The Titans made a solid move picking up veteran defensive end Bryce Fisher from Seattle.  Fisher is expected to upgrade their depth off the perimeter behind Kyle Vanden Bosch and Antwan Odom. 

Fisher plays with a lot of effort and is a very savvy pass rusher.  He also can play both end position and move inside as a pass rusher on third down.  Fisher tends to wear down if he plays too many snaps over the course of a season, which was the situation in Seattle last season, but he’ll give the Titans production within a rotation. 

The Titans and Jeff Fisher value having depth upfront.  That’s something they haven’t had the past couple seasons. 

In Seattle, Fisher lost his starting job to emerging second-year player Darryl Tapp and rookie Baraka Atkins has quickly established himself as a solid backup.  They also recently added former Texan Jason Babin to their rotation. 

The Indianapolis Colts peaked at the right time last season and enter training camp as clear favorites in the division.  The passing game remains deep and dangerous.  Tom Moore has the ability to create a lot of mismatches with various multiple receiver or tight end sets.  Joseph Addai is the perfect fit for Moore’s scheme at running back.  He displays excellent quickness and possesses a natural feel for the passing game.  But what happens if Addai goes down?  The Colts lack experienced depth.  The front four is very active.  Anthony McFarland looks re-energized with the Colts.  Bob Sanders must stay healthy.  Not only does he fill gaps against the run, but his presence takes this defense to another level.  They lose experience at cornerback with the departures of Nick Harper and Jason David, but Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden possess more upside. 

An enigma hangs over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They have enough talent to contend for the playoffs, but there are a lot of questions and inconsistencies with this team.  It starts at quarterback.  Byron Leftwich is taking a great approach to his off-season and fits perfectly into Dirk Koetter’s offense, but injuries have always been a problem and there’s an underlying friction with Jack Del Rio.  David Garrard was exposed in extended playing time last season.  The Jaguars also lack playmakers in the passing game.  Reggie Williams is just a guy.  Matt Jones is a bust.  Mercedes Lewis will be worth watching from the tight end position.  His size could create matchup problems. The defense will again keep the Jaguars in a lot of games.  They’ll get strong production from their front seven.  Reshean Mathis makes a lot of plays at cornerback.  The veteran presence of Donovin Darius will be missed, but the Jaguars have new leaders emerging on defense and Gerald Sensabaugh displays good physical skills and flashes the ability to make plays.  Rookie Reggie Nelson should also make an early impact as a playmaker. 

Matt Schaub helps the Houston Texans develop a fresh identity at quarterback.  Schaub displays a good presence in the pocket and brings stronger leadership from the quarterback position.  The offensive line remains a question with Charles Spencer trying to come back from a horrific knee injury.  Eric Winston shows promise though and looks like a solid fit in Gary Kubiak’s zone scheme upfront.  Ahman Green brings credibility to the run game, but lacks the same burst that made him a consistent playmaker in the past.  To get out of the AFC South cellar, the defense must step forward.  They have a young trio with Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and rookie Amobi Okoye to build around among the front seven.  Expect more production from Williams as a pass rusher in his second season.  Dunta Robinson is establishing himself as a leader, but the rest of the secondary struggles to matchup against strong passing teams and struggles to create enough turnovers.

Vince Young has created a buzz around the Tennessee Titans.  Young makes things happen on the field and sets the tone for the offense.  But he’s also erratic in the passing game and needs a lot of work on making better decisions with the ball.  There’s not much support behind Young either.  David Givens faces an uncertain future.  Brandon Jones has shown flashes as a solid intermediate target, but isn’t a playmaker.  The backfield situation is more uncertain.  LenDale White hasn’t shown any responsibility as a pro.  Chris Henry is a phenomenal athlete, but lacks experience.  Chris Brown is a good athlete with experience, but durability has always been a problem.  The defense will play with a lot of effort as always, but there are a lot of limitations across the board.  There’s very little pass rush behind the high motor of Kyle VandenBosch.  Nick Harper will be a quality veteran stepping in for Adam Jones, but he’s not a matchup guy.  The bottom line – the Titans lack playmakers on both sides of the ball.  Only Jeff Fisher’s ability to squeeze wins from this talent base and get timely big plays from Young give the Titans any hope for another .500 finish. 

