The Tennessee Titans are days away from trimming their roster from 91 to 53 players, and the final preseason game against the Bears will be the last audition for dozens of players on the bubble.

Based on new intel from Titans assistant coaches and preseason usage trends, here is a position-by-position projection of Tennessee’s opening day roster, with the biggest verdicts at each spot between Easton Freeze and me.

Titans 53-Man Roster Projection, as of August 26:

• Veteran Newcomers: 17
• Rookies*: 7

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Quarterback (2)

• IN: Cam Ward, Mitch Trubisky
• Notable Cuts: Will Levis, Hendon Hooker (practice squad option)

No drama here: Cam Ward and Mitch Trubisky are locks. Will Levis will be cut, and Hendon Hooker will be released with a possible return to the practice squad. This is the most straightforward position group on the roster.

Running Back (4)

• IN: Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Nick Singleton*, Julius Chestnut
• Notable Cuts: Kalel Mullings (projected short term IR), Michael Carter

Chestnut earns his keep: The big decision comes down to Chestnut. Special teams coordinator Bones Fassel spoke this week about how Chestnut “does everything right,” using the word “everything” what felt like 17 times during his answer. Fassel called him an incredible leader, a pro’s pro, a veteran he trusts on special teams. He sounds like the kind of guy whose coordinator would pound his fist to get him on the roster.

Mullings’ projected absence on short-term IR makes the math clean, should that be his fate. Carter profiles as one of Tennessee’s six veteran practice squad options. If Pollard or Spears goes down, the Titans would feel good about bringing Carter up to fill a role. But the fourth running back spot is a special teams role, and Chestnut wins that head-to-head.

Wide Receiver (6)

• IN: Carnell Tate*, Wan’Dale Robinson, Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Chim Dike, Bryce Oliver
• Notable Cuts: K.J. Osborn (practice squad option), Xavier Restrepo (practice squad option), Mason Kinsey (practice squad option), Hank Beatty* (practice squad option)

Bryce Oliver’s razor-thin edge over Xavier Restrepo: This was a three-man race for the last spot at the start of camp, but Osborn cooled off enough to narrow it to a two-man fight between Oliver and Restrepo.

These two are about as opposite as it gets. Restrepo is more of an offensive receiving threat than a special teams contributor, though Tennessee has been very intentionally trying to carve out a special teams role for him. The new offense and Wan’Dale Robinson’s integral place in it make Restrepo’s profile as a smaller, savvy slot-only option more viable than it would be on a more positionless receiver team.

But the job still goes to Oliver. With a healthy roster, the sixth receiver is primarily a special teams player. The Titans figure to rotate their top five pretty exclusively on offense, and Oliver remains a core special teams gunner when healthy. Right now, he is healthy, and his special teams coordinator has said only good things about him. Restrepo projects as the first man called up from the practice squad if anyone in front of him goes down.

Osborn is the Michael Carter equivalent for the outside receivers, and Restrepo is the Michael Carter equivalent for Robinson. If those starters miss time, those are the guys you want stepping in on offense.

Tight End (4)

• IN: Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, David Martin-Robinson, Kylen Granson
• Notable Cuts: Jaren Kanak* (IR), Joel Wilson

Keeping four is justified by the modern NFL: No matter the year, keeping a fourth tight end is usually easy to justify because tight end body types translate well to special teams. But the deeper reason for this team is the modern NFL’s heavy personnel trend.

Brian Daboll’s Giants offense last season ran 12 personnel at twice the clip the Titans did under the Brian Callahan offense. Having a deep, versatile group of tight ends to dictate terms offensively is a requirement, not a luxury. Tennessee cannot afford to enter game days with just three.

Offensive Line (9)

• IN: Dan Moore Jr., Peter Skoronski, Austin Schlottmann, Fernando Carmona*, JC Latham, Pat Coogan*, Jackson Slater, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, Cordell Volson (instant cut candidate)
• Notable Cuts: Andre James, Austin Deculus

Hunting for a swing tackle: The Titans have plenty of interior depth, so the real question is whether they can find another swing tackle besides Crenshaw-Dickson. They seem relatively comfortable with him as a developing second-year player, but you’d love to have two swing tackles and two swing interior guys rather than three interior backups and one tackle. Tennessee may keep that lopsided configuration as a placeholder for roster math purposes, but expect them to hunt the waiver wire for another swing tackle once cuts happen across the league.

