Should the Titans re-sign C Corey Levin?
Welcome to Music City Miracles’ Tennessee Titans 2024 NFL Free Agency Primer! The legal tampering period begins on March 11th, but the Titans are able to re-sign their own free agents before then. General manager Ran Carthon now possesses full roster control and will collaborate with new head coach Brian Callahan on their vision for the 2024 Titans.
The Titans are currently scheduled to possess 24 free agents (19 unrestricted), including several key starters and role players. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take an in-depth look at each free agent and provide arguments for why the Titans should, or shouldn’t re-sign that player. We’ll also offer our final verdict and a prediction to go along with our analysis.
Today, we’re analyzing depth interior offensive linemen Corey Levin.
Name: Corey Levin
Position: Center/Guard
Current Age: 29
Why the Titans should re-sign Levin
The Titans drafted Levin in 2017. He rejoined the franchise in 2021 and has been a depth mainstay ever since. This past season, Levin was limited to nine offensive snaps. Starting center Aaron Brewer stayed healthy throughout the course of the 17-game campaign, so Levin was relegated to backup duties and jumbo packages.
Levin played a significant amount of snaps in 2022 when then starter Ben Jones was dealing with recurring concussion issues. Levin handled himself admirably, scoring a 81.6 pass protection grade from Pro Football Focus through 251 total offensive snaps. Levin is versatile enough to play all three interior offensive line positions. That versatility and familiarity offers value as a backup offensive linemen.
Why the Titans should let Levin walk
It’s time for the Titans to get some new, young blood in the offensive line room. General manager Ran Carthon is going to retool the offensive line this offseason. The Titans possess the cap space and draft capital necessary to replace aging backups like Levin. Mike Vrabel, Tim Kelly, and offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling are no longer in place. The new staff doesn’t possess familiarity with Levin, which may hinder his chances to return.
Projected Contract
The former Chattanooga standout played out the 2023 campaign on a one-year contract worth $1.035 million, according to Spotrac. Levin will likely search for another short-term contract slightly above the veteran minimum. Money isn’t going to dictate whether the Titans re-sign Levin or not.
Final verdict
I do have an alternative scenario in mind. The Titans should upgrade the right guard spot in their starting lineup, relegating Daniel Brunskill to backup duties. Brunskill is on a reasonable contract and is scheduled to carry a $3.3 million cap charge in 2024, per Spotrac. The Titans shouldn’t release Brunskill even if he’s no longer the starting right guard.
Brunskill has played more than 550 career snaps at center, primarily playing there in 2020 for the San Francisco 49ers. Brunskill could be the new Levin in 2024, offering the Titans three-position versatility as the primary backup at all three interior offensive line spots. That would mean Levin is no longer needed.
Prediction
The Titans travel in a different direction. The aging Levin has been a quality backup for the Titans, but Carthon is about to completely retool this offensive line. New head coach Brian Callahan may prefer a player with different qualities.
