The Tennessee Titans were dealt a massive blow on Tuesday, as outside linebacker Arden Key is reportedly set to be suspended for the first six games of the 2024 season.
Per Paul Kuharsky, Key's ban comes from his violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The league has yet to officially announce Key's suspension as of this writing.
The Titans were already thin at the position behind Key and fellow starter, Harold Landry. Also on the roster are Rashad Weaver, Thomas Rush, Caleb Murphy, rookie Jaylen Harrell and undrafted free agent Khalid Duke, all of whom are question marks.
Weaver is the best option on the roster to replace key given his experience in the NFL, but he hasn't tallied a sack since Week 10 of 2022, so he's no sure bet.
The Titans already needed to add another edge rusher ahead of the start of the season, and that has only become more of a must in the wake of Key's reported suspension.
Thankfully, Tennessee has plenty of cap space to do so, as they sit with $24.1 million to spend, per Over the Cap. With that in mind, here's a look at three edge rushers they should target in free agency.
Edge rushers for Titans in free agency
Carl Lawson
Lawson once looked to be on an elite trajectory after a standout rookie campaign in 2017 that saw him tally 8.5 sacks. However, he hasn't been able to match that production since and has dealt with significant injuries, including a torn ACL in 2018 and a torn Achilles' tendon in 2021.
Lawson did tally seven sacks in his first season back from the injury in 2022 but was in an out of the lineup in 2023 due to injury and didn't record any sacks in six contests.
The injury concerns are certainly warranted with Lawson, but the Titans can't be picky. Lawson also has a connection to Titans head coach Brian Callahan from their days in Cincinnati.
Yannick Ngakoue
Ngakoue has always found a way to be productive during his career and might be the safest bet on this list.
The 29-year-old is coming off a season in which he tallied 4.5 sacks in 13 games for the Chicago Bears, but he had 19.5 sacks combined in the two years prior.
Markus Golden
Golden's best ability the past two years has been his availability, as he's played in 33 of a possible 34 games. However, Golden hasn't been too productive in that span, with the 33-year-old tallying 6.5 sacks, including four in 2023.
He does have three seasons with double-digit sacks, but hasn't accomplished that feat since 2021. Even still, of the biggest names available in free agency, Golden had more sacks last season than all but one of them (Ngakoue).
