The Tennessee Titans might need a new starting right tackle in 2020, as it’s becoming increasingly apparent the team may not be able to bring Jack Conklin back.
The 25-year-old is set to hit the open market this offseason and because of the demand for quality offensive linemen in the NFL, he’s going to have a ton of suitors that drives up the price to sign him.
As a result, Conklin could become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the sport, which may lead to the Titans looking elsewhere for a starter on the right side.
Thankfully, there are some solid options out there, so let’s take a look at four guys the Titans could target, one of which is in-house already, and the other three are all free agents.
The common thread? They’re all cheaper than Conklin but will force the Titans to draft a backup plan at the position sooner rather than later in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Dennis Kelly
If Conklin doesn’t re-sign with the Titans, locking up Kelly will become priority No. 1 of all potential right tackle options. Familiarity is key with head coach Mike Vrabel and he already knows how good of a starter Kelly can be for the Titans.
In 2018, Kelly filled in for an injured Conklin and did a solid job. He finished with a pass-blocking grade of 77.4 and a run-blocking grade of 71.3 (75.4 overall grade), while allowing just one sack and four total pressures in 185 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
To compare, Conklin finished with an overall grade of 80.6 and was an elite run-blocker with a grade of 83.7, but his pass-blocking grade of 74.0 was actually worse than Kelly’s 2018 mark.
It was thought that Kelly might compete with Conklin and possibly beat him out for the starting job in camp in 2019, however the suspension of Taylor Lewan forced Kelly to left tackle and the competition never happened.
Now, Kelly isn’t going to come cheap (he could get paid upwards of $10 million per year in a deal), but relative to what Conklin will be making and what Kelly has done in the past, his 2020 salary will be easy to swallow.
Bryan Bulaga
The 31-year-old is annually considered one of the best right tackles in the sport when he can remain healthy. On the bright side, Bulaga did play a full 16 games last season.
Spotrac has Bulaga’s market value set at around $10.8 million annually, but Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reports that Bulaga could command around $12 million per year.
Still, that’s less than the $17 or $18 million Conklin might be looking at, and for comparable production. Bulaga’s overall, pass-blocking and run-blocking grades per PFF were 77.1, 73.3 and 79.4, respectively.
Jason Peters
A legend in Philadelphia, Jason Peters might be getting up there in age but he can still bang with the best of them. In 2019, Peters earned an elite grade of 82.4 while playing left tackle and had a strong finish to the season after struggles early on.
The 38-year-old is set to become a free agent this offseason after he and the Eagles decided to part ways with the team ready to hand the reins over the Andre Dillard at left tackle.
Peters will have plenty of interest in free agency. The veteran can play either tackle position and has even been open to the idea of moving to guard in the past, so he can give the Titans some versatility if needed.
And, with Peters on a short-term deal (he made just $8.6 million in 2019), the Titans can target a right tackle in the first round of the draft and allow him to sit behind a man who is a surefire Hall of Famer and a leader in the locker room.
Daryl Williams
There’s no question Daryl Williams had a rough go of it for the Carolina Panthers in 2019, but it’s important to note that he was returning after a 2018 season in which he played in one game, and the Panthers might have had him out of position at left guard.
Prior to his injury-shortened 2018 campaign, Williams was an elite right tackle in the NFL. The 27-year-old ranked as the No. 3 player at his position in the sport in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus, and he earned second-team All-Pro honors that season.
After a few down years, Williams is not going to come at a high cost. If the Titans strike out on Kelly and some of the top options on the free-agent market, Williams could be a diamond in the rough.
