Titans release 3-time Pro Bowl OT Taylor Lewan, WR Robert Woods and other veterans
The Tennessee Titans reportedly moved on from four veterans Wednesday. The team announced it released three-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, wideout Robert Woods and kicker Randy Bullock. Linebacker Zach Cunningham was among those let go as well, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
These moves cleared about $38 million in salary cap space for the Titans, per Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger.
Lewan spent his first nine seasons with the Titans after being drafted No. 11 overall in 2014, while Woods spent the 2022 season in Tennessee after he was traded from the Los Angeles Rams last offseason. Bullock kicked for the Titans for the past two seasons.
I hope I did enough to create something all the titan fans can be proud of, I love you all. https://t.co/n96Ms4uIsX
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) February 22, 2023
Free!
— Robert Woods (@robertwoods) February 22, 2023
Lewan was considered one of the best offensive linemen in the league for a while, but injuries plagued his past three seasons. He missed 11 games in 2020 with a torn ACL, four games in 2021 with various ailments and then all but two games of the 2022 season with a knee injury. Lewan also missed the first four games of the 2019 season after the NFL suspended him for violating the league's banned substance abuse policy.
The news seemingly didn't come as a surprise to Lewan, who told the team's official website on Feb. 10 that he knew he'd be cut soon.
Woods, meanwhile, didn't have a great season in Tennessee. He caught just 53 balls for a career-low 527 yards and only two touchdowns despite playing in all 17 games.
Woods, who cost the Titans a sixth-round pick, was the second failed veteran acquisition by former general manager Jon Robinson. The year prior, Robinson traded a second-round pick (and a fourth-round pick this year) for wideout Julio Jones. He finished an injury-riddled season in Tennessee with just 31 receptions for 434 receiving yards and one touchdown before he was released prior to the 2022 season.
What's troubling from the Tennessee perspective is that the Titans spent $25.3 million in total on only one season of Woods and Jones, yet refused to pay A.J. Brown the $25 million annual salary he eventually got from the Philadelphia Eagles after the Titans traded him away for a first-round pick in 2022. And we all know how that ended for both sides: Brown flourished in Philly with a career season and a Super Bowl appearance, while the Titans drafted Treylon Burks with the pick they acquired for Brown but missed the playoffs for the first time in Mike Vrabel's tenure as head coach.