Tennessee Titans officially announce free agent signings of Andre Dillard, Arden Key, more
Ran Carthon's first free agent class as Tennessee Titans' general manager is taking shape.
The Titans officially announced five free agent signings Monday. Most notably, the Titans are adding former Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick Andre Dillard at offensive tackle, former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and edge rusher Arden Key, most recently of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Additionally, the Titans announced the additions of former Dallas Cowboys linebacker and special teams ace Luke Gifford and former 49ers offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill.
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The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Dillard was the Eagles' first round pick in 2019 but never latched on as a full-time starter because of competition in the position group. The Washington State product is highly athletic and has experience playing inside and outside but most likely profiles as a tackle for a Titans team looking to replace long-time starter Taylor Lewan on the left side.
The 6-5, 240-pound Key has played for three teams in five seasons and has only made three starts since his rookie year, but he's found a role as a productive situational pass rusher in the last two seasons with the 49ers and Jaguars. He logged 6.5 sacks with five tackles for loss in 2021 in San Francisco and posted 4.5 more sacks with another five tackles for loss in Jacksonville last season.
Like Dillard, the 6-2, 228-pound Al-Shaair has had to make his presence felt in limited exposure playing behind talented linebackers in a crowded 49ers group. But he's emerged as a gifted player, making 146 tackles with 10 tackles for loss in the last two seasons.
The 6-5, 300-pound Brunskill started 40 games at guard, center and tackle for the 49ers from 2019-21 but was relegated to a reserve role in 2022. Brunskill started every game in 2020 and 2021, grading as Pro Football Focus' sixth-worst pass blocker (minimum 1,000 pass block snaps) in 2020 and fifth-worst in 2021.
The 6-3, 242-pound Gifford has only played 74 defensive snaps in his career but has played almost 1,000 snaps on special teams. Still, he's racked up 40 tackles since 2019, including a career-high 17 in 2022.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans officially announce first 5 2023 free agent signings
