Roster Cuts Confirm The Ran Carton Era Is Behind Us

Last Week, the Tennessee Titans made their roster cuts for the 53-man roster, which included 3 players selected by former general manager Ran Carthon. These cuts, along with the action new general manager Mike Borgonzi took on other roster moves made by Carthon, confirm how fast the team is moving from their previous era.

Via Axios

Starting with the releases, Borgonzi let former 5th round pick Josh Whyle, former 6th round pick Jaelyn Duncan, and last year's 6th round pick Jha'quan Jackson all hit waivers. This leaves only 9 of 13 draft picks by Carthon left through only two seasons. The drafting of Jha'quan Jackson was likely the worst, as he reached on a receiver who only really has special teams ability.

The drafting of Will Levis is possibly what was the biggest killer for Carthon. Putting stock in a quarterback is the riskiest step for a general manager, as if you don't hit on your quarterbacks, your job is likely gone. While Levis is still on the team, he will be missing the entire 2025 season with shoulder surgery, and realistically may not play for the Titans again.

Carthon made huge splashes in his free agencies, and ended up having zero success during his tenure. While many of these players still have a role on the team, he made two major mistakes with signings. The first was signing offensive tackle Andre Dillard to a 3 year, $29 million dollar contract with $13 million guaranteed only to be cut after one season. This was a huge overpay for a player who prior had little success and was a liability when playing for the team. The second was signing cornerback Chidobe Awuzie to a 3 year, $36 million dollar contract with $19 million guaranteed, only to miss most of the season with an injury and be released after one year. Moves like this are killer to both a team and a GM as the dead cap impacts the team for years.