NASHVILLE – It's been a busy stretch in Titan Land.
A week into free agency, things have heated up.
And it looks like some of you have cooled down.
No, not everyone.
But hey, that's OK.
Let's open up another edition of the mailbag and see what's on your mind.
Here's the link to ask questions: CLICK HERE
Jim Williams from Lubbock, Texas
Question: Hi Jim. Great to see the Titans add Robert Woods at such a small cost. He is an excellent receiver, but is very much like A.J. Brown. Both are tough, physical pass catchers and good blockers. A deep threat is still needed. Could Racey McMath be that deep threat? He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at his LSU pro day and has the size to catch a lot of 50-50 balls. Racey's first season with the T-Men was very forgettable, but maybe he could develop into a wideout who can take the top off the defense. Or is the team more likely to look to the draft for a potential long pass catcher?
Jim: Hey Jim. I like it, too. As you've probably noticed, the team hasn't announced anything on the reported trade for the former Rams receiver yet, because some things need to happen/be ironed out before it becomes official. But it's a great move for the team for sure. Robert Woods is a heck of a player. As far as deep threats go, let's see how the rest of the offseason plays out. Remember, some good WRs will be available in the draft. Racey is going to have a chance to compete, but I'm not about to pin high expectations on him because, as you mentioned, his rookie year was pretty quiet.
William Young from Las Vegas, Nevada
Question: I just want to apologize for my jabs toward Jon Robinson and the Titans! I was wrong. I was impatient and I was rude! JRod is one of the best GM's in the league! He knows what he is doing and I don't!
Jim: Good of you to own it, William. Hey, I said patience was needed in last week's mailbag and as you have seen, some things have developed in the past few days. ... And it's just March 22nd.
Brian Cutler from Plainfield, Connecticut
Question: I have to say up until today I wasn't happy about free agency as for a splash. Now I know Robert Woods isn't a "big name" but I think he could be big time for us if he is healthy. I think I'm seeing the approach for Titans for free agency this year. We played with 91+ people this year and still did good. Let's get better through the draft. Cheers to wishful thinking! Go titans!
Jim: Thanks for weighing in, Brian.
Kazaya Gaine from Montgomery, Alabama
Question: I don't have a question. I have a very VERY serious complaint concerning certain moves than General manager Robinson has made this past week. I would like for this message to get back to him if possible. First off, I would HIGHLY like to express my deepest anger, frustration, and gut wrenching disappointment in his handling of Julio. I am severely outraged at the fact why would you trade for a very seasoned receiver and just after ONE season ..REGARDLESS of HOW MANY games he played in, you release him?!!? Are you freaking kidding me ??? It makes ZERO sense it's highly disgusting to do that , and then a few days later he makes a "trade" for a guy that's "supposedly Julio's replacement "?? How funny and ridiculous is that? This is a man that CANNOT EVER BE replaced ! I don't think anyone truly realizes the type of man and player he is . It feels like the whole 8 months from June to January he's been there his life has been wasted away . All that time and energy he's been in Nashville , he CANNOT get back! That is what REALLY upsets me . 16 interviews of him wasting his every breath answering some dumb questions here and there but mainly about his contributions to the team, building that relationship with a BRAND NEW quarterback, building bonds with his new teammates, constantly talking about whatever it is he can do and WILL DO . If JRob was gonna end up throwing him away like a piece of paper then he shouldn't have ever traded for him in the first place . He's received horribly nasty , attacks and disgusting treatment from the Titans fanbase (and other "fans"/media as well) so is this seriously the thanks he gets ???? MONTHS of practice , MONTHS of getting accustomed to an entire new environment, stadium, locker room , fans , etc ! The list goes on Mr. Wyatt. I don't get it ! All of that for nothing . What the hell is JRob thinking right now ? How can he live with himself knowing he just wasted a huge chunk of life away from one of the top greatest receivers of all time ?? Someone like Julio definitely doesn't deserve this at all. For the first time ever , he's traded , and then released a year later ? A freaking free agent dude ?? It's bull crap!! 11 years …he stays to himself , never bother anybody, never gets into these media frenzies, let's his work speak for himself. The way he was raised , where he's from, how he CARRIES HIMSELF says MORE than enough about his character—-but a general manager just throws him away like nothing ?? He's attempting to wipe out all signs and evidence of Julio like he wasn't just in the two-toned blue ?? Like he was never lined up on the field , never in the locker rooms , never around any of the guys , never having conversations with them or the coaching staff , never at the practice facility . It sickens me to my core; it makes me so nauseated to think that he'd been treated and dealt with this kind of crooked undeserving way. The unnecessary vile hate and criticism he receives is beyond disrespectful, it's atrocious! All of this is a total abomination. Now he's gotta move from Nashville like nothing ever happened. I don't care how many games he missed — what the hell kind of mess is this ?? ONE season and you throw him away ? Not really giving him a REAL chance ? If JRob was gonna do this, he should've left him alone . So much of Julio's time there has been wasted like it's incredibly messed up . We definitely not going to make it seem like he's the only one who get injured in the league . Thousands upon thousands of guys got it or had it worst than he EVER has . Missed PLENTY more games than he ever has . Has he EVER let any of that stop him or get in his way Mr. Wyatt ? No! He has not ! He never will . People wanna bring up age , oh well what about Tom Brady huh? Constantly bashing a young black successful receiver who doesn't care what anyone says , thinks , or makes up about him. Go on and on about "33" WHICH IS YOUNG! Like, lighten up! TB is freaking 44 and should have stayed RETIRED period . I can't believe someone like him is being put in this horrible position after so long of being on just ONE team and then makes a major move but then he's gotta start all over again the next year thanks to Jon Robinson of the Tennessee Titans. This was supposed to be his 2nd team and that's it . I expected him to spend the rest of his career a Titan. I literally don't want to be a fan anymore because of this . It's downright disgusting again and inevitably preposterous. I just wanted to get this out I wasn't going to let this slide without trying to get in contact with GM Robinson first . I needed to express how I felt and hopefully he will get this message, and if not , then I'm glad I said what needed to be said .
