2012 NFL Free Agents: Tennessee Titans to Take a Run at DE Mario Williams?

The Tennessee Titans have been a team tied to free-agent defensive end Mario Williams since the offseason began. 

Just a day removed from the start of free agency, it appears as if there is a certain degree of real interest from the Titans in Williams. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter said Monday while appearing on SportsCenter that the Titans are "a team that might make a run" at signing Williams in free agency. Terry McCormick of Titans Insider tweeted later Monday that he reported something similar during the 2012 Senior Bowl, confirming Schefter's report in a round-about way. 

Given the Titans' salary cap situation and need for a pass-rushing defensive end, the interest makes sense.

According to Pro Football Talk, the Titans sit a plump $28.1 million under the NFL's $120.6 million salary cap for the 2012 season. That leaves Titans management plenty of room to give Williams a big deal, even if they have to outbid several other suitors.  

It's certainly possible that Williams' end contract could approach the six-year, $91 million deal Julius Peppers signed with the Chicago Bears in March of 2010. The Titans could fit that deal under their cap with no problem. 

Titans' Ruston Webster also said during the draft that "the one position that probably [overpaying for a free agent] can happen with the most is a pass-rushing defensive lineman."

While that's not a declaration worthy of the Titans entering a bidding war for Williams, it does signal that Webster would be willing should Tennessee have the appropriate interest. 

With the way the Titans' defensive line is currently structured, it would be difficult to understand why the Titans wouldn't have some level of interest. 

Rookie Karl Klug led the team in sacks with just seven last season. No other defensive lineman had more than four and the team total had just 28.

Jason Jones, who played well at defensive end before being moved inside last season, is a free agent this offseason. If he leaves, and the consensus is he will, the Titans will need more depth and talent on the defensive line. 

Adding Williams, who has 54 career sacks, would give Tennessee the kind of defensive line presence it has lacked since Albert Haynesworth chased a boatload of money to Washington. It would also be weakening a divisional rival that won the division last season.

The Titans will obviously have competition for Williams' services, and the team may not be willing to get into a bidding war for the former No. 1 overall pick.

But interest is the first condition necessary for a team to make a move of this kind, and it appears as if the Titans have it. Tennessee isn't the front-runner for Williams, but they are a fascinating dark horse in what should be the No. 2 overall free-agent chase this offseason.