"Had Some Phone Calls" and the Tush Push is On Life Support | The Most Interesting Things to Emerge from Day 1 of the NFL Combine

Unfortunately, I’m not in Indianapolis this week.

Disappointingly, I wasn’t able to make the trek financially feasible to the NFL Combine this season.

It’s a bummer not just to miss out on the world-famous and sinus-cleansing shrimp cocktail from Saint Elmo’s but also the scoops and nuggets of information that emerge from Prime 47, the J.W. Marriott and even passing conversations on the city’s sidewalks that emerge from this week.

But, fear not, my cell phone still works, so I’ll be spending the week checking in with sources on both the agent and team sides of some of the biggest storylines beginning to unfold across the league as the offseason shifts into overdrive. And, my days this week will be filled by monitoring the various head coach and general manager press conferences taking place inside the colossal Indianapolis Convention Center.

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Here are my biggest takeaways, and what you might have missed, from Tuesday’s press conferences.

The Tennessee Titans Sound Open for Business at the No. 1 Pick

“We’ve had some phone calls,” - Tennessee Titans GM Mike Borgonzi

It sure sounds like, and reinforced by friend, colleague, and podcast-partner

Mike Tanier

’s in-the-room analysis, like Borgonzi and the Titans would love to trade down.

** Be sure to subscribe to

Mike Tanier's Too Deep Zone

for updates, analysis, and eccentric coverage of the Combine LIVE from Indianapolis **

Tennessee moving back from No. 1, but staying within the top-10 picks is a move that I advocated for when we kicked off our offseason blueprint series for each team, with the Titans a couple weeks ago.

Make no mistake, the Titans are as quarterback-needy and desperate as any team in the league, but this is not the year to be searching for your long-term solution at the most important position in sports.

Given how polarizing the evaluations of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward have been as draft season kicks into gear, and how many holes the Titans currently have at critical positions across the roster, Borgonzi would be far better served, in the long run, by signing a veteran quarterback in free agency this year and loading up on draft capital both in this draft and most importantly next season.

Adding a generational pass rusher such as Abdul Carter would be nice, flashy, and impactful.

Carter in Tennessee feels line condemning the Penn State game-wrecker to Myles Garrett’s career trajectory; potential Gold Jacket player mired in mediocrity.

Likewise, the Titans are pretty far away from competing even in the wide-open AFC South, and if they can wrangle a couple of first-round picks to slide back a few spots, it’s probably the most prudent course Tennessee can take.

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The Chicago Bears are going to be AGGRESSIVE