In what is the FINAL installment of our training camp previews (and just in time as the first practice of training camp is on Wednesday), we take a look at the Tennessee Titans’ safety position.
To say the position is top-heavy would be an understatement, as the top of the depth chart boasts what is an elite safety duo when healthy in Amani Hooker and Kevin Byard.
Of course, when I say “when healthy,” I’m referring to Hooker, who has been unable to stay on the field over the last few years, missing 13 games over the past two seasons, including a career-high eight in 2022.
The top-heavy part comes from the fact that the Titans don’t have much behind them in the way of reliable depth, which is particularly important when it comes to Hooker’s situation.
The Titans did address that need on Wednesday, with the team agreeing to terms with A.J. Moore, and Joshua Kalu is still sitting out there as another potential option.
For now, let’s focus on who the Titans actually have on the roster in our final training camp preview of the offseason.
Roster locks
Roster locks: Kevin Byard, Amani Hooker
That’s it, that’s the list of locks at the position for Tennessee.
Byard remains one of the best in the business, and Hooker isn’t to shabby, either if he can stay healthy.
If not, the Iowa product might be a cut candidate in 2024, as the Titans have a reasonable out in his contract that would incur $5 million in dead cap but $4 million in cap savings.
As for Byard’s future: I truly hope the Mayor of Murfreesboro plays his entire career in Tennessee, and his renegotiating his deal actually gives me more hope that will happen and he won’t be let go in some form or fashion next offseason. But the NFL’s a business, and a messy one at that.
On the bubble
On the bubble: A.J. Moore, Mike Brown, Josh Thompson, Shyheim Carter, Tyreque Jones (UDFA), Matthew Jackson (UDFA)
There’s a bunch of UDFAs the Titans have listed as cornerbacks on their roster, so don’t rule out any of them competing for a spot here.
That said, this is the group competing for a spot behind Byard and Hooker, and as you can see it’s a who’s who list of “who?!”
Moore, who was signed by the Titans last offseason before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1, is by far the favorite of this group to land a roster spot after being brought back on Wednesday morning.
Brown was on the Titans’ practice squad in 2022, but before that he played in three games with the Cleveland Browns. That’s the extent of his NFL experience.
Thompson actually played in six games for Tennessee last season, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. His status is currently up in the air, though, after he was placed on the non-football illness list.
Carter is yet another somewhat familiar face, as he’s been a member of the Titans’ practice squad for parts of the past two seasons. The problem is, he has zero live-game experience under his belt.
Then we move to the UDFAs, Jackson and Jones.
Jackson brings versatility to the roster with his ability to play at both safety and linebacker, so that will no doubt help his cause. Meanwhile, Jones was someone Hooker shouted out for his work during the offseason program. Jones has the ability to double as a nickel, also.
Competitions
Battle for the backup spots
As I recently wrote in my 53-man projection, the Titans could opt to carry less safeties and more cornerbacks seeing as how Elijah Molden has been getting looks on the back-end this offseason. I also think Chris Jackson is another player who could fill-in if needed.
If so, there may be only be one spot up for grabs, but more than likely there will be at least two.
Moore is easily the favorite here, but I wouldn’t consider him a total lock. Thompson has a slight edge over Brown and Carter, but his status on the non-football illness list leaves me wary of picking him to make the cut right now.
The UDFAs, Jackson and Jones, are in a perfect place, as Tennessee’s backup safety competition is a great opportunity for undrafted players like them to make an NFL roster.
53-man prediction
53-man prediction: Kevin Byard, Amani Hooker, A.J. Moore
The addition of Moore makes this a bit easier to project. However, I thought I’d get cute and list just three guys here, as I did in my 53-man projection on Tuesday.
The reason behind that is I believe the Titans might consider Molden as an emergency safety after giving him time at the position this offseason, and Chris Jackson is another potential option, which will allow Tennessee to carry seven corners and three safeties.
Of course, the number of corners will change if Caleb Farley proves to not be ready for the start of the season and lands on the PUP list, in which case I could see Tennessee using that spot for another safety.
Assuming he’s ready to roll and the Titans carry a fourth, Thompson would be my favorite for that spot, with Carter and Brown also in the mix. I have to see more before I can say either of the UDFAs are firmly in the running.
Another player to keep an eye on is Kalu, who would throw a wrench in things for the guys not named Byard, Hooker and Moore. If added, Kalu would change my seven-cornerback, three-safety projection.
For now, this is what I’m rolling with, but I fully expect this projection to change as we see players hit the field in training camp and start to either stand out or not ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Miss our other camp previews? We have them right here!
