In what might be their best free-agent move thus far, the Tennessee Titans are set to make a massive addition to their offensive line with the expected signing of former Denver Broncos center, Lloyd Cushenberry.
The best part about Cushenberry is the fact that he’s a huge upgrade over Aaron Brewer in terms of pass protection. The LSU product gave up one sack and 14 pressures last season, as compared to Brewer’s six sacks surrendered and 34 total pressures.
Cushenberry is better known for his pass protection, but he is a solid run-blocker, also. The 26-year-old posted a Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade of 72.4 in 2023, just 6.3 points lower than Brewer.
On top of his raw numbers, Cushenberry brings a smart veteran presence to the middle of the offensive line, which will be invaluable to the likes of left guard Peter Skoronski and quarterback Will Levis.
As far as the compensation is concerned, he’s getting a four-year deal worth $50 million, with $26 million guaranteed at signing, per PFF’s Brad Spielberger.
That’s an annual average of $12.5 million, which ranks tied for second among centers now that Jason Kelce and Ryan Jensen have retired, per Spotrac.
He’s also getting a signing bonus of $18 million, and the first-year cash ($20 million) and guaranteed money are all records for the position.
The #Titans’ deal with Lloyd Cushenberry is for four years, $50 million and sets several records for centers, including signing bonus (over $18M), full guarantee ($26M) and first-year cash ($20M), per source.
A big investment to help Brian Callahan’s offense. pic.twitter.com/2zqHhmcFMB
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2024
That is a sizeable deal for a center, but it’s not egregious. The Titans needed to be aggressive in their pursuit of one of the best center options on the market, and in the end they were and got the job done.
Grade: A+
