Latest / The Music City Audible: A Tennessee Titans Podcast / Should the Titans Re-Sign G Kevin Zeitler?

Transcript

Should the Titans Re-Sign G Kevin Zeitler? · The Music City Audible: A Tennessee Titans Podcast

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin Zitler Free Agent Profile, the veteran guard turns 36 in March, entering his 15th NFL season in 2026.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: He signed a one year $9 million contract with the Titans and played pretty well for them, starting at right guard for 16 out of 17 games last year.
• 0:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin Zitler, should the Titans bring him back?
• 0:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's his projected market value gonna look like?
• 0:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Would he want to come back with the Titans?
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Or would he wanna go play out the final years
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: with a potential Super Bowl contending team that's what we're answering today, what's up everyone?
• 0:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Justin Mello and Justin Graver here for the music city audible podcast if you're new to the channel remember to subscribe hit that like button and drop your thoughts in a comment below.
• 0:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Justin Kevin Zightler filled a big need for the Titans on an offensive line that was really bad in 2024 started a bit slow in 2025 but post by really hit their stride and jell as a cohesive unit.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't be mad at the Titans bringing Kevin Zitler back.
• 1:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think if we talk about his market value, we'll sign to one year $9 million contract last year.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again he's about to turn 36 years old in March.
• 1:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that same contract pretty much may be $1.9 million because the cap's going up.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: His agent can argue for $9.5 million.
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's about the value you're looking at for the Titans, the question to me isn't is he worth it because he's definitely worth it and we can talk about his play in a moment.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: The question is, do you want to go with a youth movement at that right guard spot?
• 1:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Get somebody that's going to be there potentially for a long time, three to five to maybe more years, or do you run it back with the unit you had last season and go with the 36-year-old veteran who you know you're not going to have for much longer?
• 1:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think this is a complicated conversation in all honesty.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you hit the nail on the head in terms of how many layers there are to the Kevin sightler evaluation, right?
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think, you know, contract value you're right in the correct neighborhood, because he played really well in 2024.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: So coming off that and getting the one year, nine million dollar deal, I think, you know, a cap inflation.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's gonna be between one year, as soon as it's gonna be one year between eight to 10 million.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he decides to keep playing again,
• 2:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: But does he decide to keep playing?
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like he might announce his retirement in a week to weeks.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like I haven't heard any certainties that he's coming back.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think any time you're 35, 36 years old, you probably have to address whether or not you do intend to come back or not.
• 2:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: So.
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think all options are on the table for Kevin Zitler until we hear otherwise, and when I take him back, I mean sure, I thought he was a pretty good in his past year, and he was part of the group that started slow.
• 2:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: I remember being initially disappointed with how he performed you know, weeks one to six, seven, whatever you want to call it.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: But post by as this unit hit their stride,
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: He played a big role in that, you know, Tony Pollard stringing the other a bunch of hundred yard games, multi touchdown games near the conclusion of the season, he had a career high in rushing yards.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Tony Pollard did one week towards the end there, and Kevin's either was a big part of that.
• 3:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, a lot of questions here.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does he retire?
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does he want to come back?
• 3:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he doesn't retire, sorry, does he want to come back to Tennessee?
• 3:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is he thinking about joining a content member?
• 3:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: He went from Detroit, a Super Bowl contender,
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: two of the tie and two were obviously rebuilding and look when he chose to sign here i imagine he knew they were rebuilding they were going to take a quarter back number one overall probably going to be some growing pains that obviously didn't play a huge role in his decision to come to Tennessee
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: But does he feel differently about it now that he's actually got to touch feel live experience the rebuild he knows this thing's probably still a couple years away If he thinks he only has one year left does it bother him?
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's hey, I liked what we're building.
• 3:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna keep helping them move in the right direction or does he say no?
