Should the Tennessee Titans re-sign Mario Edwards Jr.?

Welcome to Music City Miracles’ Tennessee Titans 2023 NFL Free Agency Primer! Free agency is set to begin on March 15th, but the Titans are able to re-sign their own free agents before then. New general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Mike Vrabel have already begun collaborating on their vision for the 2023 Titans. Carthon and Vrabel will collaborate on various sizable decisions.

The Titans currently possess 25 free agents (20 unrestricted), including several key starters and role players. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take an in-depth look at each free agent and provide arguments for why the Titans should, or shouldn’t re-sign that player. We’ll also offer our final verdict and a prediction to go along with our analysis.

Today, we’re analyzing rotational defensive linemen Mario Edwards Jr.

Name: Mario Edwards Jr.

Position: Defensive Line

Current Age: 29

Why the Titans should re-sign Edwards: Edwards joined the Titans off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad in late September. He immediately claimed a keynote rotational role as the Titans struggled with injury at the position throughout the entire course of the campaign. Edwards took advantage of his role by recording 3.0 sacks, 34 pressures and 23 quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus.

Edwards certainly outperformed his salary of $1.120 million. Edwards was a consistent performer. Walker is also a versatile defender that both rushes the passer and stuffs the run. Edwards is capable of providing the type of depth Tennessee is going to require at the position next season.

Why the Titans should let Edwards walk: Edwards may be expecting a pay raise after outperforming his paychecks in 2022. Edwards will turn 30 towards the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, so the Titans should avoid a pricey multi-year extension. Edwards’ production was often a result of Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry commanding double teams.

Projected Contract: Spotrac doesn’t have a projected contract for Edwards. I imagine Edwards is going to be available via another one-year contract. He should earn somewhere between $1.5 and $2.5 million annually next season.

Final verdict: The Titans should make a valiant effort to re-sign Edwards to a reasonable one-year contract. Edwards can provide depth behind Tennessee’s starting defensive linemen. He’s a potential three-down player that can impact all phases of the game.

Prediction: The Titans will maintain contact with Edwards. Carthon may let Edwards test the open market before circling back. Edwards ultimately returns to Tennessee via the second-or-third wave of free agency.

What are your thoughts? Should the Titans re-sign Edwards? Leave your opinion in the comments.