2012 NFL Free Agents: 3 CBs Who Could Replace Cortland Finnegan in Tennessee

It would be a tough loss to the Tennessee Titans defense if cornerback Cortland Finnegan signs elsewhere this offseason, but nonetheless, the Music City must prepare a plan to part ways as anything can happen in free agency

Also, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, Finnegan appears to be preparing for a split: "I’m discouraged nothing has happened,'' Finnegan said. "but I am still in a holding pattern.”

That said, here are three corners the Titans should consider if Finnegan is not re-signed.

Tracy Porter

The only concern about Tracy Porter is his health. In four NFL seasons, he has never played a full 16 games and had just two interceptions combined between 2010 and 2011.

Now, it's clear that he's been tested less frequently because of a strong 2009 campaign in which he had four picks, two forced fumbles and 57 tackles. And that doesn't even take into consideration the playmaking skills he demonstrated in the postseason of that same year.

The Saints had a supremely weak pass defense this past season, still Porter managed to defend 10 passes and made 52 tackles while playing in only 14 games.

As we saw in the NFC divisional playoffs against San Francisco, New Orleans needed to make changes defensively. Although Porter has been good for the Big Easy, he's not a No. 1 corner.

For Tennessee, though, he's a great complement to safeties Michael Griffin, Chris Hope and Jordan Babineaux.

Terrell Thomas

It was a tough break for the New York Giants before the 2011 season began when Terrell Thomas missed the year due to injury. Fortunately for the Giants, they still got to the Super Bowl without Thomas, so it would be surprising to see him re-sign in the Big Apple.

The Titans need to add him on the list because he is one of the more complete corners in the league. In 2010, he recorded 101 tackles, forced four fumbles, picked off five passes and defended 21 balls.

Great with edge run support and press coverage because of his size, Thomas is the ideal candidate the Titans need to contend with Houston in the AFC South. He can blanket any No. 2 receiver in single coverage and shut down the perimeter ground game.

Even if the Titans manage to retain Finnegan, they still need to pursue Thomas. They would make one sweet cornerback tandem.

Brent Grimes

Despite playing on a weak pass defense, Brent Grimes was the best secondary defender for the Atlanta Falcons.

Grimes made 11 interceptions between 2009 and 2010 while defending a total of 36 passes and making 153 tackles. This past season, Grimes was not challenged nearly enough and saw a drop in numbers which displayed his lock-down ability.

The downside was that he also missed four games, otherwise his 14 defended passes and 49 tackles would have be a lot higher. Still, Grimes is a reliable corner who can help with run support when needed while shutting down the opponent's No. 1 or No. 2 target.

After all, stopping the run is a priority in Tennessee, whereas the Falcons struggled across the board when it came to defense.

John Rozum on Twitter.