The Tennessee Titans enter training camp with several intriguing young players on their roster. If you take one look at the Titans’ depth chart, it seems like every position is flooded with inexperienced players who are trying to seize the opportunity in front of them.
Whether it’s someone who was drafted in 2023, or a young player who is trying to prove why he should’ve been, Tennessee has more than its fair share of youth vying to carve out a for themselves over the next couple of months.
That is why, over the next few days, we will be going over one offensive and defensive rookie at each position who we should be keeping our eyes on as training camp draws near.
This article is going to focus on the offensive personnel, meaning today’s write-up will mainly revolve around the 2023 draft class considering the team used all of its draft picks on that side of the ball.
Without further ado, let’s see which offensive rookies we are getting ready to focus on most when training camp rolls around.
QB Will Levis
Barring an unforeseen development, Will Levis enters training camp with the expectation of him being nothing more than the team’s backup quarterback in 2023.
This is honestly the best thing for the Kentucky legend at the moment, as he will be able to develop his own game without the immediate pressure of having to elevate anybody but himself.
Say what you want about Will Levis, but it’s throws like these that make everyone intrigued despite his obvious flaws at the moment https://t.co/SREw8fjkIn pic.twitter.com/ago9zLIhn8
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) March 24, 2023
Levis will be competing with last year’s third-round pick, Malik Willis, for the No. 2 job, but there is no realistic scenario where the second-round quarterback isn’t on the team in 2023, even if he loses out to Willis.
At the very least, he will be the emergency No. 3 quarterback who is only allowed to see the field when the team’s top two quarterbacks go down.
Fortunately, we’re finally nearing the point where both Levis and Willis can settle it out on the field, especially once the pads come on.
This probably won’t be one of the more crucial position battles in 2023 since Ryan Tannehill is still on the team and set to start, but seeing Levis make strides is certainly important to Tennessee’s future at the position.
RB Tyjae Spears
Tyjae Spears heads into camp as the immediate favorite to replace Dontrell Hilliard as the team’s primary third-down back.
The Tulane product is expected to be a dynamic complement to Henry who is capable of changing the pace at a moment’s notice.
It’s been a minute since I saw or heard any Tyjae Spears propaganda, so here’s some to remind you just how slippery he is⤵️ pic.twitter.com/JiIoR9tclT
— Jeremy (@PopesFFH) July 2, 2023
The rookie running back should be able to provide the “dash” to Henry’s “smash”, similar to the days of the Titans having both Chris Johnson and LenDale White in the same backfield.
Spears is a special and dynamic player in space who can also hit the home run at any moment. As a result, a backfield tandem that includes Henry and Spears has the potential to become a lethal tandem that can do real damage.
It will be interesting to see how Spears’ obvious talent translates to the pros once the pads come on and defenders are allowed to play more aggressively.
While Spears’ spot on the roster is guaranteed, the talented running back will be competing with the likes of Hassan Haskins, Jonathan Ward and Julius Chestnut for a role behind Derrick Henry.
WR Colton Dowell
Colton Dowell is entering camp as Tennessee’s lone draft pick at the wide receiver position.
Although he wasn’t drafted until Round 7, the UT-Martin product will have a chance to carve out a role for himself in Tennessee’s suspect receiving corps. but must show enough promise to warrant sticking around in Tennessee.
Dowell is a big-bodied (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) and athletic pass-catcher who finished his final season by tallying 67 catches, 1,032 receiving yards, and six touchdowns.
Colton Dowell has really good ball-tracking skills. >50 % contested catch rate each of the last 3 seasons pic.twitter.com/CTxwjlJLE2
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) May 14, 2023
However, if Dowell is gonna stick around beyond the preseason, his best bet initially will be to show he can contribute on special teams in some form or fashion.
Look for Dowell to compete for one of the final spots on the wide receiver depth chart as we slowly inch closer to the regular season. Also keep an eye on the DeAndre Hopkins situation, as adding him would create one less spot for the receivers on the bubble like Dowell to make the cut.
TE Josh Whyle
In my final rankings positional rankings of the pre-draft process, Josh Whyle finished as my 10th-ranked tight end.
He may not have been the wide receiver many of us hoped for, but the Cincinnati product is a very reliable pass-catcher who only dropped six passes over his entire five-year college career.
