The Tennessee Titans were one of three teams to work out Tennessee-Chattanooga guard/center, Cole Strange, on Thursday morning, according to Senior Bowl executive director, Jim Nagy.
Titans coach Keith Carter was one of multiple offensive line coaches to go to the workout, along with the offensive line coaches of the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.
Strange has seen his stock rise steadily since the combine, as Nagy noted in his tweet. As a result, the 6-foot-5, 307-pound lineman, who figures to play guard at the next level but could also line up at center, only did position drills at the workout.
The reason behind Tennessee’s interest in Strange is obvious. Not only is he a promising prospect, but the team also needs to address its offensive line for both now and the long term, and Strange could check both boxes, as he’s a potential Year 1 starter.
Chattanooga OL Cole Strange helped himself at the combine:
6'5" (68th %ile)
307 lbs (35th)
33" arms (38th)
10 1/8" hands (72nd)
5.03s 40 (88th)❗️
1.73s 10 split (90th)❗️
31 bench reps (86th)❗️
28" vert (49th)
10' broad jump (100th)❗️
4.5s shuttle (91st)❗️
7.44s 3-cone (89th)❗️— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 8, 2022
The Titans had issues upfront even before releasing 2021 starters Rodger Saffold and David Quessenberry after a campaign that saw the team struggle mightily in pass protection. Saffold and Quessenberry both played a key role in that.
So far in free agency, the Titans haven’t done much to fill their needs upfront, with their biggest offensive line signing being versatile career backup, Jamarco Jones, someone who head coach Mike Vrabel says will compete for the left guard spot.
Along with Jones, Aaron Brewer should also be a factor in the left guard battle, and Dillon Radunz could factor in at either left guard or right tackle after spending time in practice at multiple spots during his rookie season.
However, all three players have one major flaw in common: they lack starting experience and are wild cards at best.
Even if the Titans address both guard and tackle in the 2022 NFL draft, there’s no guarantee the young players will make the immediate impact Tennessee needs. And, of course, there’s a chance they won’t make an impact at all.
