Now that the dust has settled with the Tennessee Titans’ acquisition of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, we can shift our focus back to training camp previews, with our next coming at the offensive line.
With Hopkins in tow, the spotlight is squarely on the offensive line, which has many question marks even after a major revamp of the 2022 group that was downright awful.
Making things more complicated is the fact that the Titans’ only returning starter from last season (Aaron Brewer is returning but moving to center), Nicholas Petit-Frere, has been suspended for the first six games after violating the league’s gambling policy.
While the Titans have some in-house options to fill that void for six weeks, many fans are rightly hoping the team looks to the free-agent market for help, and more specifically at veteran offensive tackle George Fant, who is clearly interested in playing for the Titans.
All they gotta do is call 🤷🏾♂️
— George Fant (@GeorgeFant74) July 16, 2023
But until the Titans make that move, all we can do is focus on the guys who are already here — and we do that now in our latest training camp preview where we’ll list the roster locks, competitions set to take place, and make a prediction for how things will shake out.
Roster Locks
Roster Locks: Andre Dillard, Peter Skoronski, Aaron Brewer, Daniel Brunskill, Jamarco Jones, Corey Levin, Nicholas Petit-Frere*
Despite his misstep and lack of availability for the first six games, NPF remains a roster lock, in case anyone was wondering.
From there, it’s pretty straightforward with guys like Dillard, Skoronski, Brewer and Brunskill, all of whom are projected starters. To me, the only one locked into their position is Brewer, as I could see the other three playing at almost any spot upfront now that NPF has thrown a wrench into things.
Typically you wouldn’t consider Levin and Jones as stone-cold roster locks, but considering the other depth options behind the starters, I think they’re very much safe.
Jones remains a wild card after not playing a single snap in 2022 due to injury, but he’s also one of the top options to take a starting spot in the wake of NPF’s suspension, whether that be at tackle or guard.
The same goes for Levin, who can play on the interior and was excellent at center in place of Ben Jones last season.
On the Bubble
On the Bubble: Dillon Radunz*, Xavier Newman, Jordan Roos, Zack Johnson, John Leglue, Andrew Rupcich, Jaelyn Duncan, John Ojukwu (UDFA), James Empey (UDFA)
The Titans have seven roster locks at offensive line based on what we have listed above, but bear in mind Petit-Frere won’t count toward the 53-man limit.
Tennessee carried nine offensive linemen into last season, so if that turns out to be the approach this year, that means there’s three spots up for grabs.
I tend to believe Radunz will start the season on the PUP list after suffering a torn ACL last December, which means he’ll be safe until activated. However, if he’s able to get back in time for training camp, I don’t think he’s totally safe, although I do think he’s safer than most on this list.
When sorting through this group, you have to lean on actual NFL experience when trying to determine who has the best chance to make the cut, along with any versatility a player brings.
If we play the former game, it’s Radunz and Roos, although neither exactly has a wealth of experience, with the offensive linemen playing in 23 and 21 contests, respectively.
Radunz does offer some versatility with the ability to play guard or tackle, but again we can’t depend on him to be ready for the start of the season. Further, many believe guard is in his future.
Two tackles to watch are 2023 sixth-round pick, Jaelyn Duncan, and 2023 UDFA, John Ojukwu, who some experts believed should have been picked, with The Athletic’s Dane Brugler suggesting he was a sixth-round talent.
Duncan is someone to watch in particular, not only because he’s a recent draft pick, but also because many believe he could play guard as well if needed, which would no doubt help his cause.
When taking everything into consideration, there isn’t a giant gap between any of these players on the bubble, so guys like Rupcich, Newman — both of whom were on the practice squad all of last year — Empey, Leglue and Johnson can’t be ruled out.
Competitions
Battle for LT
Dillard has long been projected to be the starter here, even after the Titans took Skoronski, but he’s not exactly a seasoned offensive lineman who you can easily pencil in thanks to just nine starts in 43 career games.
That said, even that limited starting experience gives him a big edge over Skoronski, who will be his main competition for the most important spot upfront. The loser of this battle will likely start at left guard, but with right tackle opening up it wouldn’t be shocking to see either land there.
Battle for RT (or final starting spot)
This is assuming the NPF suspension doesn’t upset the apple cart in terms of the projected starters at left tackle (Dillard), left guard (Skoronski), center (Brewer) and right guard (Brunskill).
However, it’s certainly possible Tennessee slides Skoronski, Dillard or Brunskill to right tackle and opts to put someone else at one of the guard spots. I’m sure Vrabes and Co. will be giving everything a look.
If it’s strictly for right tackle, Jones will not only be in contention, but he’ll be the frontrunner thanks to having the most experience playing that position, although it’s not like he’s flush with it (two starts, 85 career snaps at right tackle).
Others to consider for that spot include Duncan, Ojukwu and Rupcich, all of whom have zero career NFL snaps, and, of course, our old friend Radunz, who was originally drafted as a right tackle but is now projected to be a guard when healthy.
If it’s for a guard spot, Jones remains in the mix, but would face much stiffer competition from Levin, who I’d call the favorite in that instance. Also keep an eye on Radunz (if healthy) again, as well as Roos.
53-man prediction
53-man prediction: Andre Dillard (LT), Peter Skoronski (LG), Aaron Brewer (C), Daniel Brunskill (RG), Jamarco Jones (RT), Corey Levin, Jaelyn Duncan, Jordan Roos, Andrew Rupcich, Nicholas Petit-Frere*, Dillon Radunz*
As I said before, we’re rolling with nine here after Tennessee carried that many offensive linemen into 2022. Also bear in mind, we have Radunz starting on the PUP list and NPF suspended, thus they don’t count.
I remain steadfast in it being Dillard, Skoronski, Brewer and Brunskill from left to right, and right now I have Jones taking the right tackle spot, although my confidence in that choice isn’t exactly through the roof.
Levin will serve as the first man off the bench at at guard and center, with Roos serving as extra depth on the interior. Duncan and Rupcich will be the backup options at tackle.
However, all bets are off for guys like Rupcich, Duncan and/or Roos once NPF and Radunz return.
