INDIANAPOLIS – Titans general manager Ran Carthon spoke with reporters Tuesday here at the NFL Combine.
Here’s a look at some of the most important topics related to its availability:
– On the highlights of the 2024 NFL Draft, Carthon said: “I think we’re really at receiver in this draft, and the offensive line as a whole, which are two areas we’re going to focus on. focus. a really deep class, a lot of talented guys and we look forward to meeting them through this process. »
-Running back Derrick Henry’s contract expires in March. Carthon said he had a good conversation with Henry on the way out, “and he knows where we are, and we know where he is.” “I think you who have been around know that we don’t really talk about the status of a player’s contract in public,” Carthon said, “but we’ll be in a good position to do whatever we need to do, and When these conversations are needed to be had, we will have them with Derrick and his team.
-The Titans currently have the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft. Carthon said: “I like 7, but I’m open. We have to listen to any offers that might come.” Carthon said the long-term goal is to make the football team a consistent winner, “and to do that you have to build it through the draft and from that you need draft picks to achieve this. I would certainly be willing to listen, but it has to make sense to us.” The Titans are expected to make eight picks total, and while Carthon says he’s happy with eight, he would consider adding more (via a trade).
-Carthon said the Titans are looking for a different type of player with new head coach Brian Callahan as opposed to former coach Mike Vrabel: “It’s going to be a little bit of a difference. just in terms of structure. But the style will change a little. I think offensively it’s going to change, and that’s where you have to give our scouts some grace – they went from last year’s draft all the way through the fall. a system, and now we’re asking them to adapt in no time… We’re giving them the opportunity to go back and adjust their grades a little bit to talk about the guys who were under the previous regime. Maybe they didn’t suit us, but they suit us now.”
-Carthon acknowledged the Titans have plenty of cap space, “but we have to spend wisely,” he said. “We don’t want to just charge in and spend money. Again, we’re trying to build a consistent thing for the long term, and you can’t do that by spending the entire $90 million up front. We we have to be patient, and we have to position ourselves, (knowing) that there will be guys coming for free in June and July, like when we had D-Hop, and we have to have space and be able to afford it Carthon said, “We plan to be active, but we’re going to be patient and let everything come to us.”
-Carthon has high praise for running back Tyjae Spears, the team’s third-round pick a year ago: “He’s very passionate about football. He loves the game, he’s a hard worker. … Tyjae is one of those guys that’s always in the building. “That’s the kind of guy we want in our program.”
-Carthon said new offensive line coach Bill Callahan and the experience he brings as a talent developer “gives us a little wiggle room to recruit guys and he has a plan for develop these guys and get them on the field.”
-When asked about the team’s receiver position and the need to improve, Carthon pointed the finger at the Bengals. “If you look at where Cally comes from, you have three or four guys who are in there a lot,” Carthon said, “and who are producers. The receiver room is where we’re going to continue to look to add playmakers. Like I said before, we’re looking to add playmakers on both sides of the ball. We need people who can put the ball in the paint and score points for us, and. we need people who can win the ball and create more chances for us to score.”
-Carthon’s refusal to provide the team’s vision before the team named a head coach caused quite a stir. When asked the question again Tuesday, Carthon said, “There’s an acronym I like to use: FIT. And where, applicable, we want to be fast, instinctive and tough. … We think those are the three things we’re going to do. We need to build a good football team moving forward, either by being fast, instinctive and tough, or fundamentally strong, instinctive and tough.
-When asked about the No. 2 QB spot, Carthon said the team will bring in another quarterback at some point, whether through the draft or in free agency, to compete. Carthon said Malik Willis has developed, but he still has a ways to go, as does Will (Levis). “I think you saw growth from his freshman year to his sophomore year,” Carthon said of Willis, “and just in the way he goes about his business and how he prepares.”
-Carthon wants to give cornerback Caleb Farley another chance, and he thinks Farley wants it. “I think the most important thing for Caleb is to be able to break free and feel comfortable,” Carthon said. “Believe me, no one wants to be there more than him, and I had conversations with him throughout last season, even this offseason. He’s been in town and he’s worked. He wants to have the opportunity to show people that he can be healthy, and we want to give him as much leeway and space to do that and finally get him on the field.”
-Receiver Treylon Burks has been training with DeAndre Hopkins and a few other receivers around the league, Carthon said, “which will be good for him to see how other pros prepare and prepare for the season, so that “He can add that to his game.” Carthon said he’s seen some clips of Burks’ training and racing runs, which is encouraging.
