[FREE] Titans Summer Roster Review
Going position-by-position and reviewing the Titans roster. looking at both the positive and negative side of things.
Get 20% off forever by clicking the button below.
When you wake up, go outside and smell the fresh summer air — unless you’re in the northeast — you’ll probably recognize a few familiar scents hitting your wonderful nose.
Fresh cut lawns — if they’re not giant blotches of brown barf by now — charcoal being burned, the wonderful scent of chlorine from local pools, and weird but comforting smells from a hot garage in the middle of summer.
Then you’ll transition to what you feel. The moisture from the Tennessee summer humidity sticking to your skin, your body temperature rising because the heat doesn’t want to take a break from terrorizing millions, and your sudden thirst for any cold drink that can temporarily distract you from your skin melting due to the blazing hot sun.
These are all the usual summertime smells and experiences we’ve all experienced at some point of our lives. Granted we might not like all of them — particularly the heat roasting you alive — but we can all say we’ve lived through them at some point in our lives.
For us football meatheads though, the mid to late July represents more than the simple things like BBQs, pools, and ingesting copious amounts of water.
For us, summertime represents one thing and one thing only, the nearing return of the beautiful sport we all know and love.
You see, this time of year is when we begin to count down the days until the opening act of the mind numbing, heart thumping, sweat inducing circus known as the NFL. No, not the regular season either, but rather the moment players begin to make their way to their respective facilities and begin to prepare for training camp.
Because that’s when the true grind begins, the narratives fly, surprise names make their cases for roster spots, and others hang their heads due to cut down day.
So, with that being said, let’s get into the spirit a little bit. We’re not going to do some regular preview for each position on both sides of the ball, well we kind of are, but not at the same time.
Instead, we’re going to throw around some positives and negatives for each position on the Titans’ roster at this moment. I won’t bore you, so jump in and relax for a while.
Quarterback
Positives: The only real positive here is that you know what you’re getting with your best option on the roster. We’ve seen Ryan Tannehill for years now, we know what he can do and what he can’t do, what he brings and what he doesn’t bring.
He’s a good leader, still has a strong arm at his age, can move when necessary, and won’t put this offense in bad spots for the most part.
You can take last season as reference, when he tried his damndest to keep the Titans’ passing game afloat, even with a shotty receiving core, a piss poor offensive line, and an offensive coordinator that seemed hellbent on sabotaging the very unit he was responsible for.
If you need stability for a team that’s going through a weird phase like the 2023 Titans are set to go through, Tannehill is your guy, and the Titans should be grateful for that.
But for the positives Tannehill brings, his negative points stand out just as much, along with the rest of his pals in the quarterback room.
Negatives: The negatives here are that Tannehill isn’t a needle mover, meaning he isn’t going to elevate your unit like you’d want from your starting signal caller.
Again, I think we all know that, but we have to mention it in this instance.
The other glaring negative is that the rest of the quarterback room is full of nothing but questions. Malik Willis? We don’t even know if he’s going to be on the roster by the time camp ends.
My money (currently) is that he will be since I don’t know if Will Levis will be ready to take that backup job. Speaking of Levis, he’s full of questions as well.
The bottom line is that this room is full of questions pertaining to the younger talents, which doesn’t bode well for the Titans in the short term. Luckily for them, the short term isn’t a big concern of theirs right now, so they can skate by for now.
Running Back
Positives: Having Derrick Henry isn’t a bad thing, right? Right now, there’s literally no signs of Henry slowing down, unless you use his lack of explosive runs last season as a piece of evidence.
Which if you did, then you’re kind of lame.
Seriously though, with Henry still being so effective, there’s no way he’s not going to be a big part of the offense moving forward. I mean, unless the Titans add a certain free agent receiver, Henry’s going to have to be a focal point of the offense either way.
So any talk about him not being a focal point just seems kind of useless right?
Negatives: The negatives reside within the uncertainty tied to the depth behind Henry.
Tyjae Spears can bring an explosive element to this offense, but his health questions are so significant that any potential impact on the field has to be put on the backburner at times when discussing his name.
To add, Hassan Haskins was arrested on a nasty assault charge in late June, so we don’t know if he’s even going to stay on the roster moving forward.
All in all, the spot looks clean on paper, at least from RB1 to RB2. But questions reside once we get past RB1, so not a clean amount of good news there.
