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          NFL Nation

          Massive Titans Mailbag: Player acquisition strategy

          Thanks for the questions. Hope this helps hold you over while we seek news of who the Titans are reaching out to and await the start of free agency on Tuesday.

          Paul Kuharsky: I've gotten this question a lot. I don't see any scenario where they'd put a much bigger focus on one side of the ball. Say they focused on defense and got way better there. How much would it matter if the QB had no one getting open because they don't have enough options at receiver? And he was getting killed and they couldn't run because they don't have a right tackle? Both sides need work. If their moves in any way make it appear as if they are focusing on one side, I think it'll be because of the way the market moves, not because they planned that way.

          Paul Kuharsky: The Titans are going to need to cover a lot of good receivers. The league is filled with them and another quality crop will arrive with the draft, and continue to come up from the college ranks. When Andre Johnson was at his peak, of course the Titans wanted to have the kind of corner who might match up best. Reggie Wayne killed the Titans at times but was fading. They needed at least one corner before the Johnson and Wayne developments and still do. Teams prepare more for trends than for specific people, unless those people are Andrew Luck or J.J. Watt.

          Paul Kuharsky: Greg Hardy is radioactive. Why would you want him? Nicole Holder testified in court that Hardy "looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me. I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said, 'Just do it. Kill me.'" I don't care how he rushes the passer, and I'll go ahead and suggest neither should you. I don't think Darrelle Revis is in play for a team like the Titans. I think Tennessee will check into Ndamukong Suh, but reports suggest the Dolphins are going to make a crazy offer and I can see why the Titans wouldn't go quite that far. Super gigantic free-agent deals have a tendency to go south. Devin McCourty is a definite possibility. He's a very good player, and having the McCourty twins on the same team would be a great story for the Titans.

          Paul Kuharsky: I'm wary of rating degrees of aggressiveness. Overall, I think they will be aggressive. If Miami jumps out and knocks Suh off his feet with an outrageous offer, what's the aggressive move to counter that? He's a fantastic player, but he's not without issues. And while I think the Titans would use him well, I can see why he might not feel the scheme is perfect for him. I think the Titans will chime in. But if they don't get him, does that mean they weren't aggressive? That's not how I'll view it. And if they don't get him, are you really going to feel better if they pursued him "aggressively?" I'd feel better if they went after their next target with success.

          Paul Kuharsky: There is no way they should go after DeMarco Murray. Running backs coming off a season of heavy use like he is almost always suffer a dip and are more likely to suffer an injury. Investing big money in a second contract for a running back coming off a big workload is one of the worst moves a team can make. The Titans did it with Chris Johnson. I think they'll ultimately cut Shonn Greene and give Antonio Andrews a shot at the heavy-back role. Leon Washington is a free agent they shouldn't keep, and either a cheap free agent without a lot of tread or a mid-round draft pick can round out the running back group.

          Paul Kuharsky: How players feel about them is a case-by-case basis. Sometimes a team feels a guy needs a carrot. Sometimes an agent feels certain things should be worth extra. But incentives are negotiated like everything else. There are two categories. Likely to be earned incentives are basically numbers or accomplishments a guy has already reached. They count against the current year's cap, and get refunded if not reached. Not likely to be earned incentives count against next year's cap if earned.

          Paul Kuharsky: J.J. Watt is the best defensive player I've seen since I started covering the league in 1996. He is a 3-4 defensive lineman. Calais Campbell, Dan Williams, Haloti Ngata, Sen'Derrick Marks, Dontari Poe, Rob Ninkovich, Vince Wilfork, Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Fletcher Cox, Justin Smith and Jurrell Casey are also 3-4 defensive linemen. That's hardly a dime-a-dozen list. I don't think a guy is dismissed from consideration because he's a 3-4 lineman.

          Paul Kuharsky: Not Jay Cutler. The attitude isn't going to change. And that's not the attitude I want in the guy who's leading my team.

          Paul Kuharsky: First off, neither is due a penny until the first week of the season. Cutting Andy Levitre (due $6.5 million) would only save $2.3 million. I think he probably gets one more shot, but they'd like to upgrade the threat to take his job away. Cutting Kamerion Wimbley (due $1.85 million) would only save $950,000. He's not come close to living up to his deal, even after it was trimmed. But my guess is he'll have a chance to win the third or fourth outside backer spot.