Titans Re-Sign K Randy Bullock
The Titans re-signed a pair of players last night, and we’ve learned of another player who will be sticking around Tennessee. Kicker Randy Bullock announced on Twitter that he’ll be re-signing with the Titans. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com passed along the news (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Titans Re-Sign CB Skrine, RB Wilkins]
Bullock joined the Titans practice squad last September, and he ended up getting the big-league call when Tennessee moved on from Michael Badgley. Bullock saw time in the next 16 games for the Titans, connecting on 26 of his 31 field goal tries and 42 of his 45 extra point attempts. The 32-year-old also added a field goal and extra point in the playoffs.
The kicker has spent time with seven different teams during his 10 years in the NFL. He had a four-year stint with the Bengals between 2017 and 2020, but his final year in Cincy also saw him convert a career-low 83.9 percent of his field goal attempts. Bullock has also spent time with the Texans, Jets, Giants, and Steelers. He caught on with the Lions last offseason but was released before final cuts.
Last night, the Titans agreed to re-sign cornerback Buster Skrine and running back Jordan Wilkins.
Titans To Sign Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper has reportedly found his new home. The veteran tight end is signing a one-year, $6MM contract, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns To Release Hooper]
Hooper, 27, started his career in Atlanta. He played four seasons there, earning Pro Bowls nods in 2018 and 2019. He posted a combined total of 146 catches, 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns during that time. That production made him a highly sought-after commodity in free agency.
Hooper signed a four-year, $42MM deal with the Browns, making him the highest-paid TE in league history at the time. In two seasons in Cleveland, he played (and started) in 29 contests. Over that stretch, he posted 84 receptions for 780 yards and seven touchdowns. That certainly wasn’t the production the team had been expecting, which partially opened the door to a parting of ways.
More signs pointed to a departure when the team placed the franchise tag on fellow TE David Njoku. The latter has been with the Browns since being drafted in the first round by them in 2017. While he also hasn’t emerged as one of the league’s elite seam-stretchers (with a career-high of 639 receiving yards), Njoku represents a better fit in the Browns’ run-heavy offense. Keeping Hooper at a cap hit of over $13MM with Njoku still in the fold was never financially viable.
In Tennessee, Hooper will join an offense short on pass catchers. The team struggled to replace Jonnu Smith, who departed last offseason in free agency. Given that, as well as the release of Julio Jones, there should be plenty of targets available for the Stanford product. With Hooper off the market, the top remaining TEs include the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Gerald Everett and Blake Jarwin.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/22
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Brandon Zylstra
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: LS Clark Harris
Houston Texans
- Acquired via trade (from Jets): LB Blake Cashman
- Signed: TE Scott Quessenberry
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: OL Will Richardson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: FB Jakob Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: P Jordan Berry
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, OL Austin Schlottmann
New York Giants
- Re-signed: LS Casey Kreiter
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Hassan Ridgeway
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Trenton Cannon
Titans To Release Julio Jones
The Titans will make Julio Jones a one-and-done in Tennessee. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver will be released, Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report (on Twitter).
Tennessee traded a second-round pick for Jones last year, but the longtime Atlanta star could not shake the hamstring trouble that plagued him during his final Falcons season. If the Titans do not designate Jones as a post-June 1 cut, they will take on more than $13MM in dead money. The Titans are, in fact, using the June 1 designation Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will save the team more than $9MM this year.
While this will make Jones a first-time free agent, he is not hitting the market with momentum. The All-Decade wideout ripped off a record-setting stretch from 2014-19, surpassing 1,390 yards in each season and making six straight Pro Bowls. But injury absences began to pile up in 2020. That proved to be a bad sign for the Titans, who could only get 10 games out of the high-level trade acquisition.
Jones caught just 31 passes for 434 yards — both career-low marks; even Jones’ five-game 2013 season produced better numbers — and saw his hamstring injury keep leading to missed time. Tennessee’s Jones-A.J. Brown tandem did not come to fruition, with Brown also struggling on the health front. But Brown will be due a big payday soon. Jones’ Falcons-constructed contract will no longer be part of the Titans’ equation at that point.
Having turned 33 this offseason, Jones may attract some interest. Draft classmate A.J. Green managed to land a reasonable Cardinals deal despite an injury-marred ending to his Bengals run. Any Jones contract figures to be a fairly low-cost deal, however. He signed a $22MM-per-year extension with the Falcons in 2019; two years remained on that pact prior to Wednesday’s move.
NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2022 Draft
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2022 draft. These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2021 offseason.
This year, the NFL awarded 39 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.
This year’s formula also includes the changes made last year, when teams began receiving third-round comp picks due to the hiring of minority head coaches and general managers. Seven such picks were awarded this year. The 49ers landed two additional third-rounders this year, obtaining the extra selections for the Jets’ 2021 Robert Saleh hire and the Dolphins hiring Mike McDaniel this year. Miami’s McDaniel hire will give San Francisco another third-rounder in 2023.
The Chiefs obtained a third-rounder for the Bears’ Ryan Poles GM hire, while the Browns landed a third because of the Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah GM hire. The Ravens collected their second third-round for the Texans’ 2021 David Culley hire; Culley has since been fired. The Saints and Rams obtained one apiece after seeing the Falcons and Lions hire minority execs Terry Fontenot and Brad Holmes as GMs in 2021. New Orleans and Detroit also landed thirds because of players given high-value contacts last year (Trey Hendrickson and Kenny Golladay, respectively).
