Grades for Titans releasing Humphries, re-signing Borders and Blasingame

The Tennessee Titans have already started making moves with one notable player having been released and two others having been re-signed.

Wide receiver Adam Humphries was the first cap casualty of the Titans this offseason and figures to be the first of multiple with the team needing to free up cap space in order to make significant upgrades on both sides of the ball.

The other two moves were of lesser note but still stand to have an impact in 2021. Cornerback Breon Borders and fullback Khari Blasingame were both re-signed by the team.

Let’s see what grade the Titans get for each of these early offseason moves.

Releasing Adam Humphries

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Humphries was signed to a four-year, $36 million deal during the 2019 offseason in order to bolster Tennessee's passing game from the slot. Unfortunately for the normally consistent Humphries, injuries derailed his tenure in Nashville and he wasn't utilized enough even when healthy after falling behind A.J. Brown, Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith. The 27-year-old played in just 19 of a possible 32 regular-season games, totaling 60 receptions for 602 yards and four touchdowns. He missed four games in 2019, another nine in 2020, and was only able to play in one of Tennessee's four playoff games since 2019, also. While Humphries did have some big catches over two years and had some bad luck on the injury front, including a lingering concussion in 2020 that was the result of an illegal hit that was not flagged, his production wasn't worth $9 million annually. Having to pay Humphries $5 million this season even though he's no longer on the roster is a tough pill to swallow, and Tennessee will have to replace him, but at least the Titans will be able to recoup $4.46 million to use in 2021, which is helpful for a cash-strapped team like Tennessee.

Grade: A

Re-signing Breon Borders

(AP Photo/AJ Mast)

During a season in which the Titans' defense was awful all around, Borders was one of the bigger surprises and bright spots for Tennessee after the team picked him up off the scrap heap. His role in filling in for a struggling and injury-riddled secondary was vital. Borders was first called into action in Week 8, his first of six games in 2020. He finished with 28 combined tackles (22 solo, one for loss), one pick and five passes defensed. From Weeks 8 through 12, Borders earned the fifth-highest PFF grade (77.1) among all cornerbacks in the league. Despite allowing three scores in coverage, Borders also permitted an impressive completion rate of 51.1 percent and a QB rating of 86.6 when targeted. Unfortunately for the former UDFA out of Duke, his season ended early due to injury, and he did struggle in his final appearance, although one has to wonder if his injury had something to do with that. Regardless, that one game wasn't enough to erase just how solid Borders was for Tennessee. Re-signing him was a no-brainer, and at worst he'll serve as high-end depth in 2021, and he could even push for a starting role.

Grade: A+

Re-signing Khari Blasingame

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

You know what they say: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The Titans have begun the process of trying to run it back with the same cast of characters that helped Derrick Henry run for over 2,000 yards last season. Blasingame is an important part of Tennessee's run game, as he serves as the lead blocker for Henry, and has done so for each of the past two seasons. Fullbacks have become increasingly rare in today's NFL, but a run-heavy team like the Titans still has plenty of use for them. The only gripe is maybe the Titans could have saved a few bucks by deploying one of their better blocking tight ends in this role, but that's a small gripe.

Grade: A-

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