Source: Titans agree to 3-year deal with Awuzie
Free agent cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and center Lloyd Cushenberry have agreed to terms with the Tennessee Titans.
Awuzie’s deal is for three years and $25.5 million with $17.5 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, while Cushenberry agreed to a four-year deal for $50 million with $26 million guaranteed at signing, according to a report by Pro Football Focus.
Awuzie started in 10 of his 15 appearances for the Cincinnati Bengals last season as he recovered from a torn ACL in his right knee he suffered in 2022.
Before the injury on Halloween 2022, Awuzie, who turns 29 this summer, was considered the Bengals’ top cornerback and one of the league’s most effective pass defenders. From Weeks 1 to 8 in 2022, Awuzie ranked fifth in the NFL in catches allowed below expectation, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
He was a value addition to the Bengals when he signed with the team in 2021 on a three-year, $21.75 million deal. Awuzie started in 32 of his 37 appearances with Cincinnati and tallied 25 pass deflections, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
The Bengals have invested significant resources at cornerback in recent drafts, using second-round picks on Cam Taylor-Britt in 2022 and DJ Turner II in 2023.
Awuzie entered the league in 2017 as a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys. In seven NFL seasons, he has 369 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions and 62 passes defensed.
Cushenberry, a third-round pick in the 2020 draft, played all but three snaps this past season. He likely had his best season in what was the most stable position group in a topsy-turvy campaign.
Until right tackle Mike McGlinchey missed the season finale with a rib injury, the Broncos had started the same five offensive linemen in the previous 16 games. Cushenberry played with consistency and better power at the point of attack than he had in previous years.
Quarterback Russell Wilson and coach Sean Payton consistently lauded Cushenberry’s pre-snap decision-making. He has started all 57 games he has played in over the last four seasons and has topped 1,000 snaps in three of his four seasons.
ESPN’s Ben Baby and Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