• 3:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want to try going out a winner You know who knows where Kevin Zitler's mind is as he approaches for agency
• 4:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Totally agree, but I think that something that's not a mystery at all is his play last year and you just talked about his slower start, but if you look at his PFF game log, where it shows his weekly grade, yeah, the first half of the season, there's a couple of standout performances, but it's mostly
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: yellow orange red in the three categories offense grade run block grade pass block grade but then the back half of the year especially starting in week 13 so the last 13 40 50 16 17 five games of the area only played uh 10 snaps in week 18 before Jackson Slater stepped into the lineup but those last five games that he really played
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's blue, it's a leap grades across the board for Kevin Zitler when things really started to gel for this team when they figured out how to play offense again after Brian Callan got fired and Mike McCoy took over and Bo Hart degree became the play caller and it took them a few weeks to figure that stuff out on the fly and especially I think when Luke Stocker stepped up and decided to start coordinating the run game and helping with those game plans during the week, that's when Kevin Zitler really took off.
• 5:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, Luke stockers staying with the Titan's organization as the Titan's coach under new head coach Robert Sala, is there any chemistry there, or any desire to keep playing for him, but if you look at his overall season grades, and again, he started the year pretty bad.
• 5:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: He did finish the season.
• 5:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Overall, with the 8th highest pass blocking PFF grade among qualified guards and run blocking, it wasn't like he was terrible, 16th highest PFF grade, that's only among guards.
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, two guards per team, 32 teams, 16th is not bad for a reference point, if you just look at overall offense grade, Peter Skaronsky.
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: fifth overall in the NFL top five guard in the league we know he's very good young player but Kevin sightler was pretty good on the opposite side so i think that it is really a question of do you want to go with youth versus veteran experience in age i think it's always helpful for young offensive lines and remember jc lathe them entering his third year on that right side
• 6:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Peter Skaronsky, entering his fourth year at left-guard, those are young players.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Dan Moore and Lloyd Kushenberry, they're not veterans the way that Kevin Zitler is a veteran, but they're much more veteran status.
• 6:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Do you want a guy like a Kevin Zitler?
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you look back at, you know, some of the best titans, O'lines and franchise history, they had those guys like Kevin Mawai, who was towards the end of his career and also named Kevin and blocking for Chris Johnson's
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't be opposed to bringing back Zitler for 9 or 10 million dollars, make sure that you have a succession plan, get Jackson Slater, get another year to look at Jackson Slater as not a rookie 6-round pick, but as just a developing young player, and maybe you feel better about him going forward, if you let Zitler go after the 20-26 season, but I think,
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: that would probably be their best move versus signing a Elijah Vera Tucker or a Dylan param who's been getting a lot of buzz lately because he played for Titans new online coach Carmen Bracillo in Las Vegas.
• 7:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you're better off.
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you're better off with sightler plus Jackson Slater future, hoping that he's the guy, and if he's not the guy you draft somebody else, versus putting a bunch of money for multiple years into this position that is generally, I mean, right, guard.
• 7:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's generally not a high value position in the NFL.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: We see a lot of undrafted free agents become starters at guard.
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not tackles, it's not edge, corner, receiver, quarterback.
• 7:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're not wrong, but I do think the approach is changing a little bit because you are seeing some of these free agent guards get like 20, 20 plus million dollars per year in free agency.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I always say it's not my opinion that matters.
• 7:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: The NFL will tell you what they think about a position the way they pay it and they have started to pay guards of a fair amount of money in recent offseason.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think, like, listen, Kevin Tyler's one of those guys, the Titans got exactly what they paid for.
• 8:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: They wanted stability and consistency at the right guard position after not having it over the, you know, previous couple of years.
• 8:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yes, he started slow, finished strong.
• 8:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's some context to it.
• 8:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: But at the end of the day, they expected Kevin Tyler to have a very good season and he did have a very good season.
• 8:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: They got exactly.
• 8:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: These one of those guys, that old saying, I think in soccer,
• 8:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I go to bed at night and I slept peacefully, knowing that Kevin's Hitler was going to be my right guard.