Wide Receiver
Positives: It’s best to not say anything at all when you don’t have anything nice to say. We were taught that when we were kids, and even as adults, it’s a piece of advice that still has its uses.
However, I’m going to ignore that advice here, simply because I want to.
If you’re looking for positives with this group, I don’t have many. Treylon Burks and Kyle Phillips are the only talents that have any sort of intrigue, but even their outlook is clouded because they’ve both struggled with injuries throughout their short NFL careers.
But if they can stay healthy, and the passing game isn’t sacrificed for a meathead approach offensively, then there’s some potential there.
The other positive here is that Deandre Hopkins is still linked with the team, and until he signs with another one, this’ll remain a very positive point for this offense.
Negatives: Do you really want to hear the negatives? No seriously, ask yourself if you really want to hear them.
Tight End
Positives: The obvious positive here is that Chig Okonkwo is a bright spot and should have an expanded role in 2023.
He’s still growing as a blocker, but his upside as a pass catcher and playmaker will stand out regardless.
Also, Josh Whyle intrigues me a bit, simply because his physical traits are a little interesting. He stands at 6’6 and his 40 time is in the 71st percentile among all tight ends that have tested at the combine, this according to mockdraftable.com
He has some early potential as a red zone threat, but if he can round himself out, maybe he can work himself into more snaps on a per down basis.
Side note, or a bit of an extra excerpt, Trevon Wesco is a name Titans fans need to be familiar with. He was signed primarily to be a blocking based tight end, and with the Titans set to lean on their run game again, look for him to potentially be an upgraded version of what Geoff Swaim brought to the table.
Negatives: There aren’t too many negatives from me personally.
But if there was one gripe, I’d say Okonkwo’s lack of impact as a blocker can hurt his ability to present defenses with suitable mismatches and bring an element of unpredictability when he’s on the field.
However, that can be improved with time, and with Wesco here, it isn’t too much of a big deal.
Offensive Tackle
Positives: Well, the positives are that it certainly can’t be worse than last season. I mean come on, Andre Dillard is surely an upgrade over Dennis Daley, and Nicholas Petit-Frere can still bounce back after a rough rookie season.
What can possibly go wrong?!
Ah man, I forgot to mention that Petit-Frere is out for the first 6 games of the season due to a gambling suspension. And to make matters worse, the depth behind Dillard and Petit-Frere is…concerning.
Well, this isn’t good!!
Negatives: The negatives are just as mentioned.
There’s virtually no depth at tackle right now. Dillon Radunz is still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered late last season, Jamarco Jones can play at tackle, but he’s probably more of a guard, and rookie Jaelyn Duncan might not be ready to take on a fill-in starting role in place of Petit-Frere.
So yeah, these negatives are pretty significant.
Guard
Positives: I will say, the starting quality at guard appears to be a lot more solid compared to last season.
Peter Skoronski is a plug and play option at left guard, while Daniel Brunskill looks to have an inside track on the right guard spot. With those two as starting guards, at least the interior portion of the offensive line appears to have been upgraded.
Although Brunskill is more of a question in terms of his adaptability as a full-time starter.
Negatives: The negative is that these two guard spots, while talented, are full of uncertainties.
Skoronski is good, but you never know regarding rookie offensive linemen and whether they can hit the ground running.
He isn’t the only one with questions either.
Brunskill is a former spot starter that hasn’t taken on a role as large as this one, so you have to wonder if he’s ready for a full time starting spot as well.
I don’t think these concerns are too large though, but they’re still there at the end of the day.
Center
Positives: The only positive here is that Aaron Brewer is a better center than he is a guard...apparently.
Other than that, I don’t have anything else.
Negatives: Is Aaron Brewer really a starting center in this league?
His lack of size is worrisome, and it’s been prone to being abused in the past. Sure, he’ll have more opportunities to use his athleticism in a more advantageous way at center, but there’s still no guarantee it’ll work out.
I talked about this earlier in the summer, so if you want to check it out, please by all means do so.
It’ll echo the negatives even more.
EDGE
Positives: The obvious positive is that Harold Landry is back. We don’t know when he’ll truly be back to his usual self, but he’s still back and should be ready for this upcoming season.
Which is obviously a good thing, more so because the Titans really missed his swiss army knife type role defensively last season. They tried to band aid it with Rashad Weaver and others, but nobody could truly replicate the things Landry does on the football field, which left this edge group in a bit of a bind in 2022.
