The market for veteran pass rushers such as Dwight Freeney, John Abraham and Osi Umenyiora was expected to be dominated by NFL playoff contenders.
Abraham already has visited the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. The Denver Broncosare heavily interested in Freeney, as are the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams reportedly are in on Umenyiora as well. The New England Patriots are expected to be in the mix for all three.
One non-contender ready to enter the fray is the Tennessee Titans. According to TitanInsider, the team has discussed all three veterans, in addition to Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Michael Bennett.
The Titans' interest doesn't end with pass rushers, however. They could be leading a four-team chase for top guard Andy Levitre.
If the Titans can't reach a deal with Sen'Derrick Marks before Tuesday, defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois is a possible replacement.
As Jared Cook's market threatens to spiral out of control, the Titans are studying Dustin Keller and Martellus Bennett as alternatives at tight end.
With plenty of salary-cap space and several glaring needs, Titans general manager Ruston Webster will be one of the NFL's most aggressive free-agent pursuers next week. He'll have his work cut out for him if he wants to keep one of Freeney, Abraham or Umenyiora out of the clutches of contenders.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