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I had no concerns that we're going to be exposed in the game plan because of who our right guard is.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: So if they want to bring them back, I think you could probably, I mean, you expect the same level of play.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: If they do decide to sink some money into free agency, go in a different direction, yes, it could backfire, but you've got to keep in mind, why would they do that?
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: If they decide to go that direction, the goal is to find a multi-year solution, right?
• 8:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: It would be them saying, hey, you know, this guy's probably got one year left.
• 9:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: We thought he maybe only had one year left last year.
• 9:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, let's, yeah, we're taking a bit of a risk by replacing him
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: But if we hit on that decision, we're going to bring in a guy that could solve this position for the next four or five years, and I think as we transition this convoluted to that part of it, there are a couple of guys in for the agency that they've got strong coaching staff in front office connections to.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and Dylan Parram is, you know, one of the guys near the top of that list, other guys Elijah Veritacker.
• 9:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: We just mentioned another guy is Evan Neill, who played for Brian Dable with the giants last year.
• 9:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Under O'Line Coach Carmen Cicillo Elijah Veritacker.
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're not familiar, it was with the jets when Robert Salo was there when they drafted him in New York.
• 9:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, Dylan Parram also played for Carmen Bracillo from 2022 to 2023 with the Raiders.
• 9:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: and Dave Ziegler was there when they drafted Dylan Parham.
• 9:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: So lots of connections to three pretty prominent free agents.
• 9:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you look at Spotrax, free agent guard list and sort by market value, Elijah Vera Tucker is the fifth highest projection value.
• 10:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: They've got him at 12.8 million a year.
• 10:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: A guy who has played at a high level when he's been on the field, but his problem has been consistently staying on the field.
• 10:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Only played five games in 2023.
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: did get on the field for 15 games in 2024 but didn't even play last season miss the whole year with an injury.
• 10:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think you got hurt in the preseason.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: So a guy who's been a practice.
• 10:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a training camp injury if I recall.
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 10:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: that's what I meant, but time of the year, preseason, but yes, a training camp injury for a Liesbury Tucker missed the whole year.
• 10:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: So a guy coming off a serious injury, do you shell out $13 plus million a year for a guy like that?
• 10:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Other options we just mentioned, Dylan Parham, he comes in at the 10th highest projected market value.
• 10:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: just over $10 million average annual value.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Zitler is there at 13, and if you keep going down the list quite a ways you get to Evan Neal, who's closer to 1718th highest projected value under $5 million a year for Evan Neal, who
• 11:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: has struggled.
• 11:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it is pretty much a first round bust as a tackle in this past off season.
• 11:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: They switched him to guard.
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: He didn't actually play as a guard.
• 11:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like he never got on the field in November.
• 11:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
• 11:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: He started this season as a backup guard didn't play a snap.
• 11:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's a projection whether or not he can move inside to guard.
• 11:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: But maybe sign him to that cheap deal and and
• 11:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, if I'm curious, see what happens with that vanilla.
• 11:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think there's a chance that someone's going to sign him to be a starter.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: He might fall, like, wasn't, but McCye Beckton was a tackle, right?
• 11:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, mammoth of a man, very similar body type, first round bust at tackle, kicks into guard, wins a super bowl with the eagles as their starting guard, signs a big contract in free agency with the chargers, doesn't go well now, but so it's kind of been of a whirlwind for Beckton.
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I could see Neal following a similar career path, like maybe he makes that successful transition to guard and a team strikes free agency gold by giving him a chance to continue like this storyline he's writing as a reclamation project.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't be shocked if the tie-in signed, Evan Neil, given the Brian Dable and Carmen Bracillot connections.
• 12:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: And even if you did, you don't have to hand them the starting job and maybe he competes with Jackson Slater for it.
• 12:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he'd probably win based on the experience and being the free agency signing, but you don't necessarily have to make it a foregone conclusion, right?
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: You could award a reward Jackson Slater would an opportunity to compete for that job.
• 12:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: But again, like there's so many layers to this guard conversation, I'll conclude with a summary that they've got a bunch of guards that are connected to and free A to see through the front office and coaching staff.
