Easton Freeze discusses the T’Vondre Sweat trade with former Titans GM Ran Carthon
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Video Transcript
All right, live from Radio Row at the Combine.
I’m here with former Titans GM, Ran Carthan.
You probably know who he is.
He’s now with CBS Sports.
Ran, thanks for sitting down with me.
Yeah, no problem, man.
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Wanted to grab you when, this week, a little news about one of the guys you drafted pretty highly, Tavenbre Sweat.
He’s now been traded to the Jets.
The first thing you said to me when I came over was, “This is a fit thing.”
Is that what all this comes down to, is a fit thing to you?
As far as I know.
Sure.
especially, with my experience with Robert Saleh and his defense, I think there was a way, in my mind.
I think, I think Tavenbre could play within the scheme, but I know a lot of what they like to do up front is be able to penetrate, attack gaps, and T- Tavenbre is seen as a big two gapper, you know, nose tackle that’s gonna eat up space and allow those backers to run free at the second level.
So it’s a fit, plus, you know, the Titans feel like they need a edge rush, and they’re able to get a guy like Jermaine Johnson, who Robert Saleh was a part of drafting, a guy that Robert Saleh knows can put his hand in the dirt, play that wide nine system, so it just makes sense.
What have you made of Tavenbre’s career so far?
You, you’ve, you’ve seen it at every step.
You, you, you know what you were projecting him to look like when you made the pick in the first place.
Where do you think he’s headed, and where has he been so far?
I think he’s been solid.
I really do.
I think he had I thought he had a really good rookie year, to be, be honest with you.
And then the second year is kind of I kind of seen games intermittently.
Like, I watched some games live as, as being in studio, doing my job, but it wasn’t a time where I just sat back and I studied Titans film to really break down his performance.
So if I gave you a, a grade on him right now, I’d be, I’d be lying, and so I’m not gonna do that.
But, I think he’s, I think he’s still gonna be a really good player.
The nose tackle position is a thankless job.
we were on set the other day, and we had, Kayden McDonnell from Ohio State, and we were talking to him about playing nose tackle and what that meant.
And the cool thing for me was, talking to Arvale Reese, talking to Sonny Stiles, talking to some of the other guys on their defense, and they all singled out Kayden McDonnell as the nose tackle, said, “We can’t do what we do- if we don’t have him in the lineup.”
And they was like, “We know he didn’t make a ton of plays, in terms of, production tackles, but we can’t do what we do.
The linebackers and Arvale Reese, we can’t run around and make these plays if Kayden McDonnell isn’t holding up the point.”
And I never forget, when we, when we drafted, Tavenbre, the first text I got was from Jeffrey Simmons that said, “Thank you” ’cause he was looking for somebody to, to run with him.
Sure.
And so I, again, it, it becomes a scheme fit.
I’m assuming the scheme will change.
It had predominantly been a 3-4 under Vrabel, and then under Denard Wilson, and now I’m pretty sure it’s transitioning to a four down front.
Right.
And I still think him going to the Jets, I think he’s gonna be a good fit for them.
Well, so you mentioned with McDonnell and, and how big a, a role he plays in that kind of defense like they ran at Ohio State.
Can you help people understand from an X’s and O’s standpoint how a 4-3 front, like what Saleh wants to do, operates differently and doesn’t need that traditional nose?
it doesn’t necessarily need that traditional nose, because a lot of their stuff is being able to attack gaps, obviously being gap sound- Mm-hmm and being able to hold the point.
But if you look at- Easton what they were able to do, it’s, it’s generated on having that three technique, and when we were in San Francisco, we had a DeForest Buckner, and then even- eventually became a Arik Armstead.
But then having those, those defensive ends, those guys that are big, they’re strong, they can set the edge, but also rush the passer.
Having linebackers that can cover that deep crosser route, being able to fit their run, make their run fit, and then if, if they need to get out, peel out, can they take that, deep crosser away?
Mm-hmm.
And that’s where you get a guy like Fred Warner, that we had in San Francisco.
So all those things are gonna matter and are gonna fit, and for, for the Titans, they’re gonna have to, you know, kind of evolve a little bit, because again, the last couple years you’ve been drafting for a 3-4.
Now again, the difference, I, I never forget Wade Phillips, when I was with the Rams and we hired him as the D coordinator, and we had been a four down front under Jeff Fisher.
And so our concern was we had Robert Quinn- Mm-hmm who was a, a hand in the dirt defensive end, and I remember asking Wade, like, “What’s the plan for Robert?”
Like, “Are we Do you wanna move on from him?
Is he not a fit?”
