The Titans’ interior offensive line was one of the most publicly scrutinized units in the league last year and their poor play was a huge part of the reason why Chris Johnson had the worst season of his career. The Titans haven’t made any upgrades at the positions this offseason, with the exception of signing veteran free agent Steve Hutchinson. However, they didn’t use a draft pick on any of the 3 interior line spots.

That being said, it appears Eugene Amano’s job at center is not safe for next season. Amano is currently out with a knee injury and career backup Kevin Matthews is working with the 1^st team in his absence. According to the Nashville Tennessean, career backup Fernando Velasco and undrafted free agent William Vlachos are also in the mix.

Competition certainly can’t hurt their production at the position and whoever wins the job likely can’t be worse than Amano was last year. Amano graded out as ProFootballFocus’ 32^nd ranked center last year out of 35. Only Philadelphia’s Jason Kelce, Chicago’s Roberto Garza, and Denver’s JD Walton ranked lower. Whoever wins the job will start in between Hutchinson and LeRoy Harris, their highest rated starting interior offensive lineman last season.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Jeff Otah has played in just 4 games over the last 2 seasons thanks to knee injuries and he has lost his starting job to Byron Bell, who has played at right tackle in his absence. Even though he was once one of the top right tackles in the league and the 19^th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Otah has to beat out Bell, who has struggled mightily in the last 2 years at right tackle.

Otah had a setback in the battle for the starting job this week when he tweaked the same left knee that has been giving him problems for the past 2 years. He underwent an MRI on the knee and everything is fine, but this is never what you want to see if you’re Jeff Otah or the Panthers. We’ll see if he’s back at practice next week, working with the 2^nd team and competing for his old job.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

As he enters the final year of his contract, Jaguars’ linebacker Daryl Smith says he will not hold out to get a new contract. Smith, who turned 30 this offseason, will make 4.7 million this year, which is a little low for one of the best and underrated linebackers in the league. ProFootballFocus graded him as the 2^nd best 4-3 outside linebacker in the league last year. He could still be extended this offseason or he could be a free agent next offseason.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Andrew Whitworth is one of the most underrated players in the league. He graded out as ProFootballFocus’ #12 offensive tackle last year, #2 in pass protection, allowing just 3 sacks, 14 pressures, and committing 8 penalties. In 2011, he was ProFootballFocus’ #1 overall offensive tackle, allowing 3 sacks, 14 pressures, and committing 7 penalties, while grading positively against the run. He also graded well above average in 2009.

As he heads into his 30s, Whitworth, who turns 31 in December, has begun to focus more and more on conditioning. Whitworth says he’s shed 30 pounds and is now at 320 pounds. He was listed at 6-7 335, but this suggests he may have played last season closer to 350. He says he’s eating better and feels great about where he’s at now weighing 320 at 6-7. We’ll see how this translates on the field. My bet would be on another strong season from the Bengals’ left tackle.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Kenny Britt missed most of last season with a torn ACL and needed additional surgery this offseason on the same knee, though it was a much more minor procedure. Nonetheless, it is not good news for the Titans and it puts his week 1 status in doubt. Today Titans’ head coach Mike Munchak said that Britt will be limited for the start of Training Camp at the very least. He has yet to start running after the May 16^th surgery.

Britt’s situation is definitely one to monitor, especially for fantasy football players as Britt has had 56 catches for 1046 yards and 12 touchdowns in his last 14 full games. The biggest problem is getting on the field for Britt being 100% when on the field. Even if he plays week 1, there’s no guarantee he’ll be 100%. Derrick Morgan had a similar surgery last offseason after tearing his ACL in 2010 and struggled all last year with just 2.5 sacks in 14 games, despite being the 16^th overall pick in 2010.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Andre Brown was suspended earlier this offseason for 4 games after testing positive for a banned substance, but he got that suspension lifted today after an appeal. Brown only tested positive for Adderall, which he has a prescription for. Brown has spent the offseason bulking up and could actually be a big part of the Giants’ running game this year. Now at 240 pounds, Brown wants to be the “next Brandon Jacobs.” Neither Ahmad Bradshaw nor David Wilson are power backs so Brown could get some short yardage work this season for the Giants.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

The Titans have said they will be having a true quarterback battle between Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck this offseason and they are staying true to their word and giving reps with the first team evenly to each in OTAs. Mike Munchak has said he feels so good about both that he’s not leaning either way on the matter, but that he’d like to have a quarterback named by the 3^rd week of the preseason.