Jim: Dang, you weren't kidding, Kazaya, this is a serious complaint. But let's keep it real here, too, and not ignore the facts. Julio was a beast in Atlanta, a seven-time Pro Bowler who terrorized defenses. The Titans traded for him – giving up a second-round pick while paying him good money – planning that he'd do the same in Tennessee. For one reason or another, that didn't happen. Julio missed seven games last season, and parts of several others. He didn't practice a whole lot, and he ended up catching just 31 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who made $780,000 a year ago, had a better year in 2021 than Julio. And Julio was scheduled to make $11.5 million for the Titans in 2022. That's a lot of money to pay a guy with health questions/concerns, while hoping things would be better. No one disrespected Julio. In fact, I never heard anyone in the organization say one bad word about Julio. And, Julio handled himself like a pro from the time he got here. Yes, it's disappointing things didn't work out better from a health and production standpoint in Tennessee. It's disappointing for Julio, and it's disappointing for the Titans. But Julio knows as much as anyone it's a business. And the Titans are trading for Robert Woods because the team believes he will be a bigger difference-maker in 2022, and beyond. Personally, I hope things work out better for Julio moving forward. I think everyone does. And I can guarantee you Julio is not sitting around sulking. My bet is he's probably disappointed he didn't do more to earn a return to Tennessee for 2022. Believe me, everyone wanted it to work.
Wayne Moore from McMinnville, Tennessee
Question: WHY did we let D'Onte Foreman go? He looked good last year – I don't think we would have went as far as we did without him but Dontrell Hilliard is a good kept.
Jim: Hey Wayne. Well, technically, D'Onta left – for a one-year, $2 million deal. The Titans weren't going to give him that kind of money because they have their workhorse back in Derrick Henry. No doubt D'Onta stepped up and played well last season for the Titans. But a lot of folks are making him out to be, well, Derrick Henry. The Titans have Derrick Henry, and as you mentioned, Dontrell Hilliard and Jordan Wilkins as well. And, there will be other good backs available this offseason if the team decides to add more.
Luis Munoz from McMinnville, Tennessee
Question: Is Derrick Henry staying with the Titans?
Jim: Yes.
Dimitrios Jimmy Kosmas from Calgary, Alberta Canada
Question: Hey Jim. I have a question for you.
You have to choose the Titans 1st Round pick, between these 3 players.
George (Yoros) Karlaftis (from Athens Greece not Ohio)
John Metchie III (an Ontario born Canadian that wears 8, com'on Eh)
Bernhard Raimann (Austrian Born, Arnie look alike)
I hope all is well Mr. Wyatt
Titan Up!!!
Have a wicked awesome day
Jim: Hmmm… I'd trade back, get more picks, and take Metchie early in the second round…
Brett Heard from Nashville, Tennessee
Question: This year I am not going to be negative about the lack of big free agency moves by the Titans. I love the Hooper signing. He showed a lot of promise before going to Cleveland (a place known to make good players look bad). We should have one of the best you CB groups in the league, if Farley can stay healthy. No changes really needed to be made to the front 7 as they were already one of the best in the league. Sure we could use a RT but we do have Radunz. I think the leap in competition may have slowed him last year but he has potential and hopefully they throw him in there to sink or swim (hopefully swim!). I have a lot of confidence that Aaron Brewer can come in at guard and be a great starter. This team was already very good when healthy and I don't think we could have a worse injury year than last season. The pick up of Woods (if healthy) should be a solid WR2. Maybe add another offensive weapon in the 1st round and some depth with the later picks and the Titans should be ready to roll. I don't get the people thinking the Titans need to make a splash in free agency. If they have paid attention to the team over the last 2 decades, they should know better as we never have done it that way, and it has not worked the few times it has been tried (cough cough Clowney). Obviously I would love a Super Bowl, but as a forever Titans fan, I'm glad to be one of the most consistent teams over the last 6 years. If you can stay in striking distance, all you have to do is get hot at the right time. I'm hoping they are saving some money so we can keep Brown and Simmons. Just my 2 cents. Thanks Jim!