• 12:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then there's the whole Kevin Zyler thing.
• 12:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does he want to come back?
• 12:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: What do you reassign here?
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is he going to retire?
• 13:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does he want to play for a contender?
• 13:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then there's also the possibility, you know, we haven't fully acknowledged it.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: That they just want to hand the reins to Jackson Slater that, you know, he had a red shirt here this year that they just might think he's ready to be a starting guard.
• 13:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, who knows?
• 13:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's the other way that you could attack this position, right?
• 13:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is you just don't attack it.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: You say we have the guy on the roster.
• 13:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you signed Corey Levin, who's your top swing interior backup last season.
• 13:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: You bring him back to be again, your top swing interior backup.
• 13:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you just slide Jackson Slater into the starting right guard slot.
• 13:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm actually really interested to see how Mike Borgonzi and now new head coach Robert Sala, new office coordinator Brian Dable, new O-Line Coach Carmen Bracillo.
• 13:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want interested to see how they view Jackson Slater.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: and how they view attacking this position this off season because obviously it's a big one.
• 13:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think ultimately as we wrap up this conversation on Kevin Zaytler Justin, I think personally do I want him back.
• 13:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I think it's the best move is to keep that continuity and he can and you can still set up that transition to Jackson Slater that could still happen midway through the 2026 season it could happen if Kevin sightler gets hurt 36 year olds get hurt at a higher rate than 25 year olds, you know, so if you if Slater gets forced into action, then you'll find out really quickly.
• 14:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Or if it becomes an actual decision maybe it's when you want to make maybe it's similar to this past year where they waited till the very end of the season maybe it's not as late as midway through the week 18 game you put Jackson's later in maybe it's like After the buy depending on when the Titans get the buy who knows, but I think that that would be my preferred
• 14:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: way to attack it.
• 14:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is separate from my prediction, but that's what I would hope they do is.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Just brings it back, keep the continuity going, and if at some point you want to transition to Jackson Slater, then you can do that.
• 14:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I hear you loud and clear.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'll just give my prediction because I don't think he's going to be back.
• 14:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think ultimately he either he's going to want to play for a contender or he's going to retire or the tires are going to say we want to find a multi-year solution at this spot.
• 15:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: So again, yes, I agree with you.
• 15:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would love to have him back, but I don't think he's going to be back.
• 15:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what things are going to do here, but you know, all these connections, they're strong, Dylan Parham, Dermina Luminor, who we didn't really mention as well, potentially Evan Neale, Elijah Viratucker, I think the Titans probably end up signing one of those guys or give Jackson, if it's one of the lower end guys like an Evan Neale, they can pair that with some competition from Jackson Slater.
• 15:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: But ultimately, I don't think it's going to be Kevin
• 15:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: I agree with you.
• 15:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: If I had to predict it, I would say Zaytler is going to go sign a one or two year deal with a team that's expecting to be a contender.
• 15:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know who that team is right now.
• 15:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe the chargers, if Mackay Beckton walks in for eight years.
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, chargers bucked Lyon go back to Detroit.
• 16:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like I think the I just mentioned as well.
• 16:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: The buck and years had some injuries on the interior this year.
• 16:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: They struggled.
• 16:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like I think it's a team like that.
• 16:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: The buck's the chargers, the Lyons.
• 16:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's a good move for one of those teams to bring him in.
• 16:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if you're watching this in mid-March after you're a chargers fan or a bucks fan, and they just signed Kevin Zeitler as a Titans fans and people who cover the Titans, we can tell you if we think you got a good one.
• 16:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: So but that's if this video is still relevant in a month from now.
• 16:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Justin, that'll do it for this free agent profile.
• 16:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're new to the channel and remember to subscribe, like the video.
• 16:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Drop your thoughts in a comment below.
• 16:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: What do you think of Kevin Zeitler, Justin and I will be back for another free agent profile soon.
• 16:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: y'all stay safe out there and tighten up.