Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson spoke to the media while attending the 2020 NFL Combine on Tuesday and addressed a bunch of hot topics.
Among those topics were the status of the Titans’ top free agents in quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, and Robinson was even asked about impending free agent quarterback, Tom Brady.
The most interesting thing to come out of the presser was how Robinson seemed to be a bit more definitive on keeping Henry than he was when talking about Tannehill.
We have those quotes for you, as well as some other topics Robinson touched on during his presser.
On Ryan Tannehill
Robinson didn’t really get into specifics about what’s going on with Tannehill, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“We’ll see how it goes. He’s under contract here for the next few weeks and he did a great job for his. We’ll start those talks and see kind of where those go, just like all the other players.”
The Titans will have the option of either tagging Tannehill or signing him to a long-term deal. There’s been no indication at all about which direction the Titans will go with their 2019 starter, and Robinson’s comments certainly didn’t shed any light on it.
On Tom Brady
There has been a ton of speculation that the Titans could let Tannehill walk in favor of signing Brady, but of course that wasn’t something Robinson can talk about with Brady still being under contract with the Patriots.
The connection between Brady and Tennessee starts with his best friend and Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel; although Vrabel is big on continuity and bringing in Brady would be a major shakeup for the offense.
On Derrick Henry
Henry is arguably at the top of the list of Titans priorities this offseason after he won the rushing title in 2019 and carried the team through the playoffs.
Interestingly enough, Robinson went a bit more in-depth when talking about Henry and the prospect of trying to “keep him around,” per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“Derrick had a great year for us, I mean he led the league in rushing. He built off the second half of the 2018 season that he had. He cares about his teammates, he works hard, he’s great in the community and we’re going to work through that one and do everything we can to try and keep him around.”
Signing running backs to a long-term deal is always a risky proposition, and typically it doesn’t work out for teams who take the leap of faith.
However, after the dominant year Henry had, the Titans might have no choice but to sign him to a deal that keeps him in Nashville for years to come. The franchise and transition tags are also options.
On D’Andre Walker
The Titans’ 2019 fifth-round pick, outside linebacker D’Andre Walker, missed his entire rookie campaign after being placed on Injured Reserve a month before the start of the season.
Robinson says Walker is currently rehabbing and he’s interested in seeing what the Georgia product can bring to the table in 2020.
With the Titans needing a pass rusher, Walker is a wild card of sorts. He could certainly provide a better than expected boost, but there’s simply no telling how much, if any, he can provide.
On Jeff Fisher
Former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was told he’d be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame last week, and Robinson had nothing but kind words for him, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“Before I take some questions, just want to, first off, congratulate coach Jeff Fisher on getting inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Storied career with the Titans, and happy for him and his family.”
The honor for Fisher is well-deserved. You can read more on that story and get Fisher’s reaction right here.
