Titans 53-Man Roster Projection 2025: Brewing EDGE nightmare, wide receiver race winners, shocking tight end shakeup, and more

The most comprehensive roster breakdown on the internet

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) huddles with teammates during an NFL football minicamp camp practice at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
© Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans are a week into training camp, and there’s a very exciting development coming this week: pads.

That’s right, real(ish) football is about to begin. And whether you’re just now tuning back into NFL news or are a year-round diehard sicko, this is the perfect moment to take stock of roster situations across the league.

The next month of practice will be where rosters are molded into their final form before the 2025 season begins in September. Who is in, and who is out? Who will be the breakout players this year? These are the questions we’re paying attention to try to solve.

I’ve written in significant detail not just about the state of this roster and how it projects, but each individual position group and the individual players within them. In this article, I’ll be projecting the full 53-Man Roster for the Titans, while also pointing you towards individual articles that go into detail on the intrigue and drama within each player’s storyline this year. I encourage you to click and read those which most interest you, a lot of care has gone into this preface of the season.

one final note: depending on when each of these breakout articles was written, some depth players may be wrong on the depth chart within each breakout article. Some insignificant players have come and gone in recent days. The depth charts listed on this main article are up to date, though, and the actual writing within each breakout article pertains to the significant contributors on this team. Luckily, none of those names have left the team in the past month. So, basically, please still read them! Alright, enough jabbering. Here we go: 

Quarterbacks

  1. Cam Ward
  2. Brandon Allen

Cuts: Tim Boyle

The 2025 Tennessee Titans will go as Cam Ward goes. He got the starting treatment all spring, and the emphasis on him banking reps will only intensify the closer we get to the season. Behind him, Will Levis's decision to get shoulder surgery puts the speculation on his future to rest, at least for now. Brandon Allen will likely be the backup to Cam Ward. He seems to be the coaching staff’s guy.

Wide Receivers

  1. Calvin Ridley
  2. Van Jefferson
  3. Elic Ayomanor
  4. Chimere Dike
  5. Tyler Lockett
  6. Bryce Oliver
  7. Xavier Restrepo

Cuts: James Proche, Jha’Quan Jackson, Mason Kinsey, TJ Sheffield, Matt Landers, Ramel Keyton

Everybody’s favorite position battle in August is receivers! The Titans room is Calvin Ridley… and then a lot of unknown. But the good news is that a lot of this unknown seems exciting! Beyond Ridley, 4th round picks Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike are locks to make the roster. I think both will be involved in a significant way within the first month of the season, potentially even starting. Veteran Van Jefferson is also a roster lock in my eyes, as a reliable, depth role player. The other notable veteran is Tyler Lockett, who will be a slot player for this team and would be a surprising omission. I don’t think these two vets are as locked into big roles on offense as many think they are, however.

Then there’s Bryce Oliver, who may as well be a roster lock himself due to his special teams value. I think he becomes a core special teamer this year, which punches his ticket. I like his upside on offense too… more on that in the article below. And my pick for the final spot is UDFA Xavier Restrepo, who I think will just be too undeniably talented as a a slot specialist to not keep.

Running Backs

  1. Tony Pollard
  2. Tyjae Spears
  3. Kalel Mullings

Cuts: Julius Chestnut, Jordan Mims, Jermar Jefferson

The running back room is as cut-and-dry as they come. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are your one-two punch, and rookie Kalel Mullings is the change of pace/special teams RB3. Mullings’ recovery from a core injury is just about all that could throw a wrench into this as far as I can tell, as the roster churn beneath these three is just that: churn. Perhaps somebody convinces them to keep a RB4 for special teams purposes, but I’m not expecting that. While the list may be boring to predict, the storyline for each of these players certainly isn’t. More on what’s at stake for each of them linked below:

Tight Ends

  1. Chig Okonkwo
  2. Gunnar Helm
  3. David Martin-Robinson
  4. Thomas Odukoya

Cuts: Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney

The Titans tight end room is going to really surprise some people. If you click on just one position-specific article in this piece, I’d make it this one. In it, I break down the reason why this room will consist of the 3-4 players I’m pretty confident it will consist of, and why that won’t include Josh Whyle. The future is now at this position in Tennessee:

Offensive Tackles

  1. JC Latham
  2. Dan Moore
  3. John Ojukwu

Cuts: Jaelyn Duncan, Olisaemeka Udoh, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson

Poor tackle play has plagued the Titans for three years running, and dare I say… I see some light at the end of this tunnel. JC Latham and Dan Moore should have high expectations going in, because I think they’ll constitute the best tackle due the Titans have had in a very long time. If they can perform, the impact on Cam Ward can’t be overstated.