Houston Texans: They failed to come away with more support to build around new quarterback Matt Schaub, so a lot of pressure will be on Amobi Okoye to become an impact player on the defensive side of the ball.  The Texans are trying to build a strong foundation along the front four of guys who can penetrate and make plays behind the line of scrimmage.  Okoye addresses a thin unit inside and has a lot of upside with his ability to penetrate, but could have a mental and physical adjustment to the league at such a young age. 

Jacoby Jones could make an immediate impact as a return specialist with his speed and athleticism.  He’s a developmental project in the passing game who will need time to learn the pro game and how to run routes, but likely not catch the ball consistently enough to be more than a complement.  Fred Bennett could add some depth in sub packages with his athleticism, but will need to improve his physical skills to develop into a larger role.  Brandon Frye and Kasey Studdard add future depth along the offensive line. 

Indianapolis Colts: Bill Polian again went about finding the best fits for his team.  Anthony Gonzalez has limited upside, but is a very savvy and tough pass catcher.  He’ll be a more durable version of Brandon Stokley working out of the slot.  Tony Ugoh has athletic upside to eventually develop into a left tackle, but must develop more of a football mentality.  He’ll be working with one of the top offensive line coaches in Howard Mudd. 

A couple underrated moves by Polian were the additions of Daymeion Hughes and Michael Coes at cornerback.  Neither was graded high due to below average speed, but both are ideal fits in the cover-2 with good instincts and ball skills.  These are solid additions to replenish depth after losing Nick Harper and Jason David as free agents. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Numbers at the safety spots were needed after losing Deon Grant and continued worries about the durability of Donovin Darius.  Reggie Nelson has excellent range in the deep areas and isn’t afraid to hit.  The only concern about Nelson is making the adjustment to a pro style defense after free lancing in college. 

Derek Landri could add some depth at defensive tackle in the next year.  He’s a blue-collar guy who relies on hitting gaps.  He’ll be a pesky defender who complements the size of Marcus Stroud and John Henderson.  Justin Durant has intriguing athleticism and should make an immediate impact on special teams.  He displays natural football instincts and could develop into a starter at linebacker within a year or two.  John Gattis should add depth at safety in sub packages with his athletic ability. 

Tennessee Titans:  The success of this class is in the hands of Michael Griffin.  He’s an excellent athlete with tremendous physical skills.  The key for Texas defensive backs is fitting them into a traditional pro defense.  The Titans will try to use his athleticism at cornerback initially with the suspension of Adam Jones.  Teams were all over the board on Griffin because he was inconsistent in college despite his athleticism. 

Chris Henry has excellent size and speed, but never developed into a consistent running back at Arizona.  There are several questions about his mental makeup, similar questions last year with LenDale White.  White and Henry will likely be sharing time in the backfield. 

The Titans have continued to get burned on overrated athletes at the wide receiver position in the draft the past several years.  This class could be no different.  Paul Williams is more of an athlete than football player who doesn’t show much desire for football.  Chris Davis could develop into an adequate backup at wide receiver.  He’s a good athlete, but has inconsistent hands. 

Overall, I have a lot of questions about the Titans’ personnel department over the past few years.  They traditionally have had a strong scouting department of veterans who valued good football players, but have reached and missed on a lot of athletes who lack the passion and instincts to succeed at the NFL level in the past three or four years. 

There’s very little question that the Tennessee Titans aren’t comfortable with handing LenDale White the keys to the backfield.

White has natural power and good burst for his size, but the Titans remain concerned about his soft frame and conditioning.  There are just too many red-flags to trust White with the mental responsibilities of being a starting running back in the National Football League. 

In the past week, the Titans have expressed strong interest in Chargers’ restricted free agent Michael Turner and veteran Corey Dillon.

Turner would be an ideal fit with Tennessee.  He displays good balance and power inside to keep the chains moving consistently.  He does a great job finding the open hole and has enough speed to reach the perimeter.  Turner would give the Titans a physical presence to build their ground game around quarterback Vince Young.

If they fail to land Turner, the Titans could look at Dillon as experienced insurance for one year.  Dillon has lost a step, but would be dependable enough to not to become a liability in the backfield.

Arizona has questions at left tackle:  The Cardinals added some experience with Mike Gandy at left tackle in case they fail to land Joe Thomas on draft day.  Gandy is best suited as a swing player at guard and tackle, but has experience at left tackle.  Gandy’s tools are adequate across the board to be effective at guard, but he gets exposed in space at left tackle.  Arizona will give Oliver Ross a look at left tackle, but he’s always struggled with speed rushers and has terrible technique in pass protection.  Opponents often attack him with blitz packages.  Ross will get a long look after being reunited with Russ Grimm, his line coach from Pittsburgh.

