The Tennessee Titans began their offseason by making several notable moves to get themselves back in good standing with the salary cap.
To accomplish this, the Titans chose to part ways with several high-priced and highly-respected veterans such as Taylor Lewan, Ben Jones and Robert Woods, among others.
While these moves undoubtedly created some much-needed cap room, these decisions also created several more holes on a Titans roster that already had quite a few to begin with.
That means the Titans had to go bargain hunting these last few months, and they are now forced to rely on several young and/or unproven players to take that next step in their development if they’re going to have any chance at competing this season.
As risky as this is for the team, this year is just as nerve-wracking for several players on the roster whose immediate and long-term futures are up in the air for a variety of reasons.
Some are in danger of losing their starting jobs, while others could be on the verge of losing their jobs altogether by season’s end. This article is going to go over 10 players on the roster who are at a crossroads in their respective careers with the Titans.
Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.
Offensive linemen (Dillard, Brewer, Brunskill, Petit-Frere)
When it comes to Daniel Brunskill and Aaron Brewer, the two of them are not only playing on one-year deals, but they’re essentially playing for their long-term futures as starting offensive linemen as well.
If Brunskill and/or Brewer have an underwhelming year in 2023, they will likely be relegated to being a quality depth piece rather than a consistent starter.
As for Nicholas Petit-Frere, he isn’t in any danger of losing his job anytime soon barring an injury or a disastrous showing in Year 2.
However, with the Titans having a ton of cap space in 2024 (approximately $93.8 million, per ‘Over The Cap’), it wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world to see Tennessee invest in another tackle if NPF doesn’t take that much-needed next step forward with his development.
And that’s especially when you consider the fact that NPF wasn’t selected by new general manager Ran Carthon, therefore he has no real reason to give him the benefit of the doubt if things go south for whatever reason.
Lastly, due to his recent contract, it’s hard not to imagine Andre Dillard in the Titans’ immediate and long-term future in some capacity. Now, whether that future is at guard or tackle remains to be seen.
Dillard has the NFL experience and three-centimeter advantage in arm length on Titans rookie Peter Skoronski, so he’s currently penciled in as the starting left tackle. But Dillard has never started a full season in his career, thus there’s no telling what he’ll be in such a role.
An official decision likely won’t be made until the pads come on, and ideally one of them separates themselves as the clear-cut starter along the blindside.
Nevertheless, should things not work out at all for the former first-round draft pick to the point where the Titans cut ties after one year, Dillard will probably be looking at a career of being a quality backup lineman who ultimately never lived up to his pre-draft expectations.
CB Caleb Farley
This one should be fairly obvious to everybody for several reasons.
For starters, Caleb Farley wasn’t picked by the Titans’ new GM, so Carthon isn’t tied to him in any sort of way.
Therefore, I’d imagine if Farley continues to be a liability with his health and his play, Carthon will likely just choose to get his own guy in the building instead of continuing with the Farley reclamation project version 3.0.
Sadly, Farley’s second year was once again cut short by injury, subsequently finishing what was supposed to be a bounce-back campaign with a woeful coverage grade of 34.7 and an overall grade of 42.5, per Pro Football Focus.
CB Kristian Fulton
There’s no denying that, when healthy and at his best, Kristian Fulton, who is in a contract year in 2023, is an important and productive member of the Titans’ defense.
Unfortunately, that’s been half the battle when it comes to Fulton. The LSU product battled a knee injury in 2020, a hamstring injury in 2021 and a groin injury last year, missing a total of 20 games in that span.
Some injuries are just considered bad luck, but the likelihood of soft-tissue injuries occurring can be lessened to some extent with proper training and preparation throughout the year
Fulton was called out as a repeat offender by head coach Mike Vrabel during his end-of-year press conference following the 2022 season. Vrabel has since walked back that tone a bit, but those raw emotions at the end of the season shouldn’t be ignored, either.
There’s clearly some type of dissatisfaction there, so if Fulton disappoints and/or suffers through another injury-plagued year, there’s a strong possibility the Titans won’t look to re-sign him.
LB Monty Rice
The Georgia product was a relatively shocking third-round draft pick back in 2021.
Since then, Monty Rice has occasionally shown flashes of being a promising linebacker who is worthy of that Day 2 selection. Sadly, injuries have also derailed a chunk of his young career thus far.
Nonetheless, Rice is penciled in as the No. 2 inside linebacker heading into training camp, so barring injury, he’ll finally have his chance to play an extended role on the Titans’ defense and show what he can do.
If this stint doesn’t go well this year, there’s a chance that Rice will resort back to being a permanent reserve player, either in Tennessee or elsewhere.
WR Kyle Philips
Kyle Philips is arguably the biggest mystery on the Titans’ roster.
This time last year, he was the offseason star who was seemingly dominating every single practice. The UCLA product then followed that up by being a productive and reliable weapon in the team’s 2022 season opener.
Kyle Philips, Jahan Dotson, and Drake London were the best rookie WRs in week 1.
Just like we all figured.
— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) September 12, 2022
Unfortunately, that one-game sample size is where things peaked for Phillips in Year 1. From that point on, the rookie receiver struggled to hold on to the football in the return game, while also suffering shoulder and hamstring injuries that sidelined him for the majority of the season.
Despite all this, Philips is seemingly being given the benefit of the doubt that he can be Treylon Burks’ primary sidekick in the wide receivers room.
Should that plan not work out, Philips will probably be looked at as a player on the roster bubble in 2024 as opposed to a receiver who could have a major role like the one he’s slated for in 2023.
QB Malik Willis
This is another obvious one following the Titans’ recent selection of Will Levis.
Historically, Vrabel-led teams only keep two active quarterbacks on their roster, meaning Malik Willis will probably have to truly impress this coaching staff in order to earn himself a spot in the 53-man group.
The recent rule change that allows three active quarterbacks on game day hardly alters anything since Willis will still have to earn a spot on the roster to have that privilege.
There is a chance that Tennessee could keep him on the practice squad when it’s all said and done, but I personally believe some other team will give him a chance if he hits waivers.
S Amani Hooker
It was just a season ago that Amani Hooker signed a well-earned, three-year extension to keep his talents in Tennessee for the foreseeable future.
But like many others, Hooker has battled his fair share of injuries, which ended up costing him five games in 2021 and eight contests in 2022.
Although Hooker’s job is unquestionably safe at the moment, but should we get a repeat of last season, it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world to see the Titans accept their “L” by moving on in 2024.
