The Tennessee Titans aren't the Dallas Cowboys.

And that's a good thing.

Just ask Tony Pollard. In five seasons in Dallas, he experienced plenty of success. Three playoff berths. Two division titles. Three straight 12-win seasons. Super Bowl expectations every year. Such is the weight of playing for America's Team.

But Pollard says it never felt like his first day at the Titans' facility did.

"Just talking to the coaches, being here, being around, feeling the energy of the new staff and the new guys in the building, it’s not like places where you go and they’ve been there 10, 15 years and it’s kind of like going through the motions," he said Thursday. "You kind of feel the energy. It felt like the place I needed to be."

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So yes, these Titans aren't the Cowboys. There isn't a Jerry Jones-type figure who has lorded over the team for 3½ decades. Nor are there people like Todd Williams and Will McClay who've worked in the personnel department for 20-plus years, or coaches like Mike McCarthy, who has been an NFL head coach since Pollard was in elementary school.

The Titans have a first-year coach in Brian Callahan, a second-year general manager in Ran Carthon, a first-year president of football operations in Chad Brinker, a pair of first-year offensive and defensive coordinators in Nick Holz and Dennard Wilson and a whole bunch of fresh faces around the building.

Now those newbies are collecting even newer newbies. While established teams like the Cowboys have spent the week focused on preserving their roster, the Titans have aggressively sought out free agents to revitalize theirs.

And those free agents are noticing the approach.

"Here, you can tell that it matters that we’re trying to win," cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said. "That shows that the front office and the GM have done a great, amazing job. They’re being intentional. When you see that, the effort put in, I don’t know how a player can’t understand that winning is the goal here. That’s what we’re going to try to do."

"Just being around this morning, you can just feel it from everybody here," linebacker Kenneth Murray added. "It’s definitely a great, great vibe. Everybody’s excited to be here. You get that vibe from everybody. Not just the coaches, but the equipment staff and the medical staff. It’s been amazing. We’re building something here. We’re just getting started."

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The Titans announced the signings of Pollard, Awuzie, Murray and center Lloyd Cushenberry on Thursday. Sources have told The Tennessean they've also agreed to contracts with receiver Calvin Ridley, offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles and quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Some of these are statement signings. NFL.com had Ridley, Cushenberry, Pollard and Awuzie ranked among the 50 best free agents available this cycle. Ridley and Cushenberry ranked as the top players available at their positions. Murray's a former first-round pick coming off the best season of his career and Rudolph has a stellar résumé for a backup quarterback.

One big reason the Titans are able to attract this caliber of free agent is money. They went into the week with more than $75 million in salary cap space, per OverTheCap. The Cowboys, by contrast, went in needing to shed $10 million off the books to be cap compliant. They can't spend money they don't have, no matter how loudly fans clamor for it, leaving teams like the Titans to swoop in and undercut the big boys.

And with that volume of spending comes an opportunity to rebuild. An opportunity to start fresh. The chance to make something entirely new.

"The energy’s amazing," Cushenberry said. "You walk throughout the building and there are a lot of people smiling and ready to get this thing rolling and set this culture for the future."

Murray describes the feeling best.

"I just feel like being here, the energy here has been immaculate," the linebacker said. "I think this place is up-and-coming. I just want to be a part of something special, building something special. And winning some football games."

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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why are Tennessee Titans reeling in free agents? Everything feels new