The NFL is set to emerge from its brief vacation with training camps set to open over the next couple of weeks. Tennessee’s camp opens up to rookies and veterans reporting on July 22. They are a part of 10 teams that opted for both rookies and veterans reporting on the same day. The Titans’ roster is set for the most part, but there are position battles that need resolving over the next month. Which positions will bear watching as training camp battles heat up?
Key Training Camp Battles To Watch For The Tennessee Titans
Inside Linebacker 2-5
The Contenders
1. Otis Reese IV
2. Cedric Gray
3. James Williams
4. Amari Burney
5. Curtis Jacobs
6. David Gbenda
7. Anferenee Orji
The hierarchy behind projected ILB1 and free agent signing Cody Barton is unsettled at best, deeply troubling at worst. Fortunately for the Titans, there are a multitude of options that could end up next to Barton. Tennessee’s depth chart features a mix of young guys and well-traveled veterans who could start and make a mark on special teams. How many inside linebackers will the Titans carry into the season?
Gray and Williams likely have the inside track to start alongside Barton, but look out for Burney and Orji to make a run at it. Gbenda is an undrafted free agent, so he’s likely placed on the practice squad if he performs well in camp. Reese is another young veteran who suffered from inconsistent form and injury last season. It’s entirely possible that Tennessee carries four or five inside linebackers after a spirited training camp battle between six players.
Cornerback 4 + 5 (6?)
The Contenders
1. Marcus Harris
2. Amani Oruwariye
3. Gabe Jeudy-Lally
4. Jermari Harris
5. Clarence Lewis
6. Jalen Kimber
7. Davion Ross
The back end of the cornerback depth chart is relatively stable, but precarious at the same time. It will be a key training camp battle for everyone to watch. Given the health and off-the-field issues of L’Jarius Sneed, depth is paramount. The top three cornerback spots are already spoken for, so the fight for CB4-5 and beyond is on. Marcus Harris and Jeudy-Lally should have the inside track since Harris is a recent draft pick and GJL was on the team last season. Oruwariye could surprise as a veteran option as well. Tennessee brought in Jermari Harris (no relation to Marcus), Lewis, Kimber, and Ross as UDFA signings. The expectation is that they will be competing for practice squad slots.
Wide Receiver 5-6 (7?)
The Contenders
1. Van Jefferson
2. Treylon Burks
3. Xavier Restrepo
4. Bryce Oliver
5. Jha’Quan Jackson
6. James Proche II
7. TJ Sheffield
8. Colton Dowell
There are likely three receivers who can feel secure about their positions on the team. The rest of the receiver room will have to sort itself out through a very strenuous competition. Jefferson isn’t tied to the team long-term after signing a one-year deal after leaving Pittsburgh. Treylon Burks’ saga has been well-chronicled, and this current administration does not have any emotional attachment to the oft-injured man. The only things saving him from a prompt ignominious end are his status as a former first-round selection and lengthy injury history. Jackson’s special-teams contribution was so abysmal that the team demoted him from the return role. Restrepo is the likely favorite to hold a roster spot due to his ties with Cam Ward.
Oliver could be the other favored contender to secure a final two (three?) receiver spot. Proche and Sheffield are the new faces to the race, but face immensely tough roads to make the initial roster. Six receivers seem the most likely, but seven isn’t out of the realm of logical possibilities.
OL Depth
Tackles
The Contenders
1. Oli Udoh
2. Jaelyn Duncan
3. John Ojukwu
4. Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
The fight for a backup tackle job will be a fierce one as the revamping of the offensive line triggered a seismic shift. Veterans, young players, and undrafted rookies dot the tackle room for the Titans. Two new faces in free agent signee Oli Udoh and UDFA Brendan Crenshaw-Dickson are the fresh faces. Duncan has performed poorly when thrust into action, given his raw attributes coming into the league. He has seen action at both tackle spots over the past couple of seasons. Ojukwu garnered some hype for the previous administration but has failed to live up to it during the Callahan era. Crenshaw-Dickson will present a significant challenge for him to retain a place on the 53.
Guard
The Contenders
1. Sam Mustipher
2. Blake Hance
3. Andrew Rupchich
Rupchich is the only returning Titans lineman in this training camp battle watch, so it could be speculated that he has the inside track for a roster spot. Hance is a Bill Callahan disciple, and Mustipher has positional versatility that could swing the odds in his favor, as he has experience at center. Chandler Brewer is a player who’s bounced around numerous teams’ active and practice squad rosters but won’t factor in any decision. The expectation is that Mustipher, barring injury, should secure a spot on the 53. Fifth-round draft choice Jackson Slater is the primary backup at left guard, so he wasn’t listed here.
Center
1. Brenden Jaimes
2. Corey Levin
The battle for the right to back up Lloyd Cushenberry is a hotly contested one and will go deep into the preseason. Levin traversed a well-worn path in Nashville, bouncing back and forth between the active roster and practice squad. Jaimes is position-versatile, so he could win the job outright as an interior swing lineman backing up multiple spots. Camp cuts elsewhere could dictate the position battle as well.
IDL Depth
The Contenders
1. James Lynch
2. Carlos Watkins
3. Cam Horsley
4. Isaiah Raikes
5. Devante O’Malley
Tennessee’s starting defensive line is well-defined, but the rotation needs a couple of jobs that need to be claimed. The Titans signed former Cowboys lineman Carlos Watkins in May to help the depth that’s filled with promise and potential. Lynch returned to the organization in May to further boost depth and competition for the young guns. While it won’t be the most significant training camp battle that will get the most eyeballs, it will be a pivotal one nonetheless. The Titans will likely keep five interior defensive linemen, so Lynch and Watkins probably have their noses in front of the pack of youngsters. If there is an undrafted free agent to make it to the senior squad, it could be Horsley or Raikes. O’Malley lurks on the outside and could be a surprise entrant on the 53 at the end of camp.
Main Image: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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