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Last year, the Titans were planning to make a play for former Texans defensive end Mario Williams. The failure of quarterback Peyton Manning to make a timely decision regarding his next team, however, kept the Titans on the sidelines long enough to let the Bills finish the deal.

This year, the Titans are believed to be plotting another run at a high-end pass-rusher.

When the legal tampering period opens on Saturday, look for the Titans to pursue negotiations with one or more of the top defensive ends, from Osi Umenyiora to Dwight Freeney to John Abraham.

And if they want to spend a whole lot of money, they could try to woo Cliff Avril.

Abraham is the most intriguing of that group. Cut last week by the Falcons, he’s already a free agent. Last year, the Titans were in the mix to sign him, before he opted to return to Atlanta.

This year, he could be the fallback option is the Titans don’t get one of the names higher on their wish list.