Tennessee Titans: Trading for Ronald Leary Makes Sense

The Tennessee Titans front office has done what seems to be a great job rebuilding one of the worst teams in professional football over the past few seasons. With that being said, there’s still one glaring hole on the roster that needs to be filled.

Jan 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys guard Ronald Leary (65) in action during the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. The Redskins defeat the Cowboys 34-23. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitiful. That is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the offensive line for the Tennessee Titans in 2015. They gave up a league-leading 54 sacks last season. Their potential franchise signal-caller missed four games as a result of that. Something needs to change and fast.

The team has done a solid job thus far of repairing the mess up front. They signed veteran center Ben Jones away from division rival Houston, who is exactly the type of nasty, smart player you want manning the pivot. They also drafted Michigan State mauler/tackle Jack Conklin with the eighth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

They now have potentially two franchise bookend tackles with veteran Taylor Lewan already entrenched on the blindside, to go along with a solid player at center. The questions rely at the guard spots. Chance Warmack is the starting right guard, but the team decided to decline his option, potentially making him a free agent after the 2016 campaign.

Insert Ronald Leary, a solid veteran who happes to be looking for a one-way ticket out of Dallas. The opposite guard spot of Warmack is a competition between Jeremiah Poutasi, Quinton Spain and Sebastian Tretola, as well as Byron Bell (out for the season with a dislocated ankle). Sure, Poutasi and Tretola are great run blockers, but both have questions in pass-pro. Leary is good, but not spectacular in both areas.

You don’t need Pro Bowl players across the line, you need players who can develop into a solid cohesive unit. Leary would be the perfect veteran addition to one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL.

Oct 18, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) talks with team trainer Burton Elrod after an injury during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

I get the Titans want a run-first, smash-mouth football team that will run teams up and down the field, but rarely do you do execute exactly what you plan over the course of an NFL game. You will need to pass the ball and Mariota has proven he can do that pretty well, when protected.

As we were reminded by Jim Wyatt of TitansOnLine, the team deemed protecting Mariota as priority number one this offseason. They have done so in many different ways including a pair of physical runners who can also pass block, a reliable receiver, and a few extra pieces on the offensive line. Adding Leary into the mix will truly solidify the line for not just this year, but will also be insurance just incase the team decides to let Warmack walk.

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The team must find a way to keep Mariota healthy, or else the fans in the Music City may have to go through another Jake Locker-esc era.

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