Titans Doubling Down on Skoronski is Actually Smart, Even if Everyone Thinks They're Wasting Money

Let me tell you something that will make you uncomfortable. The Tennessee Titans made a logical decision this offseason, and the entire internet is going to get it wrong. They're exercising the fifth-year option on Peter Skoronski, and every talking head who doesn't understand offensive line economics is going to tear them apart for it. I'm here to tell you that the consensus is completely backwards on this one, and I'm prepared to explain exactly why the Titans understand their roster better than the pundits screaming about cap space and draft busts.

First, let's establish what we know about Peter Skoronski. The Titans selected him third overall in 2023 out of Purdue, and yes, that was an aggressively early selection for an offensive lineman in a draft class that looked questionable at the tackle position. When Tennessee made that pick, there were legitimate questions about whether they were overdoing it. There were superior prospects available. The draft grades weren't exactly glowing. But here's what everyone conveniently forgets when they're writing their hot takes about wasted draft capital: the Titans have to actually live with this player for the next several years. They can't undo the pick. They can't go back in time and select someone different. All they can do now is decide whether Skoronski has earned the right to stay in their plans going forward.

And this is where the consensus completely breaks down. Everyone wants to talk about what the Titans "should have done" in 2023. Everyone wants to relitigate the draft pick. Everyone wants to debate whether he was the right guy with the third overall selection. That's all completely irrelevant now. The only question that matters is this: is Peter Skoronski a useful right guard for the Tennessee Titans right now in 2024 and beyond? The answer to that question is yes, and it's not even close.

Let's talk about what Skoronski has actually done on the field instead of what people assumed he would do. He's been a functioning NFL right guard. He's played meaningful snaps. He's shown the ability to move around and play in different situations. Is he elite? No. Is he the best right guard in football? Absolutely not. But do you know what offensive linemen who are functioning, productive players in the NFL actually cost in terms of money? They cost a fortune. A good right guard in free agency is going to demand north of fifteen million dollars per year. That's not an opinion. That's just the market reality of NFL offensive lineman compensation right now.

The Titans are currently in a rebuild with Will Levis as their quarterback. They need stability. They need continuity. They need to know that their offensive line isn't going to completely crumble while they're trying to develop their young signal caller. Skoronski provides that baseline level of competence. He's not going to blow anyone's mind with his play, but he's also not going to completely fall apart and let pass rushers into the backfield untouched. That matters more than people think, especially when you're trying to build something long-term.

Here's the part that really gets me about the criticism of this move. Everyone wants to talk about how the Titans are "committed to failure" or "doubling down on a mistake." Nobody wants to acknowledge the actual alternative. If you don't pick up the fifth-year option on Skoronski, what happens? You get yourself into free agency with the need to replace a right guard, and you're competing with every other team in the league for a diminishing pool of talented interior offensive linemen. You're either paying premium dollars for an unrestricted free agent, or you're reaching in the draft again at an elevated position, or you're taking some washed-up veteran on the back end of his career.

None of those alternatives are clearly better than keeping a young player who has shown competence at the position and who was already compensated heavily in the draft process. That's the thing people don't want to understand about roster management. It's not about individual decisions being perfect. It's about making the least bad choice available to you at any given moment. Picking up Skoronski's option is the least bad choice. It's not sexy. It's not going to get you cheers on Twitter. But it's the right football decision.

I also want to address the elephant in the room, which is that the Titans are clearly not competing for anything right now. They're not a Super Bowl contender. They're not even clearly a playoff team. So why would they care about continuity? Why would they care about having a consistent right guard? Well, because you don't win championships by constantly churning and turning your roster. You win them by building. You win them by finding a core of competent players and building around that. The Titans have Derrick Henry, and now they're committed to Will Levis, and they need to give that young quarterback every possible advantage. Having a consistent, functioning right guard who isn't going to embarrass you in the run game is one of those advantages.

Look at what successful teams do. They draft a player early, they develop him, and if he shows any signs of competence at all, they keep him and build continuity around him. They don't constantly blow things up and start over. They don't panic at the first sign of struggle. The Titans are showing some patience and some long-term vision here, and I respect that. I respect the fact that they're not getting caught up in the moment-to-moment discourse about whether Skoronski was the "right pick." They're making a practical decision about what's best for their football team right now and in the immediate future.

The contract situation is also favorable for Tennessee. A fifth-year option for a third-overall pick in 2023 is not going to break the bank. It's going to be a manageable number that allows the Titans to keep building their roster without being handcuffed. They can still address other needs. They can still add pieces in free agency and the draft. This isn't a salary cap nightmare. This is a reasonable financial decision that provides roster stability.

I've got no doubt that there's going to be criticism of this move. There's going to be discourse about how the Titans are wasting money on a draft bust, about how they should have moved on, about how this shows poor roster management. All of that criticism is going to be completely wrong, and I'm telling you that right now. The Titans made a decision that prioritizes long-term stability over short-term satisfaction, and that's exactly the kind of decision that winning organizations make.

VERDICT: The Titans are right, the critics are wrong, and Skoronski's fifth-year option is a clean A-minus move that shows patience and vision. This team gets it.