Here is the full list of 2022 compensatory selections:
By round:
Round 3: Lions (No. 97 overall), Saints (98), Browns (99)*, Ravens (100)*, Saints (101)*, 49ers (102)*, Chiefs (103)*, Rams (104)*, 49ers (105)*
Round 4: Steelers (No. 138), Ravens (139), Packers (140), Ravens (141), Rams (142), Titans (143)
Round 5: Cowboys (No. 176), Lions (177), Cowboys (178), Colts (179)
Round 6: Rams (No. 211), Rams (212), Falcons (213), Chargers (214), Cardinals (215), Colts (216), Lions (217), Rams (218), Titans (219), 49ers (220), 49ers (221)
Round 7: Chargers (No. 254), Chargers (255), Cardinals (256), Cardinals (257), Packers (258), Chiefs (259), Chargers (260), Buccaneers (261), 49ers (262)
By team:
San Francisco 49ers (5)
Los Angeles Rams (5)
Los Angeles Chargers (4)
Arizona Cardinals (3)
Baltimore Ravens (3)
Detroit Lions (3)
Dallas Cowboys (2)
Green Bay Packers (2)
Indianapolis Colts (2)
Kansas City Chiefs (2)
New Orleans Saints (2)
Tennessee Titans (2)
Atlanta Falcons (1)
Cleveland Browns (1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
* = special compensatory selection
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/22
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: S Sean Chandler
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: TE Jeremy Sprinkle
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Extended: WR Terry Godwin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Duke Riley, LB Elandon Roberts
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DB Andre Chachere, WR Greg Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S A.J. Moore
Titans To Release Janoris Jenkins
The cost-cutting moves continue in Nashville. The team has released cornerback Janoris Jenkins, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The move saves the team just over $6.9MM in cap space.
The 33-year-old signed with the Titans one year ago, as they re-vamped their secondary. He represented a veteran starter to help offset the losses of Malcolm Butler and Adoree’ Jackson, but his stay in Tennessee was short lived. In 14 games (including 13 starts), he registered 54 tackles, one interception and six pass deflections.
A second round pick in 2012, ‘Jackrabbit’ established himself as a quality starter early in his time with the Rams. He then moved on to the Giants, where he earned his only Pro Bowl nod, along with being named second-team All Pro. In 2019, New York traded him to the Saints but one year later, he found himself in the same position he is in today.
From an analytical standpoint, the veteran’s 2021 season was on par with his recent history. With a PFF grade of 65.4, he remains a solid cover man whom plenty of teams will likely be interested in. While his passing rating allowed (100.2) this year shows he may not be the high-end starter he once was, he will rank among the better options at the position on the open market.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/22
It’s been a busy day around the NFL. We’ve compiled today’s minor moves below:
Denver Broncos
- To be signed: G Ben Braden
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: TE Antony Auclair
- Claimed (from Cowboys): CB Reggie Robinson
- Restructured: LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: FB Michael Burton
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed (two years): C/G Coleman Shelton
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: TE Geoff Swaim
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: DB Troy Apke
Titans Re-Sign Ben Jones
The Titans’ offensive line has undergone plenty of changes in recent days, but there will be continuity in the middle of it. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the team is re-signing center Ben Jones to a two-year, $14MM deal (Twitter link).
This pact comes with $8MM guaranteed, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets, making Year 2 of the deal essentially an option year for the Titans. This will be Jones’ seventh season in Tennessee.
[RELATED: Titans To Sign Jamarco Jones]
Tennessee has recently moved on from two pieces to their offensive front. Last week they released Rodger Saffold along with Kendall Lamm. While it saved the team some notable cap space, it leaves question marks up front for one of the league’s most run-heavy offenses. Keeping Jones in the fold will certainly help in that regard.
Jones, who will be 33 by the start of the 2022 season, has been with the Titans since 2016. Durability has never been a concern over that time, as he has missed just one game in Nashville, and started each contest throughout his time there. PFF graded him as only allowing one sack all season in 2021, leading to an overall rating of 77.8. That is right on par with his previous performances, meaning he should still be counted on as a consistent presence along the line.
With Jones off the market, the center position continues to thin out. Ryan Jensen re-signed with the Buccaneers yesterday, leaving Bradley Bozeman as the name at the top of the list amongst free agents. Brian Allen represents another name that teams in need of a new center could be expected to pursue.
Titans To Sign Jamarco Jones
Former Seattle offensive lineman Jamarco Jones will sign a two-year, $5.75MM deal with the Titans (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The deal will also include $3.15MM guaranteed, marking a solid pay bump for the 25-year-old (26 in June).
Jones, a 2018 fifth-round pick, has been hampered by injuries throughout his young career. This year, he was limited to just ten games with a back issue, though he did make a couple starts in place of Damien Lewis at left guard. Still, he’s been productive while healthy. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed just three sacks while on the field throughout his entire career.
Jones isn’t a world-beater, but he should a versatile piece of the puzzle for the Titans. Last year alone, he saw time at three different positions — right tackle, right guard, and left guard. In 2020, he played at every spot, save for center.
His exact role isn’t quite clear, but he’ll provide valuable support for an offensive line that will be without veteran Rodger Saffold.