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Where do the Titans rank in NFL Roster Turnover in 2017?

The answer may surprise you.

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Overthecap.com — everyone’s source for contract information — released an interesting piece last week detailing roster turnover in the NFL. Turnover is simply how many players a team retains from season to season. With all the additions that Jon Robinson made this offseason, I thought that the Titans would be near the top of this list.

I was wrong. They checked in 18th overall, losing nearly 20 percent of their snaps from 2016. Here’s what OTC had to say.

Following the salary cap on a league wide basis for over 5 years now, the Titans being average shouldn’t surprise me but for whatever reason it did. I really expected Tennessee to be active this year and they really weren’t. They cut some so-so talent and replace it with so-so talent. I feel like this is a team that could have made a big leap but their refusal to really spend will cost them in the long run.

I disagree strongly, especially with the final sentence. We beat this drum a ton during free agency, but winners in March usually end up losers in the Fall. (See Jaguars, Jacksonville.)

Jon Robinson could have overpaid for a receiver or cornerback, but he stuck to his guns and ended up with a couple 2nd tier guys in Logan Ryan and Eric Decker. He invests in the draft, not free agency. Robinson used the free agency period to fix up the special teams, which were a huge problem last year. He also added role players that may end up starting like Sly Williams and Johnathan Cyprien.

He could have overpaid for Alshon Jeffery, but I’ll take Corey Davis, Eric Decker and Taywan Taylor. He could have overpaid for Donta Hightower, but how much better is he than Avery Williamson? Not worth the money he’s currently being paid. Is there that big of a difference in AJ Bouye and Logan Ryan?

Anyways, I was surprised the Titans didn’t rank higher on the list, but that just shows how active these off-seasons are. As for the commentary, the bottom line is this. I’d rather have some flexibility for the future rather than being locked into big time free agency deals. Taylor Lewan, Marcus Mariota and Jack Conklin are going to get paid sooner or later.