I couldn’t have been more wrong about RB Chris Johnson who was the first round pick of the Titans last season.  He might be the fastest running back in the NFL as he just needs a little bit of daylight to get to the end zone.  Johnson played in 15 games (14 starts) for the Titans last season and he carried the ball 251 times for 1,228 yards (4.9 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  He also caught 43 passes for 260 yards (6.0 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  Johnson even returned a kickoff for 17 yards and made a tackle as he can do almost anything on a football field.  The sky is the limit for Johnson.  In the 2nd round the Titans selected defensive end James Jones who came on very strong late in his rookie season.  Jones played in 13 games (3 starts) last season for the Titans and he made 31 tackles, had 5 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and defensed 2 passes.  Look for him to be a impact starting DE in the NFL.  In the 3rd round the Titans picked TE Craig Stevens who didn’t do much as a rookie last season.  He only caught 1 pass for 9 yards last season.  DE William Hayes was the first of three 4th round picks for the Titans last season.  He played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Titans last season and he made 13 tackles, had 1 sack, forced 1 fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  Hayes could get more playing time in 2009 for the Titans.  WR Lavelle Hawkins was also selected in the 4th round by the Titans.  He played in 13 games (1 start) for the Titans last season and he caught 7 passes for 68 yards (9.7 avg).  He also returned 7 kickoffs for 130 yards (18.6 avg) and made 1 tackle.  OLB Stanford Keglar was the other 4th round pick of the Titans and he played in 13 games (0 starts) and made 12 tackles.  Cornerback Cary Williams was the 7th round pick of the Titans and he played in 1 game (0 starts) and didn’t make any tackles.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

The Titans have signed 28-year old WR/KR Mark Jones.  Jones played in all 16 games for the Panthers and he caught 2 passes for 32 yards.  Jones also returned 39 punts for 443 yards (11.4 avg) and 40 kickoffs for 958 yards (24.0 avg) last season for the Panthers.  The Titans are likely just looking to use Jones on special teams as he has only caught 2 passes in 46 games in his NFL career.  Jones has returned 156 punts for 1,460 yards (9.4 avg) and 58 kickoffs for 1,405 yards (24.2 avg) in his career.  This was a move that should help out the special teams units for the Titans in 2009.

The Tennessee Titans have signed DT Jovan Haye to a 4-year, $16 million dollar contract.  He played in 15 games for the Buccaneers last season and he made 33 tackles and defensed 1 pass.  Haye has now played in 40 games in his NFL career and he has made 118 tackles, defensed 3 passes, has 6 sacks and he has forced 1 fumble.  If the Titans are depending on Haye to replace Haynesworth they will be in for a very rude awakening.

The Titans have signed 25-year old WR Nate Washington to a 6-year, $27 million dollar contract with $9 million bucks guaranteed.  Washington played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season and he caught 40 passes for 631 yards (15.8 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 18 yards (3.6 ypc).  Washington will likely move right into the Titans’ starting lineup as they needed help at WR.  Washington has now played in 48 games in his NFL career and he has caught 104 passes for 1,705 yards (16.4 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 9 times for 26 yards (2.9 ypc) in his NFL career.  This was a good signing for the Titans as Washington is a player on the rise.