Calling Germaine Pratt a leader and a productive player, Titans coach Brian Callahan said the team will do its due diligence in evaluating the former Cincinnati linebacker.
The Bengals cut Pratt, a team captain, on Monday in a move made partially for salary-cap purposes and partially because Cincinnati drafted two inside linebackers during the first four rounds of the NFL Draft in April.
A six-year starter for the Bengals after he was drafted by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2019 draft, the 6-3, 250-pound Pratt totaled a combined 261 tackles over the past two seasons. He finished tied for 10th in the NFL with 143 tackles last season.
“Germaine was a key piece of our defense in our runs when I was there at Cincinnati — leader, good player, productive player,” said Callahan, whose first year as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2019 coincided with Pratt’s rookie season in the Queen City.
“He’s kind of been responsible for some pretty memorable moments for those [Bengals] teams in those years. I was with him from the time he was drafted until I left, so I got a good knowledge of the person. [He’s] certainly the type of guy you want to be around.”
One of several memorable Pratt moments in Cincinnati came in a 2021 playoff game against the Raiders, when Pratt intercepted a pass in the end zone to secure the Bengals’ 26-19 victory.
“I’m very appreciative of what Germaine has done for our team over the last six years,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said in a release. “He has been a part of plays and wins that will be remembered forever by Bengals fans. I will always pull for Germaine and I wish him the best moving forward.”
Would the Titans, who lack experience at inside linebacker aside from Cody Barton, be open to signing Pratt, who had been headed into the final season of a three-year, $20.75 million contract?
The Titans have just over $30 million in available cap space, per Over the Cap, the 10th-highest figure in the league.
“I think anytime good players are available, you do due diligence,” Callahan said. “It always takes two sides to make something happen. There’s got to be interest on both sides.
“But we’re certainly not at the point where we would ever turn our nose up at a player that is available. We’ll do our research. We’ll do our due diligence. Whether that materializes or not, who knows?”
Barton is a given at one inside linebacker spot, as the six-year veteran signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Titans earlier this offseason.
But the position next to him has yet to be solidified, with players like James Williams, Cedric Gray, Otis Reese IV and Anfernee Orji all involved in the competition.
Williams and Gray were 2024 draft picks who didn’t see much time on the field last season, while Reese is a former undrafted free agent heading into his third year. Orji, a former Vanderbilt standout, is entering his second season after making 30 tackles for New Orleans last year.
“I’m excited about what those guys have done,” Callahan said. “Cedric and James … have grown … It’s hard to evaluate linebackers without pads. But being in the right spot, reading the right keys, being in the right spot in the pass game — all that stuff you can see parts of — and those guys have made some jumps. I’m looking forward to seeing what they look like in training camp.”