The Tennessee Titans’ quest to get out of the cellar of the AFC South will begin in earnest in March, when the team ventures into free agency loaded with a ton of cap space.
After that, the Titans will take to the 2024 NFL draft, where they’ll hope to find young players who can help them transition into the next chapter of the franchise and be long-term solutions.
But the Titans also have to evaluate their own players to see if they have some in-house solutions for some of their needs, whether those needs are starting or backup roles.
With that in mind, here’s a look at five Titans players under contract for 2024 who could see a bigger role with the team. Players on this list either showed flashes in 2023, played well all season long, or had a strong finish to the season.
OL Dillon Radunz
Radunz, who played most of his snaps at right tackle but also saw some time at left and right guard and left tackle, was shaky for much of the season before really coming into his own down the stretch of the campaign.
After giving up four sacks and 29 pressures in his first eight games back from a torn ACL, Radunz surrendered just one sack and seven pressures over the last five.
I continue to believe left guard Peter Skoronski is the only one locked into a starting role for 2024, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Radunz builds off his late-season momentum and wins a starting job at right guard or tackle.
RB Tyjae Spears
Spears was electric for the Titans in limited opportunities and was the perfect complement to Derrick Henry. The Tulane product finished with 838 scrimmage yards, ranking fourth among rookie backs.
Spears is never going to be the bellcow Henry is and the Titans will need to find another back who can complement him, but there’s no question Spears should see a bigger role in 2024.
TE Josh Whyle
In between getting limited opportunities and dealing with injuries, Whyle did show some flashes, both as a pass-catcher and blocker. The expectation for 2024 should be Whyle serving as TE2 behind Chig Okonkwo.
WR Kyle Philips
After missing the first four games with a knee injury, Philips came back in Week 5 and saw 17.9 snaps per game over the next seven contests, and he had a pair of solid games over that span and looked to be developing chemistry with quarterback Will Levis.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of the pair again, as the UCLA product was a healthy scratch four times and played a total of just seven snaps in the two contests he did suit up for over the final six games.
Why? Special teams, of course.
I’m not quite ready to give up on Philips and hopefully a new coaching staff will actually use him effectively because he has enough talent to make an impact.
LB Otis Reese IV
After being inactive or only playing on special teams for much of the season, Reese got an opportunity to start down the stretch after Jack Gibbens’ injury and played well, with the rookie even earning a shoutout from NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger in Baldy’s Breakdowns.
I don’t foresee Reese — who plays a lot like former Titans linebacker David Long — being a starter in Year 2, but I could see him as LB3 and getting a more consistent role on defense on top of his special teams duties.
