Here we are once again previewing a Tennessee Titans position ahead of training camp, which will begin next week. This time around, we’re taking a look at the outside linebacker position.
Tennessee saw a significant change at the position this offseason, with the team jettisoning Bud Dupree after a failed two-year stint in Nashville.
Replacing Dupree on the Titans’ roster is former San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher, Arden Key, who figures to play the biggest role of his career in Tennessee.
But Key’s addition is hardly the biggest news of the offseason at outside linebacker, as Tennessee’s sack leader from 2021, Harold Landry, is set to return after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.
Beyond those two is Rashad Weaver, and after him are completely unproven players. We’ll go over everyone on the current depth chart, while also taking a look at the roster locks, competitions, and a 53-man roster projection.
Roster Locks
Roster Locks: Harold Landry, Arden Key, Rashad Weaver
There is talent and a ton of potential in this group, but also some question marks.
Landry, who had a career year in 2021 before inking a monster extension, is coming off a torn ACL and we know players aren’t always themselves in the first year back from such an injury.
Key has shown plenty of promise over the last two years with 11 sacks as a rotational piece, but he’s only been a full-time starter in one of his five seasons in the NFL, and that was his rookie campaign in 2018.
Weaver was impressive over the first half of last season with 5.5 sacks, but his production tapered off as the year progressed. We recently found out he’s been cleared of a simple assault charge against him from 2021, so that’s no longer a concern in terms of him facing a possible suspension.
Key and Landry will be at the top of the depth chart, but Weaver will certainly be involved plenty as a rotational player.
This trio could be a real problem for opposing offenses in 2023, especially when you consider what the guys in front of them (Jeffery Simmons, Teair Tart and Denico Autry) can do to help take pressure off.
On the bubble
On the bubble: Zach McCloud, Caleb Murphy (UDFA), Thomas Rush (UDFA)
When looking at this group, which consists of three players who have never taken a snap in an NFL game, it’s easy to see why many rightly believe the Titans should consider adding some help ahead of the season.
McCloud was on the team’s practice squad in 2022 and is a former UDFA of the Minnesota Vikings, and Rush and Murphy were both Titans UDFAs following this year’s draft.
Rush tallied 8.5 sacks during his collegiate career at Minnesota, including a career-best 5.5 in 2021, but he had just 1.5 in 13 games in 2022. He doesn’t particularly stand out as a pass-rusher or run defender, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
Murphy is by far the most intriguing player of this group after tallying an NCAA record 25.5 sacks in his senior season, albeit against Division II competition at Ferris State.
McCloud’s collegiate production paled in comparison with 11 sacks over six years, but the Titans’ coaching staff does at least have some familiarity with him from his limited stint in Nashville last season.
The race for what could be just one spot at the position is about as even as any on the team.
The competitions
Battle for OLB2?
I fully believe Key will start opposite Landry, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Weaver does enough to supplant him given his status as a question mark when it comes to being a full-time starter.
But the former Jaguar has a more well-rounded skill set to be an every-down (or close to every-down) player than Weaver does. At best, Weaver will spell Key and could play with his hand in the dirt at times, also.
Landry, on the other hand, is 100 percent locked-in to an every-down role, assuming his knee is capable of handling such a role in his first season back from a torn ACL. If not, Weaver will have an added opportunity for snaps.
Battle for OLB4
Assuming the Titans carry four, there’s only one spot up for grabs, with Murphy, Rush and McCloud vying for it.
53-man prediction
53-man prediction: Harold Landry, Arden Key, Rashad Weaver, Caleb Murphy
Barring an addition of a veteran in the month-plus ahead, I’m fairly confident Murphy will make the cut. That said, it wouldn’t shock me in the least if either Rush or McCloud grab that spot.
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