Karl Klug, Tennessee Titans Agree to New Contract

The Tennessee Titans announced Thursday they agreed to terms on a deal to re-sign Karl Klug.

The Titans selected Klug in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. Over the last six years, he has been a fixture along the line, filling in at defensive end and defensive tackle.

Prior to the 2016 season, he was remarkably durable as well. The 28-year-old didn't miss a single regular-season game between 2011 and 2015.

However, Klug's health is a major question mark going into the 2017 season. He missed Tennessee's final two games last year after suffering a torn left Achilles.

The recovery process for major Achilles injuries can be particularly arduous, and it's no guarantee an athlete can return to the player he or she was before the injury.

ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky reported Feb. 13 Klug's recovery was going according to plan. Kuharsky speculated the fact Klug would likely be out until training camp increased his chances of staying with the Titans.

The general doubt around Klug's value could end up working to Tennessee's benefit. Klug was a solid pass-rusher in limited duty, and Joe Goodberry, who contributed to Bleacher Report's NFL1000 series, thought Klug began 2016 well before eventually falling off:

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[Klug] played 398 snaps for Tennessee and continued to be the same situational defender for the Titans that he's been during his six-year career. Despite posting only 1.5 sacks in 2016, he was a solid pass-rusher due to his athleticism and leverage. Klug consistently applied pressure from the inside, and as a run-defending end, he displayed the athleticism to be a nuisance for offenses. There was a good stretch of games where Klug was outplaying teammate Jurrell Casey, but he eventually cooled off and finished as our 31st-ranked 3-4 defensive end.

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Pro Football Focus graded Klug as the 22nd-best interior defender (81.3), and his 78.3 pass-rushing grade was 12th at the position.

Re-signing Klug to bolster the line is preferable for the Titans to potentially overspending on a player in a lackluster free-agent market. Especially after Kawann Short, Jason Pierre-Paul and Chandler Jones all received the franchise tag, free agency isn't fertile ground for teams looking to address the defensive line.

In the event Klug's Achilles tear proves to be a bigger problem than the team envisioned, then it wouldn't be a costly mistake nor would it drastically alter the Tennessee's defensive plans for 2017.

Should Klug return to his pre-injury 2016 self, he'd be a nice bargain for the Titans. He'd provide depth and experience to the line with a more than reasonable contract.