And Wade’s like, “He had 18 sacks two years ago.
Like- he fits.”
So we’re like, “But, but what about…?”
He was like, “Let me show you the difference between a 3-4 and a 4-3.”
He was like, “4-3 I mean, 3-4, 4-3.”
4-3.
3-4.
He was like, “I don’t care if he stands up or puts his hand in the dirt- as long as he’s on that edge and going.”
Sure.
So there’ll be some adjustments, some adjustments made, but they’re still, no matter what, they’re gonna wanna get their style of player in there.
Putting your GM hat on, were you surprised by the compensation?
A rare player for player trade, which I’m a big fan of, by the way.
We should do more just straight player for player trades like this.
Listen, if you’re, if you know that you’re ready to move on, then you just move on, whatever the compensation is.
Again, when you’re, Robert Saleh and you have a guy in Jermaine Johnson that you believe in, that you drafted- Mm-hmm that will be another year removed from his injury, and you know, like, hey, let’s just get this done.
There’s no posturing.
And that’s the, that’s the key is not necessarily being surprised about, whether you get, got compensation or not, or, or a draft pick.
It’s, it’s the posturing, you know?
Sure.
If your team And, and we do that.We do that a lot, and knowing that you wanna get rid of someone, well, we don’t know if we really wanna trade the guy or not, but you’re having meetings, like if we don’t get him traded, we’re gonna have to cut him.
So it was just no posturing on both sides.
We have something you want, you have something we want, let’s just get it done.
What’s your opinion of Jermaine Johnson?
What should Titans fans be expecting from him?
I mean, he’s a hard charger.
Hard charger, a really, excited rusher.
He’s gonna be a speed to power guy off the edge, and he’ll be able to hit you with a counter, counter move off of it, and he’ll be a physical edge setter.
And he’ll play with a relentless motor and, you know, chase the football from, you know, whether it’s the front side or down the backside.
I think, their defensive line coach, Aaron Whitecotton, who I, I revere, I think I, I love him.
He’s a friend of mine.
I worked with him again in San Francisco.
I think he’s gonna maximize that group and get the most out of them.
Last question.
Do you think ‘Cause before this trade, there was a lot of talk about the Titans going edge at four, big need.
still feels like a need even though you’ve added Johnson to the mix.
You’ve got, you’ve got him, raising the, the level of the group, but I It doesn’t complete the room by any means.
Do you think this move should change the math for the Titans at four?
No, I, I don’t think so, and the Titans are gonna be in a unique situation.
I- and obviously they’re gonna be able to have their choice.
They’re I’m pretty sure most teams, if you’re sitting, whether it’s Let’s, let’s forget number one pick.
Sure.
Right?
But if you’re two through five, I’m sure you have five guys that you’re like, “If they’re there, we’re gonna take them.”
Mm-hmm.
And so they’re gonna have their pick.
We just were talking about on air how many Ohio State guys will go in the top five.
And I’m, you know, the, the Sonny Stiles.
Sonny Stiles has made a lot of money yesterday.
No kidding.
And you talk about a Robert Saleh style middle linebacker.
the big thing for, for them is length.
Mm-hmm.
Being able to affect those throwing lanes.
We’re talking about a 6’5″ guy with a 43 and a half inch vertical that runs 4.4.
Okay, so hang on.
You were in San Francisco.
You were Is, is Robert gonna look at this guy and just be like, “Bring me my next Fred Warner”?
I would say at any other point, yes.
Okay.
But you have to see what is the value, and we, we had this conversation all week, positional value.
Sure.
Is a inside linebacker or off ball linebacker, are you taking that in your top five?
That’s the- How does that, how does that ring in your head?
It doesn’t ring in my head.
Okay.
To me, if you have a guy that’s a Pro Bowl player that’s gonna take your team to the next level, regardless of position, you take him.
Okay.
Right?
I mean, if for Titans fans, I know they’re gonna always be critical of the draft moves, of the free agency moves.
Sure.
If you take Sonny Stiles at four, and two years from now he’s first team All-Pro, or three years from now he’s first team All-Pro and Pro Bowl, are you upset?
No one’s gonna care.
And, and that But that’s the point.
Mm-hmm.
You know, you don’t pass up on a guy because you’re like, “Ah, he’s an inside linebacker, and instead of taking him at four, I really want I hope he’s there at 16.”
Well, he probably won’t be there at 16 either.
And so if- Right you want him, you take him, and you just understand what it, what it is.
Fran, thank you so much.
CBS Sports, guys, check them out.
Appreciate you.
Yeah, no doubt.