The Tennessee Titans capped off their three-game preseason slate with a win on Friday night against the New England Patriots, giving the team a winning record in exhibition play.
The preseason Week 3 game was the last chance players on the bubble had to show their stuff. The Titans will now look ahead to cutdown day on Tuesday, Aug. 29, when the team will trim its roster down to 53 players.
Following that, Tennessee will put together it’s 16-man practice squad, which figures to consist of mostly players the team parted ways with during final cuts.
Knowing all that, let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from the preseason finale win over New England.
Malik Willis secures QB2 for now
Willis had another up-and-down performance in preseason Week 3, but there was more good than bad, as the second-year signal-caller was able to bounce back from his mistakes to put together his best statistical showing of the preseason.
Willis will enter the 2023 campaign as the QB2, but we can’t help but wonder if things might’ve gone differently had rookie quarterback Will Levis been able to play the last two preseason games.
Kicker situation isn't settled
We didn’t feel great about the Titans’ kicker situation going into training camp, and we don’t feel any better after the signing of Michael Badgley, especially following his lackluster showing on Friday night.
Badgley, who saw his second stint in Nashville get off to a rough start with a poor performance in his first practice during the week, missed one of four field goals while banking another off the upright before it went through.
The Titans once again find themselves in an all-too-familiar spot going into the season with a major concern at kicker. What they end up doing about it remains to be seen, but Tennessee has to make a move in some form or fashion.
Concern for Andre Dillard
UPDATE: Head coach Mike Vrabel provided a bit of clarity on Dillard on Saturday, with Vrabel saying the team gave the left tackle extended reps because of his limited playing time the last few years. Also, the team wanted to see more from him during the preseason finale.
Left tackle Andre Dillard played into the second half and saw more snaps than all but one offensive lineman, with his 40 tying backup Andrew Rupcich.
“That was a head coach’s decision,” Vrabel said, which lends to the idea that the Titans didn’t like what they saw from Dillard, who struggled in the run game, in particular.
Dillard getting those extra reps while the rest of the starting group was on the bench is not what you want to see from a starting left tackle. Hopefully he figures things out in time for the start of the season, but for now he’s a concern.
Two bubble WRs stand out
Colton Dowell saved his best performance for last, with the rookie tallying a team-high 49 receiving yards on two catches, with both of those grabs coming on touchdown drives.
Adding to that, Dowell got the nod over both Racey McMath and Reggie Roberson to start the game, which might imply he’s in a better position to make the cut ahead of cutdown day on Tuesday.
Fellow rookie Kearis Jackson had the second-most receiving yards with 26, and his lone grab found pay dirt. Also, the Titans gave Jackson an extended look as a returner, showing he’s under serious consideration for that role, something that will give him another avenue to make the team.
Meanwhile, other bubble wide receivers like McMath, Roberson, Mason Kinsey and Gavin Holmes were all held catchless, and Tre’Shaun Harrison had just one reception for seven yards.
Based on everything we saw on Friday, it’s fair to think Dowell and Jackson are the frontrunners for however many spots are available after the five locks, which are DeAndre Hopkins, Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips, Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
And, bear in mind, Philips is a candidate to start the season on IR, so there may be one more spot up for grabs than there was before his injury.
Caleb Murphy, Michael Dwumfour have done enough
Murphy and Dwumfour accounted for three of the team’s sacks in the finale, with Murphy tallying one, his team-high fourth of the preseason, and Dwumfour finishing with two.
Added last week, Dwumfour has exploded on the scene with two impressive showings the past two weeks and has done enough to secure his place on the roster.
Meanwhile, Murphy has shown plenty of promise as a pass-rusher, which should lead to him earning a roster spot, no matter what he’s done on special teams.
The starting defense looks ready
The Titans deployed the majority of their starters on defense, minus Teair Tart, Jeffery Simmons and Arden Key — and we loved what we saw.
Granted, it was against the Patriots’ backups, but the starting unit was as dominant as you’d expect, forcing two punts (including a three-and-out) and one turnover via fumble in three series.
Denico Autry looked particularly good, with the veteran being an absolute menace upfront, both against the run and pass. The aforementioned fumble came from Autry’s sack.
This unit is going to be fun to watch in 2023.
