The Titans' feelings on Dillon Radunz are abundantly clear
With the recent struggles of LT Dennis Daley, the Tennessee Titans are looking to make lineup changes and find answers to improve their offensive line. After Daley's performance on Sunday proved detrimental, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spoke to the media on Monday and opened the door to the idea of Daley being replaced. Vrabel […]
With the recent struggles of LT Dennis Daley, the Tennessee Titans are looking to make lineup changes and find answers to improve their offensive line.
After Daley's performance on Sunday proved detrimental, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spoke to the media on Monday and opened the door to the idea of Daley being replaced. Vrabel said that Le'Raven Clark would have a chance to compete for the starting job during the ensuing week of practice.
That statement begs the question: Where does Dillon Radunz stand in the eyes of the Titans coaching staff?
Radunz is a second round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft that was brought in to be a future starting tackle on this team. He played 124 offensive snaps as a rookie, but showed some promise in his limited opportunity. 2022 was supposed to be the year Radunz took a step to compete for a starting tackle job.
Not only did he lose the right tackle position battle to third round rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere in training camp, Radunz is now being overlooked for Daley and Clark for the left tackle vacancy with starter Taylor Lewan out for the season. Clark, who was signed off of the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad following Week 3, is now being given opportunity to compete for the job before Radunz is.
That says a lot about how Tennessee views Radunz.
I had the chance to ask Titans offensive line coach Keith Carter about Radunz, his development inside, and why the team hasn't given him chances to compete at tackle. Carter confirmed what has long been suspected – the Titans believe Radunz is a guard, not tackle.
"I think Dillon [Radunz] has proven in the last however many weeks that he's gotten better inside," Carter said. "He's a big body and stays in front of people in protection. To me, I think he has improved inside and I think it's shown. Who knows what the future holds, but as of right now, I think he has excelled by moving inside and getting reps there."
Here's the good news. Radunz is being moved inside for a reason, and part of that reason is the capabilities he has shown at the position. While filling in at guard earlier this season, Radunz showed some really positive flashes, especially staying in front of his matchup in pass protection, as Carter mentioned.
He's far too inconsistent, but it's not far fetched to believe Radunz could develop into a really successful interior lineman in the NFL with more reps.
With Nate Davis an impending free agent and questions about Aaron Brewer's size, Tennessee may need Radunz to be a starter for them inside next season. It was just time to make the transition and go all-in. Being able to get focused experience at guard is essential to catalyzing the growth needed.
It's not all bad with Dillon Radunz. There could still be a future for him in Nashville, it just won't be at tackle. It's time to remove him from the conversation when discussing potential solutions this season.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