Macklin to the Redskins:  Gregg Williams likes depth at cornerback, prompting the addition of veteran David Macklin.  Macklin lacks the speed and ball skills that would fit within Williams’ scheme, but he’s tough and experienced.  Unfortunately, Macklin struggles to matchup downfield against bigger receivers and lacks speed to stay with pass catchers in pure man coverage.  Hopefully, he’ll just be relied upon as a backup because he gets exposed as a starter on the outside.  Overall, the key for the Redskins will be the health of veteran Shawn Springs for one more year at cornerback.  Carlos Rogers must rebound after a sophomore slump in 2006 to become a young matchup guy to build around.  Rogers played very soft last season and seemed to lack confidence on the field.  Fred Smoot will push Rogers and provide the Redskins with a solid cover guy after a couple subpar seasons in Minnesota.  

Cato June fits the Tampa Bay scheme since he played in the same scheme with the Colts, but won’t be playing the weakside spot while Derrick Brooks remains a Buccaneer.  We’ll trust Monte Kiffin to fit June into his defense in the same mode of Sheldon Quarles.

June is a very good athlete who covers a lot of ground and makes a lot of plays, especially in pass coverage.  He’s not going to fill gaps and will miss a few tackles, leading to mixed reviews from most scouts and ultimately kept him out of the initial free agent hoopla since most evaluators view June as a system player.    

One area where June bolsters the Tampa Bay defense will be in the nickel alignments.  With Sheldon Quarles facing a very uncertain future following an injury-ravaged season, they could have been faced with a significant problem when they are in their two-linebacker alignments on passing downs without signing June.  Brooks and June will make it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to find open areas in the intermediate passing game on third downs. 

With Brooks and June on the field at the same time, they’ll need another linebacker to handle the dirty work.  Barrett Ruud could get an opportunity to play on run downs.  Ruud has shown toughness and the ability to fight off blockers. 

More Free Agency Thoughts:

Chief add interior depth: The addition of Alfonso Boone doesn’t solve the need for a difference maker at defensive tackle in Kansas City, but this is a solid move to strengthen their interior depth.  Boone is a capable rotation type with good size and strength at the point of attack.  He’s effective against the run within his limited range, which is much needed in Kansas City. 

Phil Savage pulls a savvy move: The Browns made a savvy decision when they decided to pursue former Bengal Shaun Smith.  Smith has established himself as a rotational player in Cincinnati the past two seasons and could develop into a solid nose tackle in the Browns’ 3-4 scheme.  Nose tackles are hard to come by and adding a young prospect potentially on the upswing like Smith is worthwhile investment.  Smith is strong and understands how to play with leverage.  He has the ability to occupy blockers inside and push the pocket with his natural power.   With Ted Washington finally nearing the end, Smith arrives in Cleveland with tremendous opportunity. 

Titans add veteran stability at cornerback: As PacMan Jones faces a shaky future in Tennessee, the Titans secured a much needed veteran presence in former Colt Nick Harper.  The biggest question with Harper is how he’ll adjust outside the cover-2 scheme.  Harper is an instinctive veteran who is quick to react to the ball – especially on plays in front of him.  Harper can be exposed in straight man coverage downfield in some schemes because he likes top-end speed and ideal size against opponents’ top receivers.  And that’s going to be the biggest question for the Titans heading into the season assuming Jones won’t be on the field.  In Harper and Reynaldo Hill, the Titans have two corners who have some natural savvy, but lack ideal matchup ability.  That means Titans’ defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will have to design a lot of zone coverage schemes to protect his corners and maximize their strengths.  One player to also watch at cornerback for the Titans will be Cortland Finnegan.  Finnegan also lacks ideal speed, but shows natural athletic instincts to make things happen and shows a knack to blitz off the corner. 

Saints bolster secondary: The Saints made a solid move with the addition of former Bengal safety Kevin Kaesviharn to bolster their depth in the secondary.  Kaesviharn lacks ideal speed as a free safety and the size to play up in the box, but he’s simply a productive extra defender in the secondary.  Kaeshivarn is very instinctive and smart on the field.  He’s simply around the ball a lot.  The Saints have a solid young duo developing at safety with Roman Harper (coming off a knee injury) and Josh Bullocks along with the addition of Kaeshivarn.