Injury to Quandre Diggs allows Titans to evaluate younger safeties

The Tennessee Titans lost veteran safety Quandre Diggs to a season-ending foot injury in Sunday's victory over the New England Patriots . The aging Diggs signed a one-year contract with the Titans in August. This injury makes him unlikely to return to a rebuilding team in 2025.

Mike Brown is the third safety and should be elevated into the starting role opposite Amani Hooker in the wake of Diggs' season-ending injury. Prior to Sunday, Brown had played two defensive snaps all season long. He played a hefty 56 defensive snaps, 81% of Dennard Wilson's available workload, versus the Patriots.

Brown is a 25-year-old safety on a one-year contract. He's carrying a base salary and cap charge under $1 million, according to Spotrac . Brown is scheduled to be an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) in the offseason, meaning the Titans could retain his services at an inexpensive cost. General manager Ran Carthon will enter the market for a starting-caliber safety, but the former Miami (Ohio) standout is about to receive an opportunity to play himself into a larger role.

On a side note, the Titans somewhat botched the safety position this summer. Signing Jamal Adams and Diggs made Elijah Molden request a trade. Fast forward to early December and none of those veteran defensive backs are on the Titans roster. Diggs was a quality addition and his injury is unfortunate, but the Adams signing was a disaster. Meanwhile Molden is playing well for the Los Angeles Chargers , the Titans' upcoming opponent.

The other safety worth evaluating following Diggs' injury in a wasted campaign is Julius Wood. The Titans claimed Wood off waivers in late August following the Molden trade. Despite being on the 53-man roster, the former East Carolina standout has often been a healthy scratch, and hasn't played a single defensive snap this campaign.