On Saturday night, the Tennessee Titans once again took another big step in their evaluations for the initial 53-man roster, which will be set in a little over a week on Tuesday, Aug. 29, which comes after Tennessee’s final preseason game.
The Titans will have a week of practices before their exhibition finale on Friday night against the New England Patriots. However, the joint practices that were scheduled have been cancelled following a scary injury to Pats cornerback Isaiah Bolden, who is thankfully OK.
But before we look ahead to that contest, it’s time to take another look back at the one against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason Week 2, a game that saw some players step up and either improve their chances of making the roster, or solidify their spots altogether.
Unfortunately, there are at least two significant competitions that remain up in the air, so we didn’t get total clarity ahead of preseason Week 3. We’ll go over all of that in our biggest takeaways from preseason Week 2.
Malik Willis failed to widen the gap
I don’t think he was terrible by any means, but I don’t think Willis took a step forward on Saturday night, either.
The Liberty product once again had some self-inflicted wounds and issues with consistency, but he was also the victim of a few drops that otherwise would’ve made his passing numbers look better. He looked elite on the ground, though, and that’s where his decision-making really shined.
All that said, Willis maintained his grip on the backup quarterback job but didn’t create more space between himself and rookie Will Levis, who didn’t suit up. As a result, the job remains for the taking ahead of preseason Week 3.
Two RBs cement their spots
Tyjae Spears was always going to make this roster, but another electric play solidified his spot as the RB2. I don’t need to see any more from the rookie, so the Titans should play it safe and let him sit next week, or at least let him play less snaps.
The other back to cement himself was the star of the night, Julius Chestnut, who tallied 98 yards on the ground and two scores, with one coming through the air. Chestnut’s play of the night came on an explosive 55-yard run that set Tennessee up for three.
While Hassan Haskins and Jonathan Ward have been hurt of late, Chestnut was already outplaying both throughout training camp, and that carried over into preseason Week 1. In my mind, Ward and Haskins are battling for one remaining spot, which is the No. 4 back, if there is one.
WR6 remains wide open
It was a tough night through the air, as Willis only threw 17 passes and tallied 85 yards, leaving very little for the receivers to work with. As a result, there weren’t really many opportunities for the WR6 candidates to separate themselves.
Of the frontrunners for that spot, Racey McMath was the only one to record a catch, which went for 16 yards.
Reggie Roberson, Kearis Jackson and Tre’Shaun Harrison were held without a catch, and Jackson actually left early with an injury. Harrison was the only one of the trio to receive a target but he failed to come down with the pass in the end zone that was in tight coverage and not in a good spot for him to come down with it.
If anyone took a step forward on Saturday night, it was Mason Kinsey, who led the team with 37 receiving yards one week after finishing second on the team in that category in preseason Week 2. Kinsey now leads all Titans receivers in yards after two exhibition contests.
Tennessee’s QB4 no doubt improved his chances of making the cut, but it remains difficult to imagine the Titans carry another Kyle Philips-type slot guy unless the UCLA product misses extended time after leaving the game early with an injury.
Caleb Murphy is OLB4
Murphy opened up the preseason listed as the No. 5 outside linebacker on the unofficial depth chart, falling behind Sam Okuayinonu, who was No. 4.
However, Murphy has played himself into a roster spot after staying busy all game and notching a pair of sacks, which brings his preseason total up to a team-high three.
Of course, his play on special teams is important and will remain something to watch ahead of final cuts, but he’s done enough defensively to put himself in position to make the the initial 53-man roster.
Nothing changed with the kickers
After missing his lone field-goal attempt in preseason Week 1, rookie Trey Wolff knocked through his try in preseason Week 2, albeit from 22 yards out. He did, however, doink an extra point attempt that luckily went through.
Meanwhile, Caleb Shudak, who barely made his lone try of the preseason last week, didn’t get a single attempt during the contest, which, combined with Wolff not really being tested, leaves this competition up in the air.
If you were hoping for more clarity on this battle after Saturday night, you didn’t get it, nor do you feel any better about either of these wild cards.
Eric Garror remains a favorite for a depth spot
The 5-foot-8, 174-pound corner played big once again after a strong debut the week before. Garror, who always seems to be around the fball, showed his impressive physicality in his four tackles and added a pass defensed.
Further helping his cause to make the cut, the Louisiana-Lafayette product was asked to return a pair of punts, averaging 11 yards per. He did nearly muff one but that was about the only negative of his evening.
As if we didn’t have enough reasons to love this guy, he was rocking a Dolly Parton shirt he bought at Walmart after the game. Garror has a spot on this roster right now, as far as I’m concerned.
When your team is from Nashville …#Titans rookie DB @ericgarror5 reppin’ @DollyParton. pic.twitter.com/UWO5HHkejm
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 20, 2023
A good night for the backups
After an ugly preseason debut for the backups on both sides of the ball, both groups were much better in preseason Week 2.
The offensive line did a much better job protecting Willis, who was only sacked twice, and it opened up plenty of space for the ground game to thrive, en route to 281 yards on the ground.
On defense, the Vikings were held to just one touchdown and 261 yards of total offense. Minnesota’s ground game couldn’t get going, either, with just 3.6 yards per carry.
I’m sure as hell not ready to proclaim the Titans’ depth concerns fixed, but I am a lot more optimistic than I was last week.
