I’m not going to take a stab at projecting the final 53-man roster of the Tennessee Titans. There are a lot smarter folks out there who are, so I’ll leave that for them. But, if you want my thoughts on what the Titans have to mull over in trimming their roster down to its final form, I’ll phrase it like this: they have some tough decisions to make at a number of positions. Allow me to weigh in on that.
Tough Decisions the Titans Face In Getting the Roster to 53
Wide receiver – What in the rightful fuck? I mean, what are we doing here guys? What on Earth do we make of this becoming one of the deepest and most unpredictable position groups on the team? There are 11 receivers currently on the Titans roster, and each of them has made his case for making the final 53. A lot of this is going to hinge upon whether the Titans keep six or seven guys at the position, but right now, the only thing I’m comfortable saying is that Fred Brown probably ain’t makin’ the cut. Racey McMath is on the covid list, and he has really cooled off after a hot start to camp. He’s probably gone, too. But, everyone else is fair game.
Mason Kinsey has over-performed throughout the preseason, and looks like he could contribute to the offense as a chain-mover. Cameron Batson is making clutch catches. After struggling to start the preseason, Dez Fitzpatrick has come on strong the last couple of weeks. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine adds value as one of the team’s best special teams players. Chester Rogers has NFL experience and can return punts. Marcus Johnson has been the star of training camp but he’s dealing with an injury right now, and has a concerning history of injuries. Josh Reynolds is dealing with an injury as well. At this point, the only thing I’m willing to bet on is that A.J. Brown and Julio Jones will make the cut. After that, this race for four or five slots is wide frickin’ open.
TE3 – I don’t know that this race really shook down the way the coaching staff wanted it to. That’s just wild reckless speculation on my part, but I just don’t think anybody really went out and won the job the way they were laid out to. Tommy Hudson has proven to be an effective run blocker, but really doesn’t offer a whole hell of a lot more than that. Jared Pinkney has done little of note. I still like the way Miller Forristall plays the game, but fear he hasn’t really developed enough to be a factor in this race. Briley Moore was hurt early on in the offseason. The team brought in Luke Stocker to jazz up this competition a little bit, but he’s not going to be a game changer in 2021. I really don’t know who you pick here. If I were a betting man, I’d say Hudson because of how prominently they’ve used him throughout the preseason. But, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if they just scrapped this bunch altogether and brought in a free agent from the waiver wire.
Safety – The Titans brought in a plethora of safeties in recent weeks, and now they have to sort out who stays and who goes. This position has been hit by the injury bug, and that complicates what you can do with the numbers. Dane Cruikshank and Matthias Farley add value in special teams contributions, but both have been in and out of practice this month. Brady Breeze is injured. It bodes well for a veteran guy like Bradley McDougald, who has played well during the preseason. It also helps that the Titans have a guy in Chris Jackson that can play multiple positions in the defensive backfield. But, what do you do here? Do you project the potential for an injured guy? Or, do you go with who’s been on the field?
Backup quarterback – Matt Barkley‘s stock is down after throwing a bad, bad interception against the Bears, that probably could’ve been picked off by a number of Bears defenders in a number of different ways had the play gone differently. It didn’t help that Logan Woodside played pretty well. But, if you’re looking at the total body of work this offseason, I think it’s still a relatively close race. At the very least, I think it’s safe to say that Barkley has been a bigger threat to Woodside’s spot than he’s seen yet. As deep as this team is, it’s hard for me to imagine them keeping three quarterbacks. So, I think one of these guys has to go.
Running back – I know it’s just the preseason, but how do you cut Mekhi Sargent from this team? I know they trust Jeremy McNichols on third downs because of his pass protection ability, but man – this is a complicated decision to make. Brian Hill hasn’t been all that great, but he still has a style most emblematic of Derrick Henry‘s of this group. Darrynton Evans is hurt again – so who knows when he’ll be back? At what point does Sargent simply become one of the best running back options on this roster?
OLB – I’m not sure how many guys the Titans will keep behind Harold Landry and Bud Dupree, but this group has definitely made it interesting. Between Ola Adeniyi, Rashad Weaver, Derick Roberson (who this staff apparently loves), and Wyatt Ray, each guy has shown flashes and contributed significantly during the preseason. This looks like a tight, close race to me.
All in all, I think it’s a good sign that there are so many tough decisions for this staff to make. It’s indicative of a deep and talented roster, when you’re cutting guys that are likely going to end up playing somewhere in the NFL this season.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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