Hasselbeck and Locker are both good quarterbacks. Hasselbeck has seen better days and Locker probably will see better days as he heads into only his 2^nd year in the league, but either one could at least replicate the 9-7 season the Titans had last year. The Titans drafted extremely well, made nice moves in free agency, and get a few key players back from injury and should be able to compete for a playoff spot this year.

However, the old saying goes that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none so we’ll have to see what happens. Locker played better last season in limited action, but Hasselbeck is capable as well and they wouldn’t go through as many young quarterback up and downs with him. It’s definitely an interesting situation. The Titans are a team I don’t have a good grasp on right now. They could just as easily go 5-11 as they could go 11-5.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Osi Umenyiora has been looking for a new contract since after the 2007 season, despite just signing a 7 year deal 2 years prior. Umenyiora never had any luck and was forced to suck it up and play (though he got 2 Super Bowl rings out of it, so it wasn’t all bad). However, a day after firing his agent, Umenyiora did get a new contract, even if it wasn’t exactly like what he wanted.

Umenyiora’s new deal doesn’t add new years to his existing contract and he’ll still hit the open market as a free agent next offseason, but it does give him a pass raise for the final year of his deal in 2012. Rather than making 4 million this year, Umenyiora will make 7.5 million this year, including 3 million upfront. The deal is structured such that the Giants will take the cap hit over two years, rather than just one.

It’s essentially a “we’ll give you 3.5 million to stop complaining” deal. Umenyiora will happily take that. He could still easily leave next offseason in search of a starting job elsewhere, rather than his current rotational job. However, he’ll be 31 in November so he might not be greeted with as friendly of a market as he might be expecting. For this year, he’ll help the Giants maintain arguably the league’s most fearsome pass rushes in the league.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Brian Hoyer has been Tom Brady’s primary backup since being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Hoyer has played admirably when counted on, completing 27 of 43 for 286 yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception and the general consensus around the league seems to be that he could start or at least compete for a starting job elsewhere in the league.

The Patriots tendered Hoyer at a 2^nd round level this offseason, but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after next season. There is some speculation that the Patriots could try to trade Hoyer this offseason and it was fueled further by the Boston Globe’s Jeff Rowe’s report today. It would make a lot of sense for the Patriots to move Hoyer.

They could easily lose him for nothing next offseason and 2011 3^rd round pick Ryan Mallett could be ready to be Brady’s primary backup. Brady is expected to play 3 or 4 more years, which would make Hoyer around 30 years old when Brady retires, so he can’t really be considered a quarterback of the future. That title is probably better assigned to Mallett, who is still just 23 years old, if anyone.

The biggest question if the Patriots decide to move him would be who would trade for him. Most teams have their quarterback competitions pretty settled at this point. Perhaps former Patriots GM Scott Pioli and the Chiefs could be interested. I would still put the likelihood for the Patriots moving Hoyer at less than 10% at best. He’ll likely remain as a backup this year and get his shot next offseason.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

When Daryl Washington was drafted in the 2^nd round in 2010, the biggest knock on him was his size at 228 pounds. The Cardinals took a risk on him anyway, even though he doesn’t have the prototypical size for a middle linebacker, especially in a 3-4. That risk has panned out as he has emerged as an above average middle linebacker at just 25 years of age in his first 2 seasons in the league, even though he has played his entire career in the high 220s/low 230s.

Heading into his 3^rd season, Washington has made it a priority to add weight and he now tips the scales at 243. Washington says he does not feel the change when he runs and that his speed is “still the same.” That should be taken with a grain of salt obviously and we’ll have to see how the added weight affects him on the field. If it effects him positively, he could break out to a Pro Bowl level in his 3^rd year in the league.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]