The Tennessee Titans might need a new starting right tackle in 2020, as it’s becoming increasingly apparent the team may not be able to bring Jack Conklin back.
The 25-year-old is set to hit the open market this offseason and because of the demand for quality offensive linemen in the NFL, he’s going to have a ton of suitors that drives up the price to sign him.
As a result, Conklin could become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the sport, which may lead to the Titans looking elsewhere for a starter on the right side.
Thankfully, there are some solid options out there, so let’s take a look at four guys the Titans could target, one of which is in-house already, and the other three are all free agents.
The common thread? They’re all cheaper than Conklin but will force the Titans to draft a backup plan at the position sooner rather than later in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Aug 17, 2019; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Dennis Kelly (71) lines up against the New England Patriots defense during the first half of the preseason game at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dennis Kelly
If Conklin doesn’t re-sign with the Titans, locking up Kelly will become priority No. 1 of all potential right tackle options. Familiarity is key with head coach Mike Vrabel and he already knows how good of a starter Kelly can be for the Titans.
In 2018, Kelly filled in for an injured Conklin and did a solid job. He finished with a pass-blocking grade of 77.4 and a run-blocking grade of 71.3 (75.4 overall grade), while allowing just one sack and four total pressures in 185 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
To compare, Conklin finished with an overall grade of 80.6 and was an elite run-blocker with a grade of 83.7, but his pass-blocking grade of 74.0 was actually worse than Kelly’s 2018 mark.
It was thought that Kelly might compete with Conklin and possibly beat him out for the starting job in camp in 2019, however the suspension of Taylor Lewan forced Kelly to left tackle and the competition never happened.
Now, Kelly isn’t going to come cheap (he could get paid upwards of $10 million per year in a deal), but relative to what Conklin will be making and what Kelly has done in the past, his 2020 salary will be easy to swallow.
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