A year ago @GoBearcatsFB staff called it when they told us eventual Colts second-rounder (and @seniorbowl alum) Alec Pierce would blow up the Combine. Our sources believe TE Josh Whyle will be that guy next April. @JoshWhyle81 is a legit seam-stretcher.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/VSMZ2qdBVv
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) June 14, 2022
Whyle will give the Titans some much-needed versatility when it comes to different personnel packages, and he should get the chance to contribute as Chig Okonkwo’s sidekick whenever new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly wants to put his two best pass-catching tight ends on the field at the same using 12-personnel.
Keep an eye on him over the coming weeks for a few reasons. First, to see if he ends up shining in that role, but also how he fares as a blocker, which will also determine how much playing time he sees over someone like Trevon Wesco, who is currently the superior blocker but inferior pass-catcher.
OT Jaelyn Duncan
Going into the draft, I had Jaelyn Duncan as my ninth-highest-graded tackle with a mark that was right on the borderline of a late fourth-round grade and an early fifth-round grade.
The Maryland product may be raw from a technique standpoint, but he enters training camp having played a lot of collegiate snaps over the last few years (1,918 since 2020).
Duncan is an athletically fluid lineman who has tons of long-term upside at either tackle spot, but he could also probably kick inside if needed. If he can prove he’s effective on the interior, also, it will only increase his chances of making the cut.
He’s still rough around the edges but Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan has outstanding blind side traits. Incredibly patient, premier foot quickness. He never looks rushed. pic.twitter.com/wENszSwO1y
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) February 3, 2023
However, now that Tennessee is without its starting right tackle for at least the first six games of the season, Duncan could ultimately be relied upon much sooner than anyone could’ve anticipated.
It’s a tall order for a late-round rookie to grab a starting role right away and he’s certainly not the favorite to do so, but perhaps Duncan can surprise us and get it done.
If the rookie lineman does in fact want to make that goal into a reality, he must start stacking several good days once the team officially begins padded practices.
OT/IOL Peter Skoronski
If you’ve followed my work this offseason, you know I’m as big of a Peter Skoronski believer as there is, especially when it comes to his ability to play left tackle in the NFL.
However, with him projected to be the left guard entering camp, he’s listed as a rookie to watch at two spots upfront.
I’m personally not gonna rule him out of being one of the starting tackles this year, especially given the circumstances surrounding Nicholas Petit-Frere, but to do so, he will have to consistently prove that he’s capable of overcoming his physical limitations (sub-33-inch arms).
The #Titans got an absolute dawg in Peter Skoronski
People love to show the one rep from 2021 where Skoronski was exposed by LVN yet conveniently leave out the countless other reps over the last 2 years where he more than held his own.
Wherever he plays, Titans got a pillar pic.twitter.com/B9b9BUr1Xj
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) April 28, 2023
For some reason, people have already taken a victory lap and declared him a guard because Andre Dillard has taken first-team reps thus far.
The reality is, that was always going to be the case. Tennessee has to prepare for the likeliest outcome, which as of right now is Skoronski ending up at guard in favor of the more experienced tackle, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have the opportunity to take what arguably should be his anyway.
Nevertheless, if Skoronski is going to take that job, it will have to happen when the pads come on. From there, he has to consistently prove that he’s capable of holding his own, while also being better than Dillard.
Below is a transcript of what Senior Titans analyst, Jim Wyatt, had to say during a recent mailbag regarding the ongoing competition taking place between Dillard and Skoronski:
Both of those guys are still competing, splitting reps at different positions. In these non-padded practices, it’s hard to say who is standing out.
For whatever reason, you never hear about the fact that both guys are “splitting reps at different positions,” and instead you literally have to dig through an offseason mailbag to find that out.
Everyone just assumes each guy is already penciled in at their respective positions when the fact is who protects the blindside won’t be decided until training camp. Thus, the preconceived notions people created off pre-draft talking points about arm length and whatnot mean nothing.
Arguably the sneakiest new scenario for Skoronski that is probably unlikely but not impossible is for Tennessee to decide to give the former unanimous All-American a chance at the right side now that NPF is suspended.
One way or another, Skoronski is probably going to be an impact lineman at whichever spot he lines up at. But trying to figure out where exactly that spot will be is much more unknown than people are letting on.
