn’t even started, but Ran gets a good grade from me!
OVERALL GRADE: A-