Ryan Hayes

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Titans secured solid value with Ryan Hayes at $1.1M AAV, earning a C+ CVI that reflects a fair market deal for an offensive tackle in his tier. While Hayes hasn't established himself as a franchise-caliber blindside protector, this modest investment represents smart roster building for a team that needs affordable depth along the offensive line. The $2.1M total commitment suggests this is likely a short-term prove-it contract, which limits Tennessee's downside risk while giving Hayes an opportunity to elevate his stock. At just over $1M annually, the Titans aren't betting the farm on Hayes becoming their long-term answer at tackle, but they're getting a serviceable option without breaking the bank. This type of shrewd, low-risk signing allows Tennessee to allocate bigger dollars elsewhere while maintaining competent protection for their quarterback — exactly the kind of move rebuilding teams should be making.

Performance Analysis

Ryan Hayes sits firmly at the replacement-level tier among NFL offensive tackles, and his D- performance grade reflects a player who has done little in three seasons to distinguish himself from the bottom of the position's depth pool. Drafted in the seventh round with the 238th overall pick in 2023, Hayes has the profile of a late-round flier who never converted developmental upside into legitimate starter-caliber production, and his current role with the Titans underscores that ceiling. With just three games of documented production on his current contract, there is simply not enough on-field evidence to construct a case for him as anything beyond emergency depth at the tackle position. The media framing around his signing is telling — this was covered as routine offseason roster churning, the kind of move that generates five brief transaction headlines and no real excitement, with fans largely registering it as background noise amid larger offensive line concerns. His journeyman path through multiple practice squads signals that evaluators across the league have consistently landed in the same place on his upside, and the Titans are essentially the latest stop on that circuit. With the regular season still 131 days away, Hayes faces a genuinely difficult path to making the 53-man roster without injuries creating a lane ahead of him, and nothing in the data suggests he should be penciled in as anything other than a camp body competing at the fringe of the depth chart.

Fan Sentiment

Ryan Hayes is a classic camp body signing with minimal immediate impact expected. Media coverage is virtually nonexistent, signaling low organizational priority for this move. Hayes went undrafted in 2023 out of Michigan, suggesting limited NFL ceiling at the position. Titans fans are largely indifferent, viewing this as routine offseason roster maintenance. Hayes projects as a practice squad candidate unless injuries create unexpected opportunity along the offensive line.