Titans Final 53-Man Roster Prediction: Receiver on the bubble, offensive locks, and waiver wire placeholders ahead of cutdown

The Tennessee Titans will have to cut their roster down to 53 players this Tuesday, August 26th by 3:00pm CST. If you missed the defensive edition of my final roster prediction, you can read it by clicking here. Here is my final projection for the offense based on all the intel and insight I’ve gathered throughout Training Camp.

Ground Rules

• Bolded players are roster locks
• Italicized players are “placeholders”: Mike Borgonzi is actively looking for somebody on the waiver wire to replace you with
• Players in standard text aren’t placeholders… but the front office is flipping through the brochure of options to replace you with once or twice anyways
• Listed order in each room is roughly the projected Week 1 depth chart order unless otherwise specified
• The number of potential practice squad inclusions exceeds the 16 spots you get to fill. I won’t pretend to know exactly how that part is going to shake out, especially since a number of the guys who end up on it are liable to be from other teams’ cuts. So I’m just mentioning anybody I have reason to believe could get a spot.

Quarterback

1. Cam Ward
2. Brandon Allen

Cam Ward is the most locked player in the history of roster locks, and behind him the Titans will keep one backup on the active roster. That will be Brandon Allen on cutdown day, but I won’t rule out finding a better option before opening day if the right situation presents itself. QB Trevor Siemian could wind up on Tennessee’s practice squad.

Running Back

1. Tony Pollard
2. Tyjae Spears
3. Kalel Mullings
4. Julius Chestnut

Tony Pollard and (a currently hurt) Tyjae Spears are of course locks. Rookie 6th Round draft pick Kalel Mullings is a lock as well, and will play a short yardage/goal line role. Because Spears is hurt, I feel very confident Julius Chestnut will be RB4 on the initial roster now. He’s likely to handle any pass protection assignments that Tony Pollard doesn’t, as Mullings is still proving to this staff that he won’t get Cam Ward killed back there. Chestnut is also a useful special teamer. Jordan Mims is the running back I have pegged to potentially take a practice squad spot.

Wide Receiver

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

The latitude on this room is six or seven receivers, with the top six absolutely locked into place. No, Van Jefferson isn’t at risk of being cut. The only real question here is whether James Proche gets retained as WR7, and though the math on the rest of the roster may make it tricky, I frankly don’t see how they can afford not to keep him at this point.

Either Proche is this team’s punt returner and must be on the roster, or they’ve really screwed up in preparation for that role. Because the only other two players still in that competition receiving reps in camp are Jha’Quan Jackson and Chimere Dike. Jackson has no shot at making the active roster, and Dike has been held out of taking too many reps at returner to focus on his other offensive and special teams duties so far. When I asked special teams coordinator John Fassel whether he’d feel comfortable with Dike’s preparedness to be the Week 1 punt returner Week 1, he flat out said “no”.

Hence, Proche (or another return specialist from the waiver wire) has to make this team as WR7. His coaches believe he’s earned a spot in camp with his impressive play as a receiver. The only rub here is roster math with other position groups. As for fan-favorite Xavier Restrepo, the Titans masses will panic for a matter of hours after he is cut. And then all will be well when he lands softly on the practice squad. I think Mason Kinsey stands to join him, per the usual arrangement.

Tight End

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

I think the latitude on the number kept in this room was either three or four tight ends before Tyjae Spears got hurt and forced a fourth running back into the equation. Now, while I don’t know if I’d completely rule out a TE4 purely for special teams purposes, I feel pretty strongly that they’ll stick with these three locks. Thomas Odukoya and Josh Whyle could potentially land on the practice squad.

Offensive Line

1. Dan Moore
2. Peter Skoronski
3. Lloyd Cushenberry
4. Kevin Zeitler
5. JC Latham
6. Corey Levin
7. Blake Hance
8. Jackson Slater
9. John Ojukwu

The latitude in the offensive line room is either nine or ten big fellas. The first five locks are the starting OL (when healthy) listed from left to right. Then there’s Corey Levin, who may very well end up starting at center for a week or two while Cushenberry ramps back up. Rookie Jackson Slater is certainly making the team as an interior player. And then there’s Blake Hance, who is this team’s Swiss army knife backup. They’re comfortable with him surviving at four different positions across the line, and could be a perfectly acceptable guard for a stretch if called upon.

The ninth spot will either belong to OT John Ojukwu or Oli Udoh. I went with Ojukwu in this projection due to familiarity and his strengths. Ojukwu is quick-footed with a high motor and sound technique. Without a traditional blocking “Y” tight end on this roster (Thomas Odukoya’s archetype), Ojukwu gives you a guy to bring in as a bonus lineman on jumbo packages. He was used in that role often last season.

Oli Udoh is farm strong with a strong anchor, so he’s the opposite of Ojukwu in a lot of ways. The team has been impressed with him as a swing tackle option this month, and he’s who they sent in for a few snaps last week when LT Dan Moore briefly came out in the Atlanta game. If I’m wrong about one of these spots, it’s going to be because he made it as OL9 over Ojukwu.

The team would really like to keep both tackle options if they can fit ten linemen, but that seems like some unlikely roster math. One last nugget, how’s this for burying the lede: OT Jaelyn Duncan won’t make this roster, but he could attract some trade attention believe it or not. Teams across the league are truly desperate for tackles, and his frame and college pedigree fit the bill. He could land on the Titans practice squad, or he could be dealt for some very low-level capital.

UDFA rookie Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson feels like the only lock practice squad player on this roster. There isn’t room for him on the active roster this August, but the team is very pleased with his development so far. They see a potential future in him. Perhaps he’s earning the swing tackle spot this time next year. And finally, never rule out the stalwart Andrew Rupcich from sticking around in some capacity. The team trusts him as a backup interior option.