I was sitting here the other day, relaxing and perusing the current Tennessee Titans roster. And, yes – before you ask, I do my unwinding by fitting together the pieces of a roster like a puzzle. It’s practically the same thing. Anyway, I do believe that on paper, the Titans have definitely upgraded their offensive line room. I’m not sure how many cornerstone guys they have, but the left side of that line from JC Latham through Lloyd Cushenberry looks pretty damn stout right now. The work to do next offseason, barring some miracle run from one of these guys currently on the roster, will by and large be on the right side of that line. But, the puzzle pieces are spread out on the table, and I’m here to piece them all together. As far as the number of offensive linemen that the team will keep goes, I’d say anything above 10 would be a surprise. That seems to be the going rate these days. Here’s where I’m at:
- Left tackle (2): JC Latham > Geron Christian
- Left guard (1): Peter Skoronski
- Center (2): Lloyd Cushenberry > Daniel Brunskill
- Right guard (2): Saahdiq Charles > Dillon Radunz
- Right tackle (3): John Ojukwu > Nicholas Petit-Frere > Jaelyn Duncan
- Practice squad: Cole Spencer
- On the outside looking in: Leroy Watson, Brian Dooley, Andrew Rupcich, Lachavious Simmons
To me, Latham, Skoronski, Cushenberry, Charles, Brunskill, and Radunz are all virtual locks because I think those are your six best offensive linemen in-house right now, though none of them may be ideal or at their most valuable at your right tackle spot. They’re going to have to keep one of the guys they have slotted there right now, whether it’s Ojukwu, NPF, or Duncan. That gets us to seven spots, meaning there’s only really three to mull over. I say they keep the other two right tackle candidates. If NPF wins the job, Ojukwu could still play guard or left tackle (experience at Boise State). Duncan has already had some reps at left tackle, and despite what the masses say, still has athletic upside more so than some of the other guys in consideration. I wouldn’t rule out Duncan serving as guard depth either.
And, I land on Geron Christian because of his experience playing meaningful reps for the Browns under Bill Callahan last season. I’m cutting Watson because it feels like Christian might’ve been brought in as left tackle insurance after the team got a look at Watson at left tackle behind Latham. That’s just reckless speculation – me reading the tea leaves here. Cole Spencer is the one guy that could be the real wild card here. Word is he’s been getting the looks at left guard behind Skoronski. I like Spencer as a prospect – he needs some fine tuning for sure, but he’s a good athlete. I’m just not sure where he rests on the “10 best offensive linemen” list. I think he’s a virtual lock for the practice squad if he doesn’t make the initial 53.
All in all, I don’t think that’s a bad group compared to last year’s group. Then again, we were all burned last summer after saying it couldn’t get any worse than it was in 2022. Newsflash, buckos – it did indeed get much worse in 2023. So, I won’t say it again this year. Instead, I’ll just say that if things go according to plan, this should be a much improved unit in 2024. The full-on optimist’s view is that it’s a group with a high ceiling.
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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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