How good are the Titans at cornerback?
Last season, the Tennessee Titans went into the year incredibly confident in their secondary. Then-general manager Ran Carthon had acquired L’Jarius Sneed, Chido Awuzie, Jamal Adams, and Quandre Diggs, among others, during the offseason. Fans were even adamant about the Titans having one of the best secondaries in the entire league.
It blew up in Carthon’s face.
Sneed was limited to five appearances after signing a contract extension worth more than $76 million after arriving in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. As of this year’s mandatory minicamp, he was still dealing with the aftereffects of a peculiar, stubborn quad injury. Sneed’s status moving forward will help determine whether Tennessee’s cornerback room is a strength or weakness.
None of those other offseason moves particularly worked, either. Awuzie played in eight games due to injury and was cut by new GM Mike Borgonzi shortly after his hiring. Diggs brought veteran leadership, but also suffered a season-ending injury, and wasn’t re-signed this offseason. Adams asked for his release after playing a limited reserve role in three games.
Fifth-round rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr. played the most snaps on the entire Titans defense (913) and heads into 2025 as an unquestioned starter. If Sneed isn’t healthy, Brownlee Jr. will be Dennard Wilson’s no. 1 cornerback.
Roger McCreary was the second-most snapped corner (653), though waiver-claim addition Darrell Baker Jr. (628) didn’t trail far behind. McCreary will start at the nickel again. Baker Jr. is in the mix outside, especially if Sneed continues being sidelined.
The Titans selected former Cal cornerback Marcus Harris in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Harris routinely impressed the coaching staff at OTAs and minicamp. He’s one to watch closely at training camp. If there’s opportunity, he could be the 2025 version of Brownlee Jr. or Baker Jr.
The Titans initially signed five cornerbacks as undrafted free agents, though two of them (Garnett Hollis Jr. and Virgil Lemons) didn’t last long. The remaining UDFAs are Jalen Kimber, Jemari Harris, and Davion Ross. They’ll compete with sophomore UDFA Gabe Jeudy-Lally and recent free-agent signing Amani Oruwariye for the sixth and final spot at cornerback.
It’s no coincidence the Titans added so many undrafted rookies at cornerback. They’ve fairly consistently churned the back-end of the position over in free agency. They’re hoping to increase the competition on the roster while maybe getting lucky and identifying a future solution amidst so much uncertainty (Sneed’s injury, McCreary in a contract year).
A lot changes in a year.