Two recent cap casualties are on the Titans’ radar, one of them having an extensive history with GM Ran Carthon. A year after Carthon brought in Daniel Brunskill and Azeez Al-Shaair from the 49ers, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports Arik Armstead is on the team’s radar.
While other teams are expected to show interest in the departing San Francisco standout, the Titans are a known suitor. Armstead, 30, has played all nine seasons of his career with the 49ers. Carthon was not in San Francisco’s front office when the team chose him in the 2015 first round, but the veteran exec was with the team when it extended the 6-foot-7 D-lineman. Armstead is likely set to be a post-June 1 49ers cut, though he would be free to sign elsewhere beginning Wednesday.
Additionally, the Titans have scheduled a visit with former Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Spending six years with the Dolphins, Baker received his walking papers as the AFC East team made a journey under the salary cap. That odyssey involved cutting multiple regulars. The Titans saw the Dolphins sign linebacker David Long last year; they will see about adding Baker during a Thursday meeting.
Carthon’s team is changing its defense this offseason, bringing in Dennard Wilson to run the show after six years with Mike Vrabel (feat. Shane Bowen) in charge. Armstead has excelled in both 4-3 and 3-4 defenses, being moved to a full-time defensive tackle role as the 49ers found their footing under Kyle Shanahan. While Armstead has battled injury trouble over the past two seasons, he declined a 49ers pay cut and will test free agency for the first time. He will do so not long after undergoing knee surgery; knee and foot issues cost Armstead late-season time last year, though he returned for San Francisco’s playoff slate.
The 49ers gave Armstead a big-ticket extension in 2020, choosing a slightly cheaper deal there rather than giving DeForest Buckner a top-market DT deal. Armstead stayed mostly healthy from 2019-21, racking up 10 sacks to help the Super Bowl LIV-bound 49ers in 2019 and adding six as the 49ers returned to the NFC title game two years later. He totaled five sacks and 13 QB hits — matching his second-highest single-season total — despite missing five regular-season games in 2023. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran fifth among interior D-linemen in pass rushing, while ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric slotted him 10th.
Miami gave Baker a…