As expected, the Tennessee Titans will apply the franchise tag to defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth if a new long-term deal isn’t worked out before next Thursday’s deadline for using the tool for restricting otherwise unrestricted free agents.

If the non-exclusive tag is used, Haynesworth will received a one-year tender offer worth $6.37 million, the average of the five highest-paid players at his position based on 2007 cap numbers. 

But the Titans could choose to use the exclusive version of the tag, which would prevent Haynesworth from negotiating with other teams — and which would base his one-year salary on the 2008 cap numbers of the five highest-paid players at the position.

With the free-agent market relatively slim for defensive linemen and the Giants showing what a powerful defensive line can do, Haynesworth figures to be a hot commodity, even though it would be wise for teams to remember his hot head, which manifested itself in various ways before Haynesworth entered his contract year.