The Tennessee Titans had wanted to retain kick returner Chris Carr, even as he was making four free agent visits.
Carr, a cornerback by trade, had helped Tennessee shore up what had been a weakness in 2007 in the kickoff and punt return games, by helping the Titans lead the league in kickoff returns and solidifying the punt return position after the Titans had unsuccessfully used a number of players in the role the year before.
So when Carr agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year, $5 million deal, it left the Titans scrambling for contingency plans both in the secondary and in the return game.
The rub with Carr returning to Tennessee was that the Titans simply could not promise him a bigger role in the defense that he wanted. With the Titans, Carr would have been the dime back and the first outside cornerback into the game had Cortland Finnegan or Nick Harper been unavailable. Vincent Fuller was re-signed to man the nickel position.
So when the Ravens released both Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle this off-season, Carr saw the opportunity to not only shore up the Baltimore return game, but also a chance to compete for more playing time in the secondary -- perhaps even the nickel role.
To help fill the void in the return game, the Titans scrambled and signed wide receiver Mark Jones of the Carolina Panthers who has experience in both punt and kickoff returns, averaging 11.4 and 24.0 yards at each, respectively. Second-year man Rafael Little, who missed all his rookie season with a knee injury, will give him competition.
Carr's departure also leaves the Titans woefully thin at the cornerback position, as the Detroit Lions signed Eric King earlier this off-season, and Tennessee has little interest in re-signing Tyrone Poole or Reynaldo Hill.
The Titans tried to sign restricted free agent Jarrett Bush away from Green Bay, but the Packers matched their reported three-year, $4.5 million offer. Then, Justin Miller and Eric Green both signed elsewhere, leaving the Titans now auditioning Donald Strickland of San Francisco and DeMarcus Faggins of Houston. It is also possible a draft pick or two will have to be spent to replenish the secondary depth.