The depth at this position is, well, shaky. But that’s the case across the league. More on Bill Callahan’s group of bookends linked below:

Interior Offensive Line

Guards

  1. Peter Skoronski
  2. Kevin Zeitler
  3. Jackson Slater
  4. Blake Hance

Cut: Andrew Rupcich, Chandler Brewer

Centers

  1. Lloyd Cushenberry
  2. Corey Levin

Cuts: Sam Mustipher, Brenden Jaimes

The strength of the Titans remodeled offensive line is the interior, and that’s lead by the tandem of starting guards. Peter Skoronski and Kevin Zeitler can both be fantastic for Tennessee this year. More details and numbers on them linked below. Behind them, rookie Jackson Slater and Blake Hance should make up some strong depth.

Center is a concern only because of Lloyd Cushenberry’s Achilles recovery. I think it’s foolish to bank on his return being smooth and timely, but the good news is that Corey Levin is behind him to hold down the ship admirably. He was fine in relief last year, and I think he can be leaned on in that capacity again this fall if needed.

Defensive Linemen

  1. Jeffery Simmons
  2. T'Vondre Sweat
  3. Sebastian Joseph-Day
  4. James Lynch
  5. Cam Horsley

Cuts: Philip Blidi, Isaiah Raikes, Carlos Watkins, Devonte O’Malley

This is the only position group that I think the Titans will just mostly run back the 2024 version of. That’s because, well, it’s just about the only group from 2024 that was fine from both a starter and depth standpoint. A veteran and some UDFA’s with upside have been brought in as competition, but I don’t think that will keep James Lynch from making this squad. He played some pretty good ball for the Titans last year in their roles. Sebastian Joseph Day, T’Vondre Sweat, and of course Jeffery Simmons are locks to make the team. More on what they need to do differently this season linked here:

Edge Rushers

  1. Dre'Mont Jones
  2. Femi Oladejo
  3. Arden Key
  4. Jihad Ward
  5. Jaylen Harrell

Cuts: Titus Leo, Ali Gaye, Desmond Evans

The day of writing this article, I had somebody come up to me at church and say “the Titans have to find some answers at EDGE”. In a building where people come to find answers to all kinds of questions, it brought me no joy to tell him: I see no answers for the Titans at EDGE. Not this year. If I’m wrong, that’s because I’m underestimating somebody. Maybe that’s Arden Key, who can be effective as more than a DPR type. Maybe it’s Dre’Mont Jones, who should be an upgrade over Landry on paper but never quite lived up to his contract in Seattle. Or maybe it’s rookie Femi Oladejo, whose potential shines through on Sundays a whole lot sooner than I’m anticipating. Beyond them, the depth gets bleak in a hurry.

Inside Linebackers

  1. Cody Barton
  2. Cedric Gray
  3. James Williams
  4. Anfernee Orji

Cuts: Otis Reese IV, Amari Burney, Curtis Jacobs, Davis Gbenda

Free agency addition Cody Barton is locked in as the team’s starter, but his running mate is a seat that’s open for the taking. The top competitors in my opinion are both 2nd year draft picks James Williams and Cedric Gray, and then former Saints LB Anfernee Orji. Keep an eye on this one, it’s anybody’s game…

Cornerbacks

  1. L'Jarius Sneed
  2. Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
  3. Roger McCreary
  4. Marcus Harris
  5. Darrell Baker Jr.
  6. Jermari Harris

Cuts: Amani Oruwariye, Clarence Lewis, Davion Ross, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Jalen Kimber

The Titans cornerback competition this month is easily the most consequential competition on the roster for my money. The starting three are set: L’Jarius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee Jr, and Roger McCreary. Each has their questions or limitation, thought at their best, they could be one of the better units in the league. Behind them, it’s the Wild West. I have rookies Marcus Harris and Jermari Harris as well as veteran Darrell Baker Jr. making the cut, but this is a competition that will be decided once the pads come on.

Safeties

  1. Amani Hooker
  2. Xavier Woods
  3. Kevin Winston Jr.
  4. Mike Brown

Cuts: Julius Wood, Kendall Brooks, Mark Perry

Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods are your starters at safety today, but how long does that last? Rookie Kevin Winston Jr. is going to be a full-go for training camp, and I think he could push for a starting role faster than some expect.

Specialists

  1. P Johnny Hekker
  2. K Joey Slye
  3. LS Morgan Cox

The Titans cleaned house on special teams: from their special teams coordinator, to each of the three major specialist roles. Everybody in these positions is now a reliable veteran in their own right, and Brian Callahan hopes that leads to a script-flipping from year last year started in this phase of the game. The other thing to keep an eye on is the returner position. It'll have an impact on who has the upper hand in the wide receiver race.

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