NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Safety Michael Griffin established himself as a fixture in the Titans secondary over the last nine seasons.
Now, the team is faced with replacing the two-time Pro Bowler after releasing him last week.
Titans general manager Jon Robinson said the team will consider all options.
"We have a lot of options,'' Robinson said. "And there are certainly some guys on this football team that are capable of stepping in and we expect those guys to compete for that spot. And in free agency there's some players, and in the draft, there's some players. So there's definitely several avenues we could go down.
"I don't know if you ever fill a Michael Griffin or replace a Michael Griffin, you just hope somebody can pick up the torch and carry it like he did."
A year ago, the Titans signed free agent Da'Norris Searcy from the Bills, and he played in 15 games in 2015, with 13 starts. He's expected to be one of the starters at safety in 2016.
The Titans also have safeties Daimion Stafford and Josh Aubrey, along with defensive back Marqueston Huff, who has experience at safety.
The NFL Draft provides numerous options, including Florida State's Jalen Ramsey, a versatile defensive back. It remains to be seen which players will be available in free agency. Kansas City's Eric Berry is projected to be the top free agent safety available, but the Chiefs have made it clear they'd like to keep him.
Robinson didn't discuss specific options outside the team. But he made it clear the Titans were thankful for Griffin's contributions over the years. The Titans released Griffin early so he'd have a better chance to find a new home long before free agency begins in March.
Griffin played in 141 games since 2007. He is tied with Buffalo's Corey Graham for the most games played by a safety in the NFL from 2007-15. Griffin totaled 25 interceptions over the nine seasons, which is tied for eighth in franchise history. He also became the fifth player in team history to record 900 career tackles and is the highest-ranking safety on the list.
"I know he's been a Pro Bowl player here, a fixture in the community, he's been a staple in that secondary for a lot of years,'' Robinson said of Griffin. "It was certainly a tough decision, one that Mike (Mularkey) and I talked about extensively.
"In the end it was a decision we felt was best for the team, and in talking to Michael we felt it was only fair to him, although hard to swallow, teams are going to start filling their rosters in March and obviously April with the draft. For what he has done for this team and this community, we wanted to do what's fair for him and his family, to give him a chance to have 31 other teams evaluate him and try to work on something for him, so he has a chance to continue his career. We didn't feel it was fair for him to let that go later on."