Other positives include Rashad Weaver’s continued development, which he’ll be looking to take a step further in 2023. As well as the emergence of free agent signing Arden Key.
Key isn’t a pass rushing extraordinaire by any means, but he’s a physical edge presence that can really shake things up as a run defender, a profile this Titans edge group has missed over the last few years.
It’s shaping up to be an interesting group, probably one that’ll have a lot of my attention this upcoming season.
Negatives: No position group can be perfect though.
Landry’s ability to truly get back on track is a question since significant lower leg injuries can take longer for athletes to 100% recover from. When will we see Landry’s best form return? This season? 2024?
It’s a real question that doesn’t have an answer right now.
Another negative is the depth behind Landry, Key, and Weaver. Right now, some unfamiliar names are going to have a go at securing a spot behind those three, including the likes of rookie Caleb Murphy, who recorded 28 sacks over his junior and senior seasons at Division 2 Ferris State.
Defensive Tackle/Defensive End
Positives: The good news is that most of the group that contributed so much to this defense last season, is back and ready to wreak havoc once again.
Jeffery Simmons, Teair Tart, Naquan Jones, and Denico Autry should contribute in similar ways, with Simmons leading the way.
Negatives: The only negative here is health.
Last season, Simmons and Autry both dealt with injuries that either compromised their performance or caused them to miss time on the field.
If the Titans’ defense wants to be the piggyback force, they’re trying to be in 2023, then Autry and Simmons both have to stay healthy.
Which is obvious, but it needed to be said.
Inside Linebacker
Positives: The only positive here is that the position is full of youth and talent, which is very much a coveted thing at a position that doesn’t get enough love across the league.
Azeez Al-Shaair and Monty Rice are the two favorites to start at the position, with other supporting names likely being mixed into the fold as well.
It isn’t the most star-studded group, but there’s definitely something to work with there.
Negatives: The big negative here is that there’s way too much uncertainty within the group. Al-Shaair is a thumper, but is he really ready to take on a significant starting role? The same could be asked of Rice, who has had some moments in the past, but has also shown he has some ways to go.
Another negative is the depth, as the rest of the group doesn’t possess a player that can push the likes of Rice and Al-Shaair. Certainly, you could see some on comers like a Chance Campbell or a Mike Vrabel favorite in Jack Gibbens.
But those two are still question marks, especially Campbell, who has yet to play a down in the league after being drafted last off-season.
Cornerback
Positives: If there’s one thing this corner group can hang its hat on, it’s that this group if young, talented, hungry, and is full of guys that are begging for an opportunity to show what they’re made of.
Kristian Fulton, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Roger McCreary, Elijah Molden, and even Caleb Farley, all five of these players have something to prove, and what better way to do it when you’re expected to be a part of a unit that needs to carry this team in order for it to be realistically competitive?
Negatives: There’s too many health and uncertainty questions with this group.
Fulton has missed a lot of time over the last few seasons with injuries, as well as Farley and Molden. Fulton and Molden have at least shown consistent glimpses of good play when they’ve been on the field, but Farley has simply played bad football and has gotten hurt way too often.
McCreary had a lot of rookie pains last season, but he did show a willingness to fight through those pains and learn from his mistakes, which is a pretty valuable trait for a young corner. Although there’s still concerns about his short arms.
Murphy-Bunting has a bit of a chip on his shoulder as well, as injuries and unfortunate timing made his ending in Tampa Bay sourer than expected.
Safety
Positives: Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker remain one of the more talented safety duos in the league.
Byard’s roaming center field role, as well as his roaming role closer to the LOS, has still given the Titans a much-needed example of excellence during a time of transition. Hooker has dealt with injuries over the years, but his range is still very impressive, which gives the Titans some comfort in the back end.
Negatives: Hooker has missed a chunk of time over the last few seasons due to injury, an unfortunate event for a man who just signed a big money extension last off-season.
The depth behind Byard and Hooker is suspect too, which begs the question if the team will address it soon. They probably will, but for now, the depth remains a very big question as training camp draws near.
Don’t forget that if you’re not a paid subscriber, that you won’t have access coming up to the articles I put out Monday-Friday! So, click below to get started today!
You can also share Stacking The Inbox to anyone you may think will enjoy this comment! sharing is caring!