Jim: Appreciate you weighing in, Brett.
Moises Soto Jr from El Paso, Texas
Question: Hello Jim. i still can't believe the titans lost to the Bengals , and tannehill threw 3 interceptions that cost the game , the first throw of the game , the second one in there own 10 yard line , and the last one that cost the game . to me it was the quarterbacks fault not the team the defense did there job as much as they could. , one interception ok learn from it so it doesn't happen again. but it did . they might have gone to the super bowl ? How long do you think it's going to take the team to be a # 1 seed again and have a shot at a super bowl ?? i think tannehill will do good during the season but will mess up again in the playoffs if they make it. Tennessee needs a super bowl win first to get a new stadium and proof they can be an elite team .
Jim: It's time to move on, Moises.
Carter Brallier from Nashville, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim. Born and raised Nashvillian and long time reader! Very big fan of yours! This is my first time writing to you and the reason I write is because of the release of Khari Blasingame. I loved watching him with Vandy and was so excited when the Titans grabbed him. He felt like a Lorenzo Neal, Troy Fleming, or Ahmard Hall. The fellas that lead the amazing backs we had. I understand why he maybe had to go to make some cap room. But do we have another FB ready to go? I feel when we have had our best backs there had been an amazing FB in front. Thoughts? Hope all is well with you! TITAN UP!
Jim: Hey Carter. Appreciate you reading. I hated to see Khari go myself. He's a good guy, and a good player. Khari said on social media this week he's headed to the Bears. As for who else is available at the position, the Titans currently have former LSU fullback Tory Carter on the roster, and coaches really like him.
Terry Anderson from Glasgow, Kentucky
Question: Hello Jim. Hope all is well. Big trade deal to get Woods. Hooper should be an upgrade at TE. Jon keeps working for sure. I actually have a question this time: Do you feel the addition of Coach Kelly as the passing coordinator will help Ryan be more consistent in the passing game? Can't wait to see what else Jon has up his sleeve.
Jim: Hey Terry. I do think Tim Kelly will help Ryan, and the entire offense. I've heard some great things about him, but like everyone else, I'm curious to see what his exact role will be.
Mikel Cates from Manchester, Tennessee
Question: I couldn't do your job. You've definitely had my respect for a long time dealing with some of the things that are asked. Just wow to a lot of it!!! Anyways...what game(s) are you most looking forward to this year? Hope you and the fam are doing well. TITAN UP!!!
Jim: Thanks, Mikel. You should see some of the expletive-filled questions/comments that don't make it! 😲 Hey, I love the feedback, and the passion of the fan base. I'm looking forward to going back to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, this time to face the Chargers. And I'm looking forward to going back to Lambeau Field for the Packers game. I love going to Buffalo, and I'm hoping it's in December. … Plus, I'm curious to see if the team will get any primetime games, and if one of their games gets moved to London. The Packers game is one of the ones in play, along with the game in Jacksonville. We should get some answers by early May…
Iain Sneddon from London, England
Question: Hi Jim. I hope this email finds you well. It's been a while since I have written. I love this segment. I have noticed some Titans fans are frustrated by our lack of significant free agent signings. Maybe the recent signing of Hooper will calm their nerves. In any event, I agree with the point you have been making: be patient. Imagine showing up at your job (on time) and immediately being criticized for not doing enough work that day. The same approach should apply to Jon Robinson. He should be judged on the final product he provides to the coaches at the end of the draft and free agency, at the earliest. We don't know what has gone on behind the scenes. Our GM has to take into account a lot of factors. Salary cap is a big one. In theory, the Titans could get any player in the league if they spent the maximum amount of salary cap room they have after signing everyone else to bottom level contracts. That team would not be very good. The market is usually the hottest at the beginning. I remember fans being upset when we didn't re-sign Albert Haynesworth years ago. In hindsight, that was the right move. There could be some great deals available later in free agency. I am prepared to wait and see. A Suoer Bowl would silence many critics. We haven't achieved that yet, but Robinson has certainly put us on the cusp. Wouldn't that be a great day when the most difficult question you have to answer in this column is where is the best place to park to watch the Super Bowl parade?
Jim: Way to close us out, Iain!
Have a great week everyone!