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Defensive Line (9)

• Tackle IN: Jeffery Simmons, Jordan Elliott, Solomon Thomas, Jackie Marshall*
• Big End IN: John Franklin-Myers, Keldric Faulk*
• Rush End IN: Jermaine Johnson, Jacob Martin, Femi Oladejo
• Notable Cuts: Malik Herring, Truman Jones, Earnest Brown IV, Jaylen Harrell (IR)

Jackie Marshall’s anonymous camp raises questions: The biggest question is how much depth the coaching staff wants at rush end and whether any of those guys justify bumping Marshall, who has been about as anonymous this camp as a player can be. Given the situation he walked into and the round he was drafted in, nobody should be surprised. But do you keep him just because of the rookie investment, or do you let him develop on the practice squad?

Marshall is likely inactive on game days, with the Titans rolling with eight. John Franklin-Myers could slide more to the interior while Faulk works as an outside presence, giving Tennessee a clean four-and-four rotation. Jones, Herring, and Brown have all had strong camps and are worth keeping nearby on the practice squad.

Linebackers (6)

• IN: Cody Barton, Cedric Gray, Anthony Hill Jr.*, James Williams Sr., Mohamoud Diabate, Dorian Mausi
• Notable Cuts: N/A

6 deep, Diabate’s listing speaks volumes: Every one of these players has done something to justify a roster spot in practice or preseason games except Diabate. The reason he’s included, honestly, is that every version of the unofficial depth chart the Titans have released lists him as the starting third linebacker in their base 4-3. As much as the coaching staff may not obsess over the unofficial depth chart, listing him there is one of the bigger messages being sent it seems. They brought him in as a free agent on purpose, and they keep listing him high on purpose.

Diabate and Mausi occupying roster spots at a position where only two players are typically on the field at once is a strange dynamic, but Bones’ praise of Mausi mirrors what he said about Chestnut. James Williams, with his safety background, gives Tennessee extra coverage skills and length as the third linebacker in base packages, solidifying his spot after strong preseason performances.

Cornerbacks (5)

• IN: Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flott, Marcus Harris, Josh Williams, Micah Robinson
• Notable Cuts: Nazeeh Johnson (IR/6 game suspension), Keydrain Calligan, Jalen McMurray*

Safeties (5)

• IN: Amani Hooker, Kevin Winston Jr., Tony Adams, Kendell Brooks, Erick Hallett II
• Notable Cuts: Jerrick Reed II, Bishop Fitzgerald*, Derrick Canteen (all practice squad options)

Nickel battle tips toward Hallett: The biggest verdict comes down to who backs up Marcus Harris at the slot/nickel position. Hallett has gotten a lot of run there late in camp, and the body type difference between him and Calligan profiles as a matchup-dependent variable. This could swing throughout the season if nobody emerges as the clear No. 2, or it could be a moot point if Harris rarely needs a breather.

Everything points toward one of these two not being on the game day roster to start the year, and right now the lean is Calligan getting the boot instead of Hallett. Tennessee’s 10 defensive backs function almost like Robert Saleh’s defensive line rotation, with Harris, Tony Adams, and Hallett sharing the nickel responsibilities while blending cornerback and safety skills. Kendell Brooks, who has performed well at safety lately, could even slide into some backup nickel work

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Specialists (3)

• IN: Joey Slye (K), Tommy Townsend (P), Morgan Cox (long snapper)

No drama, no competition: Slye fended off all competition and has made roughly 30 consecutive kicks. Townsend is steady. Morgan Cox is the greatest.

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The Titans will learn their final lessons from a joint practice against the Bears and the last preseason game before cutting from 91 to 53 in less than 24 hours. The margins are thin, and special teams value is proving to be the tiebreaker at nearly every contested position.