ORLANDO – No Suh.
No sweat?
The Titans missed out on perennial Pro Bowl defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, who on Monday agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Rams.
On Tuesday morning, speaking from the NFL owners meetings, Titans coach Mike Vrabel said the team was interested in adding Suh to the team after hosting him on a free agency visit.
But Vrabel also said he's confident in the returning group. On Monday, Titans general manager Jon Robinson said some defensive linemen remain available in free agency "we could maybe talk to."
"I think from our conversations with Jon, we made a pitch for him and didn't get him," Vrabel said of Suh. "And when you don't get him you go into the next process or plan of who else you think you might need at that position, or who else you might want. And so that's what Jon and I will do, and we continue to do every day."
Vrabel was hardly panicking on Tuesday morning, however.
Three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey returns, and the Titans signed defensive lineman DaQuan Jones to a contract extension earlier this month. Austin Johnson, a second-round pick in 2016, returns, and Vrabel spoke highly of him on Tuesday.
Defensive linemen Antwaun Woods and David King, who signed a one-year deal earlier this month, will also be in the competition. Others are expected to be added on the defensive line, possibly in free agency and the NFL Draft.
The Titans parted ways with Sylvester Williams and Karl Klug earlier this month.
"I love the guys we have," Vrabel said. "I watch Jurrell Casey. (We're) excited to have DaQuan back. And then Austin Johnson, we feel like he is a young guy who is ready to play more than he kind of has – that's the maturation process. You draft him and get him ready and hopefully he is ready to take that next step in his career.
"We'll see here in a few weeks if we can help him do that."
Titans GM Jon Robinson and new head coach Mike Vrabel make media rounds at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. (Photos: Gary Glenn)